The French community in Spain is one of the largest in Europe: the Costa Blanca (Calp, Altea, Dénia, Jávea), the Costa del Sol (Marbella, Estepona) and Catalonia (Barcelona, Costa Brava) concentrate French residents and second-home buyers by the tens of thousands. The property purchase process is predictable and, thanks to shared EU membership, free of the Brexit complications faced by British buyers. But the notarial paperwork still requires sworn translation into Spanish of French bank documentation.
NIE: step one
Without a Foreigner Identification Number (NIE) you do not buy. You obtain it:
- From France, at the Spanish Consulate in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse or Strasbourg (1-2 months).
- From Spain at the Foreigners Office with an appointment (2-3 weeks).
- Through a lawyer or gestor with power of attorney (most convenient).
You file: passport or CNI, EX-15 form, proof of economic cause (imminent property purchase), 790-012 fee receipt.
The deposit contract
Once the property is chosen, the standard is a deposit contract (arras penitenciales) — typically 10 % of the price — reserving the property for 60-90 days. Bilingual lawyers draft it; usually no sworn translation needed.
French bank documentation at the notary
This is where sworn translation comes in. The Spanish notary must evidence the lawful origin of funds (Spanish Law 10/2010 against money laundering). Typical French documents:
- Bank statements for the last 6-12 months (BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, LCL, Caisse d'Épargne, La Banque Postale).
- Attestation bancaire on the origin of funds (inheritance, sale of French property, declared savings).
- Avis d'imposition (French tax filing) if funds come from salaries or self-employment.
- Acte de notoriété and European Certificate of Succession if funds come from a French inheritance.
- Acte de vente of the previous French property (if sold to fund this purchase).
All of this enters the Spanish notary translated into Spanish by a MAEC-accredited translator.
The mortgage
If the French buyer finances with a Spanish bank (Banco Santander, Sabadell, BBVA, CaixaBank all offer EU-resident lines), the bank requires the same French financial documentation translated, plus additional credit scoring.
If the mortgage is financed by a French bank (BNP Paribas España, Crédit Agricole España, or even a prêt français), then the deal involves cross-guarantees and the French documents filed at the Spanish notary are even more demanding.
Some Spanish banks accept French bank documentation directly in French for internal scoring, but always require sworn translation for the mortgage deed signed at the notary.
The notary signing
On signing day:
- Personal attendance of the buyer (or representative with power of attorney / procuration notariée, see next).
- Full reading of the deed by the notary.
- Bank cheque or certified transfer from the Spanish bank to the seller.
- Subsequent registration at the Land Registry (1-3 weeks).
If the buyer cannot attend, they grant a procuration notariée spécifique before a French notaire. That procuration then reaches the Spanish notary apostilled and translated into Spanish. More on this at Sworn translation of powers of attorney.
Textualia's specific advantage in the French pair
Our translator is listed in the official register of the French Consulate in Barcelona, with a recognised signature. For the French procuration notariée translated into Spanish, our signature simplifies the recognition if the document must also pass through the Consulate. More detail: French sworn translation in Barcelona.
Taxes and costs
- ITP (second-hand homes): 10 % in the Valencian Community, varies by region.
- VAT + AJD (new build): 10 % VAT + 1.5 % AJD.
- Notary: 0.3 - 0.5 %.
- Land Registry: 0.2 - 0.3 %.
- Gestoría: €300-600.
- Municipal capital gains tax (plusvalía): paid by the seller.
Common mistakes
- Arriving at signing without a NIE. The deed is not signed without it.
- A French traducteur assermenté translation signed by a translator listed only at a French Cour d'Appel: the Spanish notary rejects it.
- Unverified origin of funds. The notary will not authorise the deed.
- Procuration without Apostille. Apostille it in France before sending it over.
In short
Buying property in Spain as a French citizen is a predictable process: stable EU legal climate, large established French community, mature property market. Sworn translation of the French bank file and, where applicable, of the procuration notariée, is what connects the deal. At Textualia we translate bank statements, avis d'imposition, certificat successoral and French procurations into Spanish to a closed turnaround, with a signature recognised by the French Consulate in Barcelona.