How to open a real estate agency in Spain: requirements, cost, first clients

Short answer. You start as a self-employed person or a limited company, and then check your region. Catalonia and the Valencian Community make you register and carry insurance and a guarantee. We read no national exam or license requirement on the official pages below, and other regions may differ.

Written by Wanna AI. Checked on 8 Nov 2026. This is a plain-language summary of official pages, not legal advice. Rules change and differ by region, so confirm with the regional office and a gestor before you sign anything.

Step 1: find out what your region asks

Catalonia and the Valencian Community publish their own rules. We read both official pages today: the Generalitat de Catalunya registry page and the Generalitat Valenciana procedure page (sede.gva.es, id_proc=22848). For other regions, check the housing department of that region, because we did not read those pages and do not list them here.

Catalonia. The Generalitat says people or companies who want to work as agents established in Catalonia must register online. You need an office open to customers, unless you work only electronically, in which case you still need a physical address. You need a related university degree (such as law or economics) or training certificates in listed real estate subjects. Civil liability insurance is at least 100,000 euros per claim and 600,000 euros per year for each office, and a guarantee (a bond or deposit) is at least 60,000 euros per office. For agents working only electronically the page says at least 150,000 per claim and 1,000,000 per year for insurance, and 300,000 per agent for the guarantee. The page we read is dated 12 March 2021.

Valencian Community. Decreto 98/2022 requires individuals and companies who do real estate mediation to register. You qualify with one of three things: the official agent title from the ministry, a university degree in social and legal sciences, engineering or architecture, or certificates of at least 200 hours of real estate training. The surety is at least 60,000 euros per office per year, or 300,000 per agent if you work only online. Liability insurance is at least 600,000 euros per claim, or 1,000,000 for online-only agents. You need a physical establishment open to customers, such as a professional address, shop or office. If you work only online, you still need a physical address in the Valencian Community, even if you have an office elsewhere in Spain or the EU. Registration is filed electronically.

Step 2: choose how to set up

Self-employed (autónomo). The Seguridad Social table for 2026 sets monthly contribution bases from 653.59 euros to 5,101.20 euros, depending on your expected net income. The rates listed on the same page include 28.30% for common contingencies, 1.30% for professional contingencies and 0.90% for cessation of activity. Check with the Seguridad Social whether you qualify for a reduced fee as a new autónomo, because we did not read that page.

Limited company (SL). Article 4 of the Ley de Sociedades de Capital, in the version from 29 September 2022, says the capital cannot be less than one euro. While it is under 3,000 euros, 20% of yearly profit goes to a legal reserve, and in a liquidation the partners answer for the gap up to 3,000 euros. Notary and registry costs are extra and we did not find an official figure to print.

What a first year costs

Add up the lines that apply to you: insurance and guarantee if your region requires them (the figures above are minimum cover, not the price of a policy, and we have no official price), your monthly Seguridad Social contribution, company costs if you form an SL, an office or an address, and a website. Insurers quote the premiums, so ask two or three. We print no total because it depends on your region, your setup and your quotes.

Step 3: first clients

Agencies that are new usually have no listings and no reviews, so the first clients come from people who already know you. Our advice, which is a suggestion and not a measured result:

• Tell ten people you know that you now list homes in one named town, and ask who is selling or renting.
• Pick one neighborhood and one kind of home, so a stranger searching for it finds one clear offer.
• Put your registration number (where your region gives one), your address and your insurer on every page and contract.
• Ask each happy client for a short review in their own words.

What Wanna can do for you

Wanna is our product. It does not register you or hire you an insurer. Once you know what you will sell, you paste the address of your website, or describe your agency in a few lines, and Wanna drafts three things for you to read and change:

• A simple page for your agency that states your town, what you list and how to reach you.
• Posts and pages for your social accounts, in your words, for you to approve.
• A first plan of what to do in your first weeks.

You decide what goes out. We do not promise clients or income.

What this does not replace

• It does not replace the regional register or its forms. You file them yourself or through a professional body.
• It does not replace a gestor or lawyer for the choice between autónomo and SL, taxes and contracts.
• It does not replace an insurer's quote or a bank for the guarantee.
• It does not replace knowing your local market. Walk the streets you plan to sell in.

FAQ

How do I open a real estate agency in Spain? Check your region's rules, register where required (Catalonia and the Valencian Community do), get the insurance and guarantee, register as self-employed or form a company, then start with people you know in one neighborhood.

What are the requirements to open a real estate agency in Spain? We found no national exam on the official pages we read. In Catalonia you need a qualification, an office or address, insurance and a guarantee. In Valencia you need a qualification, an establishment open to customers or a physical address in the region (even if you work only online), insurance and a surety. Other regions may differ.

Do I need to register and carry insurance to open an agency in Spain? Check your region first. Catalonia and the Valencian Community require registration, liability insurance and a guarantee. After that, register as self-employed (autónomo) or form a limited company.

Can I open a real estate agency in Spain without being a registered agent (API)? The official pages we read show no mandatory national title. Catalonia asks for a related university degree or accredited training, and in the Valencian Community the official agent title is only one of three options.

Should I register as self-employed or form a company (SL)? First learn your region's rules, since Catalonia and Valencia require registration, insurance and a guarantee. Then register as an autónomo or form an SL. A gestor or lawyer can advise on which fits.

Do I need a degree to open a real estate agency in Spain? We read no national degree rule. Catalonia asks for a related degree or listed training, and Valencia accepts a degree, 200 hours of training or the official agent title.

How much capital do I need for a company? The Ley de Sociedades de Capital says one euro at minimum, with extra rules below 3,000 euros.

Can Wanna open the agency for me? No. It helps with your page, your social posts and a first plan after you have set up.