Completion Day in Spain: What to Expect When You Sign the Escritura (British Buyer’s Guide 2026)
The call comes from your abogado: “We have a date. Notary at 11am on Thursday.”
For most British buyers, that moment is equal parts excitement and mild dread. You’ve agreed the price, signed the contrato de arras, wired the 10% deposit and waited. Now you have to walk into a Spanish notary’s office and sign a legal document in a language you probably do not read.
Here is exactly what happens, what you need to bring, what you will pay on the day, and what can still go wrong.
What Is the Escritura?
The escritura de compraventa is the deed of sale, the legal document that transfers ownership of a property from seller to buyer. Unlike the UK process where solicitors exchange documents behind the scenes, in Spain the final transfer happens in person at a notary’s office (notaría).
The notary (notario) is a state-appointed public official. Their job is to verify identities, confirm the property description is accurate, read the deed aloud and witness the signatures. They represent neither buyer nor seller. They simply make the document legally valid under Spanish law.
This is why you need your own abogado present throughout, not just the notary.
Who Is in the Room
At a typical completion in Spain, expect to find:
- The seller (or their representative with power of attorney)
- You, the buyer (or your PoA holder if you cannot attend)
- The notary and their assistants
- Your abogado, and possibly the seller’s
- A bank representative if either party has a mortgage being registered or discharged
If you are buying with a Spanish mortgage, the bank prepares a separate document, the escritura de préstamo hipotecario, which is signed at the same sitting.
What You Need to Bring
At minimum:
- Your original NIE (número de identificación de extranjero) – not a photocopy, the original certificate
- Your passport (original)
- Proof of funds transfer – the confirmation from your bank or currency broker showing the balance of the purchase price has been sent to the agreed account
- Your abogado’s sign-off that all searches are clean and the property is clear to complete
If you are buying with a Spanish mortgage, your bank’s solicitor handles the additional documentation, but you should have your income evidence and property valuation (tasación) confirmed beforehand.
If you cannot attend in person, you can grant a properly executed poder notarial (power of attorney) authorising your abogado to sign on your behalf. This is legally identical to attending in person and is a common choice for British buyers making a transatlantic round trip for a single 90-minute appointment. See our power of attorney guide for how to set this up from the UK.
The Day Before: Your Final Checklist
Your abogado should have completed all of this, but confirm the following the night before:
- Nota Simple updated within 48 hours – confirms no charges, embargoes or encumbrances have appeared since the arras was signed
- Certificate of no community debt (certificado de deudas a la comunidad) – signed by the residents’ community president, confirms the seller owes nothing in unpaid fees
- IBI certificate – confirms the seller is current on annual property tax payments
- Occupation licence (licencia de primera ocupación or cédula de habitabilidad) – confirms the property is legally habitable; without this you cannot transfer utilities into your name
- Energy Performance Certificate (Certificado de Eficiencia Energética) – legally required for all property sales
- Cadastral reference number matches exactly what is written in the draft deed
If any of these is missing or shows an outstanding debt, your abogado should advise you to postpone signing until it is resolved. This is your last practical exit point before ownership transfers.
What Happens at the Notary
The appointment typically runs 60 to 90 minutes. Here is how it unfolds:
Identity verification (approximately 15 minutes)
The notary checks passports and NIE certificates for all parties, and verifies any power of attorney documents. The property is confirmed against the Land Registry entry and the cadastral record.
The deed is read aloud (20 to 30 minutes)
The notary reads the full deed in Spanish. This is a legal requirement, not a courtesy. You are entitled to request an interpreter. If your abogado speaks Spanish and English, ask them to translate the key sections as the notary proceeds. The deed covers the full property description, the agreed price, method of payment, confirmation that any existing mortgage on the property is being cancelled, and the energy certificate rating.
Payment is confirmed and everyone signs (10 to 15 minutes)
The notary confirms that the purchase price has been received. Your abogado confirms the funds are in the agreed account. Everyone signs. The notary stamps and countersigns.
Keys are handed over
The moment you sign, you are the legal owner. Keys typically change hands in the notary’s office immediately after signing, though occasionally the seller arranges to meet you at the property if it is still occupied at the time of completion.
Fees and Taxes Due on Completion Day
These are in addition to the 10% deposit paid at arras stage. Your abogado and gestor handle the filings, but you need the funds available.
Resale properties (buying from a private seller):
- ITP (Property Transfer Tax): 7% of the purchase price in Andalusia, payable within 30 days of signing
- Notary fees: typically 0.1% to 0.5% depending on the transaction value, usually €600 to €1,500
- Land Registry fee: roughly 60% to 75% of the notary fee
- Abogado fees: if not already paid, 1% to 1.5% plus IVA (21%)
New-build properties (buying from a developer):
- IVA (VAT): 10% of the purchase price instead of ITP
- AJD (Stamp Duty): 1.2% in Andalusia on top of IVA
- Notary and Land Registry fees: the same ranges as resale
Worked example on a €380,000 resale apartment:
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| ITP (7%) | €26,600 |
| Notary fee | €900 |
| Land Registry fee | €650 |
| Gestoría (filing service) | €400 |
| Total completion-day costs | ~€28,550 |
This is why the standard advice is to budget 10% to 13% on top of the agreed purchase price to cover all buying costs. For a full breakdown including pre-completion costs, see our complete cost guide for buying on the Costa del Sol.
After You Sign: What Happens Next
Signing the escritura means you legally own the property, but you are not yet on the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad). Your abogado or gestor files the escritura with:
- Hacienda (the Spanish tax authority) to pay and certify the ITP within 30 days of signing
- The Land Registry, which takes 15 to 60 working days to complete formal registration
During this interval, a nota de despacho (dispatch note) serves as interim proof that the filing is in progress. Your ownership is legally protected from the moment of signing.
Your gestor will also transfer electricity, water and gas accounts into your name. This requires the cédula de habitabilidad and your NIE. Allow two to four weeks.
British-Specific Issues to Watch
NIE is non-negotiable. You cannot sign the escritura without it. If you have not yet got your NIE, this needs to happen well before a completion date is set. Our NIE guide explains how to get one from the UK or from Spain.
Funds must arrive before you sit down. The most common cause of last-minute delays is a GBP/EUR bank transfer arriving later than expected. Send the balance at least two business days before the notary appointment. Using a specialist currency broker rather than a high street bank will also save you several hundred to several thousand pounds in exchange-rate margin, depending on the transaction size. Our currency hedging guide covers how to protect yourself from rate moves between exchange and completion.
Power of attorney is a genuine option. Many British buyers complete remotely by granting their abogado a PoA. It is legally identical to attending in person, saves a return flight and works well when the deal timeline is uncertain.
Post-Brexit, the process itself is unchanged. You have the same rights at the notary as any non-EU buyer. The Brexit differences show up in financing (higher LTV requirements, typically 30% to 40% deposit rather than 20%) and in how rental income and capital gains are taxed after you own the property, not in the mechanics of completion day itself.
What Can Go Wrong
Most completions run smoothly once the due diligence is solid. The common failure points are:
- Funds arrive late – always transfer a day or two early, confirm receipt with your abogado the morning of the appointment
- IBI certificate missing – the seller’s gestor has been slow; your abogado should chase this at least a week before completion
- Occupation licence not yet issued (new builds only) – a developer may push to complete on a verbal promise; do not sign without it, because you cannot legally inhabit the property or connect utilities
- Last-minute charge on the nota simple – rare, but a seller’s creditor can register a charge after arras signing; a 48-hour nota simple check catches this
- Seller fails to appear – if they have granted a valid PoA, their representative attends instead; if neither shows without legitimate reason, you are entitled to recover your deposit and potentially claim compensation under the arras penitenciales terms
If you need a deeper look at how the arras contract protects you before completion, the contrato de arras guide covers the deposit contract mechanics in full.
The Bottom Line
Completion day in Spain is more formal and more ceremonial than the UK equivalent, but it is generally straightforward when your abogado has done the groundwork properly. The notary reads, everyone signs, keys change hands, and you walk out the legal owner of a property in the sun.
If anything is missing from the checklist above, ask to postpone. A week’s delay is always preferable to signing with an unresolved title issue, a missing occupation licence or a community debt that becomes yours the moment you sign.
Ready to start the buying process? We work with experienced English-speaking abogados across the Costa del Sol and can walk you through every stage from the initial offer to the keys in your hand. Tell us what you are looking for and we will take it from there.
