Whenever a French company wants to do something formal in Spain — open a bank account, sign a contract, buy property, bid for a public tender — sooner or later someone will ask for one document: the extrait Kbis. In France it is the single sheet that proves the company exists and who runs it. Here we explain what it is, why it's always wanted fresh, and when you need a sworn translation into Spanish.
What the extrait Kbis actually is
The extrait Kbis is the official document issued by the greffe du tribunal de commerce (the French commercial court registry) proving that a company is registered in the Registre du commerce et des sociétés (RCS). It is, quite literally, the company's identity card: an up-to-date register extract with everything a third party needs to know before dealing with it.
On a single page you'll find:
- The company name, trade names and acronyms.
- The SIREN number and the APE activity code.
- The legal form (SARL, SAS, SA, SCI…) and the share capital.
- The address of the registered office (siège social) and of any establishments.
- The company's activity.
- The directors (dirigeants): name, date of birth and nationality.
- And, where applicable, any insolvency-proceedings decisions.
That last item is why the Kbis carries such weight: it doesn't just confirm the company exists, it also shows whether it's in difficulty. That's why a bank or a notary asks for it before taking a step.
Kbis or extrait K: which one applies
A common mix-up. The Kbis is for companies (legal entities). The extrait K, without the "bis", is the equivalent for individual entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs (natural persons) registered in the RCS. Same purpose, different subject. If your French counterpart is a SARL or a SAS, it's a Kbis; if it's a sole trader with a commercial activity, an extrait K.
Since 2019-2021 the holder can download it free online through MonIdenum, the service run by the national council of commercial-court clerks, with no need to queue at a counter. For many internal procedures in France it's now enough to quote the SIREN; but when the document leaves the country, what's requested is still the full Kbis.
Why it's always wanted "recent"
The Kbis has no legal expiry date, yet in practice it behaves as if it did. The reason is simple: its data changes. A change of director, a move of the registered office or a capital increase are all filed with the RCS, and from that moment the old Kbis no longer reflects reality.
That's why the custom — and what almost every body, in Spain too, requires — is to accept only a Kbis less than 3 months old. It's the same mechanism we describe in our guide on whether a sworn translation expires: the translation doesn't expire, the underlying document does. Order the Kbis as close as possible to the date you'll present it.
When you need the Kbis translated into Spanish
Whenever a French company deals with a Spanish authority, notary or bank, the other side will want to read its Kbis in Spanish and with guarantees — that is, as a sworn translation from French into Spanish, signed by a translator authorised by the Spanish MAEC. The most common cases:
- Opening a branch or setting up a subsidiary in Spain.
- Opening a business bank account or contracting services.
- Taking part in a public tender.
- A property purchase where the buyer is a French company (very typical with SCIs).
- Any transaction where you must prove who can sign on the company's behalf.
Apostille: yes or no?
It depends on the receiving body, so ask first. As a French public document, the Kbis may need a Hague Apostille to take effect in Spain. Between EU countries there are exemption cases, but they don't broadly cover commercial register extracts, so don't assume it: confirm with the authority, notary or bank whether the apostille is required. And remember one golden rule: if the document is apostilled, the apostille is translated too, within the same sworn translation.
Kbis and statuts are not the same thing
They're often confused because they usually travel together, but they do different jobs. The Kbis is the register extract: the official, current snapshot of the company. The statuts are the company's constitution: the internal rules that govern it. Many transactions call for both, and each has its own translation nuances. If your procedure also needs the statuts, we cover it in the guide to sworn translation of French company statutes. And if the company involved is British, here's the version for UK articles of association.
How we do it at Textualia
Everything online, no travelling. You upload the Kbis (and the statuts, if requested), see the fixed price on the spot, and receive the sworn translation from French into Spanish as a digitally signed PDF, fully valid before notaries, banks and the Commercial Registry. If you need a paper original, we issue it on official State watermarked paper. We know this document inside out: we know what a Spanish notary expects to read in a Kbis and which terms — gérant, siège social, capital social — have their correct legal equivalent. Gather your recent Kbis and start from our documents page, or upload it straight into the calculator.