The process
Buying a property in Mallorca, step by step
Six steps lie between the handshake with the agent and the entry in the land registry. They build on one another: skip one and it usually shows years later — on a resale or when applying for a letting licence.
Initial consultation — personally or through a company?
This question comes before the first contract and sets the tax burden for the entire holding period. A German GmbH remains taxable in Germany on its worldwide income for as long as its management sits there. Where the shareholder uses the property personally, a hidden distribution of profits is in play. In Spain, by contrast, corporations are not subject to the deemed-use tax. Which form is better depends on use, holding period and intention to sell.
NIE number and power of attorney
Without a Spanish tax number (NIE) no one can acquire property in Spain. We prepare the powers of attorney used to apply for it and to complete the entire purchase without you being on the island.
Legal due diligence on the property
Nota simple, encumbrances and mortgages, freedom from debt towards the town hall and the owners' association, building permits, cédula de habitabilidad. This is where it shows whether what was built matches what is registered — and what regularising it would cost.
Bilingual preliminary contract
The contract fixes price, payment schedule, deadlines, handover and withdrawal rights. It is drafted in both languages: you sign nothing you have not read in your own.
The notary and transfer of title
The escritura pública is executed before the Spanish notary, the price is paid and the keys handed over. We attend and translate what is actually being executed.
Taxes, registry, transfers
Transfer tax and plusvalía municipal, registration at the Registro de la Propiedad, and transferring water, electricity, refuse charges and property tax (IBI). Only once that is done is the purchase complete.
Common questions
What buyers ask most often
Do I have to travel to Mallorca to buy?
No. With a notarised power of attorney the NIE application, the preliminary contract and the deed can all be handled in your absence.
What language is the matter run in?
In German. Advice, submissions and contracts are handled in German, and the Spanish documents are translated.
What if the pool is not registered?
Then we check before the purchase whether a permit can still be obtained and what it costs. That is often the lever for negotiating the price.
May I let the property to tourists?
Only with tourist places from the island's quota and a filed DRIAT. Since 16 April 2025 moratoriums apply, with narrow exceptions. This belongs before the purchase, not after it.
Next step
Tell us about your matter
A first conversation usually settles in twenty minutes what the matter really involves in law and in tax — and what it would cost.