If you have started researching how property transactions work in Spain, you will have come across the term nota simple fairly quickly — it is one of the first documents any buyer, lawyer, or bank will mention. This guide answers the questions people most commonly ask about it: what it is, who can request one, what it actually contains, how to read it, and what it costs.
Requesting and reading a nota simple carefully is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself before buying. Photo: Freepik
What is the nota simple?
The nota simple is an official informative extract from Spain's Registro de la Propiedad (Land Registry), summarising the key legal facts about a specific, registered property: who owns it, its physical description, and any debts, mortgages, or other charges registered against it.
It is important to understand what it is not: a nota simple is purely informative. It has no legal certifying value in court — for that, a different document, the certificación registral, is required. In practice, the nota simple is what almost everyone actually uses day to day, since it is faster, cheaper, and gives buyers, lawyers, and banks everything they typically need to assess a property before a transaction.
What is the nota simple used for?
- Confirming that the person selling a property is its genuine, legally registered owner
- Checking whether the property carries any mortgages, debts, liens, or other charges that could transfer to a new owner
- Verifying the property's registered description matches what is actually being bought — size, boundaries, and registered use
- Meeting a bank's requirement as part of the mortgage valuation process
Who can request a nota simple?
Spanish law allows anyone with legitimate interest (interés legítimo) in a property to request its nota simple. In practice, this is interpreted broadly and rarely creates a barrier — the Land Registry does not usually ask a requester to prove their interest in detail. Typical requesters include:
- Prospective buyers researching a property before making an offer
- The property's current owner, checking their own registered details
- Lawyers and gestores carrying out due diligence on a client's behalf
- Banks and mortgage valuers, as a standard part of the lending process
- Estate agents, when preparing a property for sale
You do not need to own a property, or even be in Spain, to request a nota simple on it. This is precisely what makes it such a useful early research tool — you can check a property's legal status before committing to travel, view it in person, or make an offer.
How to get a nota simple
There are three main ways to request one:
- Online: through the official Registradores de España website, which also lets you request the document in English or any of Spain's official languages
- In person: at the specific Land Registry office covering the area where the property is located
- Via a lawyer or gestor: most buyers simply ask their lawyer or gestor to request it as part of standard due diligence, typically for a modest additional fee on top of the registry cost
To request one, you will usually need at least one of the following: the property's CRU/IDUFIR (Unique Registration Code), its registry details (province, municipality, registry office, and plot or finca number), or the owner's full name and NIF/NIE. If you do not have any of these, the property can often still be located using its address via the...
Read more at thinkSpain.com