Nota simple in Spain: what the Land Registry extract shows, what it costs and how to order it

What is a nota simple?

A nota simple (in full, nota simple informativa) is the extract from the Spanish Land Registry, the Registro de la Propiedad, that sums up a property’s legal position: how it is described, who owns it and what is charged on it. The Association of Registrars’ English pages call it a “Land Registry Extract”. Under art. 222.5 of the Mortgage Act (Ley Hipotecaria), it must reproduce the current entries for the property and show at least its identification, the holder or holders of registered rights and the extent, nature and limitations of those rights.

The same article sets its limit: the nota simple is purely informative and does not attest the contents of the entries (“no da fe”). Even so, the Association of Registrars notes that, for simple and routine transactions, it is commonly accepted as proof of ownership and of the charges on a property, even by banks assessing a mortgage application.

Since 9 May 2024 registry information is always issued electronically: the nota simple is secured with the Registry’s electronic seal and carries an electronic verification code (art. 222.2 of the Mortgage Act).

How much does a nota simple cost?

The official fee is €9.02 per property, taxes not included, invoiced directly by the registrar who issues it. The Registrars’ English service for non-residents spells it out as “9.02 Euros plus VAT (21%) for each individual property”. The official price list adds three cases:

• English translation: €30 per extract on top of the €9.02. According to the English page, VAT applies only to EU residents requesting it as end users; businesses with an EU VAT number are exempt.
• Location note (nota de localización): €9.02 per property. If you search by owner and no property appears in their name in the area you chose, you get a negative location note, and it is still charged.
• Registry certificate (certificación): no fixed price; it depends on the fees the Registry has to apply.

There is no subscription and no joining fee: a one-off request is paid as a “sporadic user”.

Who can request a nota simple? The “legitimate interest” rule

The Spanish Registry is public, but not for idle curiosity: it is open to those with a known interest in finding out the state of registered property and rights (art. 221 of the Mortgage Act). Art. 332 of the Mortgage Regulations requires a legitimate interest and presumes it for professionals in the property market, estate agents included, provided they state the reason for the request, and also when the information is requested for tax purposes, valuations or a mortgage loan. A prospective buyer simply states that purpose.

That is why the online request asks for your reason. The Registrars explain that the registrar assesses it and that it remains available to the owner, who can at any time check which extracts were issued on their property and the reasons given.

The owner can see who requested an extract of their property, and why. Always give a genuine reason that fits the purpose of the Registry, such as the purchase you are considering.

How to order a nota simple online, step by step

The official route is the online office (sede electrónica) of the Association of Registrars. You can order from abroad, for any property in Spain: the law lets you choose freely the registrar through whom you obtain a nota simple, even if the property lies outside their district (art. 222.8 of the Mortgage Act).

1. Open the online office

   Go to the nota simple page at sede.registradores.org and click “Solicitar nota simple”. The site also has an English interface, where the product is called “Uncertified extract of information”.

2. Identify the property

   You can search by the CRU (Unique Registry Code, formerly IDUFIR); by registry details (province, municipality, Registry office and property number); by owner (name or company name, and NIF, NIE, passport or identity card); by address or other location data, for which you need to know the municipality and the Registry office; or by cadastral parcel number, but only “in the case of properties coordinated with the Cadastre or identified from the cadastral cartography”.

3. State your legitimate interest

   Say why you need the information. The registrar assesses it before issuing the extract, and the owner will be able to see it later.

4. Pay as a sporadic user

   No account is needed: you pay by card or PayPal. Identification is required only if you search by owner, using one of the methods the online office accepts.

5. Download the PDF

   Once it is issued, you receive an email with a link to download the extract as a PDF, and you have 30 days to do so (registradores.org). The Registrars quote an average delivery time of under two hours: an average, not a guarantee.

6. Order the English translation if you need it

   It costs €30 plus any VAT due. It is not instant: the English page says the extract and its translation “will take typically three working days, although it may take up to a week”. The translation is laid out in two columns beside the Spanish text, and if they differ, the Spanish version prevails.

Give every detail you have. The Registry indexes properties by property number or CRU and by owner, so a search by address alone may be refused for lack of data or come back negative. If you do not know which Registry office covers the property, the Registrars’ geoportal locates it on a map.

How to read a nota simple

The layout varies between Registry offices, but the content follows the same order, with Spanish headings. The Registrars publish a bilingual sample extract with “the most common entries explained in plain English”, and the explanations below come from that guide. It dates from 2011, so use it to recognise the sections, not for its legal references.

Heading: the property number and CRU

At the top you will find the property number in its Registry office and the unique code for the whole system. Since 2024, every entry except filing entries begins with the Unique Registry Code (art. 241.3 of the Mortgage Act).

Description (<em>Descripción de la finca</em>)

Location, nature, boundaries and area of the property (art. 9). Every extract must state the cadastral reference and whether the property is graphically coordinated with the Catastro as of a given date (art. 10.4). The label VPO means officially protected housing, with restrictions on selling it.

Ownership (<em>Titularidades</em>)

Who the owner is, what right they hold (pleno dominio means full ownership; anything less is specified) and the document the entry comes from: a notarial deed, or a court or administrative document. If spouses bought together, their matrimonial property regime is mentioned. Check that the person selling to you is the one shown here.

Charges (<em>Cargas</em>)

The list of mortgages, charges, encumbrances, easements and other rights in rem that limit ownership. An annotation of embargo means the property has been attached, by a court or by an administrative authority. An afección fiscal is a notice that the property answers for certain taxes (ITPAJD, the transfer and stamp duty) for five years; after that it may be cancelled.

Pending documents

At the end, the extract states whether any documents affecting the property have been filed and are awaiting registration. Read this part carefully: while a filing entry is in force, no other incompatible title can be registered for sixty days (art. 17 of the Mortgage Act). A sale or a mortgage that has just been filed can show up here before it appears under ownership or charges. And remember that the extract is a snapshot as of the date in its final notice: if weeks go by before the signing, order a new one.

Nota simple or registry certificate: which one do you need?

A registry certificate (certificación) is a public document signed by the registrar with a qualified electronic signature, and it attests the contents of the Registry (art. 222.2). It is also the only document that works against third parties: under art. 225 of the Mortgage Act, whether a property is free of charges or encumbered can only be proven to the detriment of a third party with a certificate from the Registry. The most common one covers ownership and charges (dominio y cargas).

Ordering one online always requires identification, and its price depends on registry fees: the online office places a hold of €150 on your payment method, or a limit you choose. It is the legal means when rights have to be asserted before third parties, courts or public bodies.

Finca registral, CRU and cadastral reference: not the same thing

The cadastral reference (referencia catastral) is the Catastro’s identifier: an alphanumeric code that places the property unambiguously on the official cadastral map (art. 6.3 of the Cadastre Act). The registered property (finca registral) is identified by its number in a given Registry office and by the CRU, the unique national identifier of registered properties (art. 9 of the Mortgage Act, as amended by Law 13/2015).

The Catastro is an administrative register that describes the property; the Land Registry says who owns it and what is charged on it. Cadastral data are presumed correct, but without prejudice to the Land Registry, whose legal findings prevail (art. 3.3 of the Cadastre Act). Because the nota simple must show the cadastral reference and the coordination status, it lets you compare the two: areas, boundaries, buildings. We explain how to use the Catastro in how to look up a property in the Spanish Catastro, and why the cadastral use does not tell you what may be built in the Spanish cadastre is not planning permission.

Common mistakes when buying on the Costa del Sol

• Reading only the owner’s name. Charges and pending documents are the part of the extract that matters most.
• Relying on an old extract. It reflects a specific date. In Andalusia, the fact sheet an agency must give you at a viewing has to be backed by an extract no more than three months old.
• Expecting it to say what may be built. That depends on the municipal plan, not on the Registry.

For agents on the Costa del Sol

In Andalusia the nota simple is more than good practice. Decree 218/2005 requires anyone acting as intermediary in the sale of a resale home to give every consumer who views it through them a fact sheet, vouching for its accuracy, that states the owner, registered charges, possible easements and built or usable area, “acreditados mediante nota simple registral de no más de tres meses de antigüedad”, that is, backed by a nota simple no more than three months old (art. 10.1 d) of its Regulation). The Andalusian government also advises buyers to request a nota simple to check that the home is in the seller’s name and what charges it carries.

Domuspace does not order notas simples and does not show registry owners or charges: that stays with the Land Registry. What the cadastral map does is show the official plots for the whole province of Málaga, on desktop and mobile, coloured by the outcome of each visit in six statuses. From the plot card you save the owner’s contact, linked to the cadastral reference you then check against the nota simple.

Once ownership is checked, the exclusive or brokerage agreement can be signed from the contracts module (Professional plan), in person or remotely with a 6-digit code sent by email; we explain it in electronic signatures for real-estate contracts. If you work the area, see Domuspace on the Costa del Sol.

This guide is for information only and is not a substitute for advice from a legal professional. The data were checked on 29 September 2026 against the official sources linked above.