Spain

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Tarjeta de Transporte Required

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Any business carrying goods by road for hire and reward needs a tarjeta de transporte, applied for at the territorial office (of the national Ministry, or the autonomous community’s own transport directorate where devolved) corresponding to the company’s fiscal domicile. Once granted, the authorization is valid nationwide. Where a mover hires another company to do the driving (a subcontracted carrier), the carrier’s own authorization covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold the authorizations that transport requires.

Three Qualifying Conditions

Required for the tarjeta. Honorabilidad (good repute), capacidad financiera (financial standing) and capacitación profesional (professional competence), matching the EU Regulation 1071/2009 framework used across the EU.

Financial Standing Threshold

Required for the tarjeta. €9,000 in disbursed capital and reserves for the first vehicle, plus €5,000 for each additional vehicle, consistent with the figures used across the EU.

Moving Has Its Own Tax Activity Code

Yes. Under Spain’s IAE (Impuesto de Actividades Económicas) classification, moving services register under their own specific code (epígrafe 757), distinct from the general road cargo transport code (722).

Fiscal and Social Security Standing Required

Yes, for the tarjeta application. Applicants must be current on tax (Agencia Tributaria) and social security obligations; any outstanding debt, however small, halts the application.

Registro de Empresas de Mudanzas

Not confirmed. Industry sources refer to a dedicated Register of Moving Companies alongside the general tarjeta de transporte, but this research did not confirm an official requirement to register in it. Movers and customers should check with the territorial transport office.

Liability Framework

General transport contract law, not a dedicated moving statute. Spain has no purpose-built statute for moving contracts comparable to Germany’s § 451 HGB. A moving contract is treated as a species of land carriage contract under Ley 15/2009 (Ley del Contrato de Transporte Terrestre de Mercancías), alongside general Código de Comercio and Código Civil principles.

Consumer Complaint System

Multi-layered rather than a single portal. A business must provide a hoja de reclamaciones (complaint form) on request. Unresolved complaints go to the municipal Oficina Municipal de Información al Consumidor (OMIC) for mediation, then, if the company accepts arbitration, to the regional Junta Arbitral de Consumo for a binding decision. The Ministerio de Derechos Sociales, Consumo y Agenda 2030 (dsca.gob.es) is the national entry point, and the independent Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU, ocu.org) is a widely used consumer resource.

Industry Association

FEDEM. The Federación Española de Empresas de Mudanzas, founded in 1955, is Spain’s national moving-industry trade body and is a member of the Spanish freight confederation (CETM) and the European moving federation (FEDEMAC). Membership of an industry association is not a government licence and does not replace the tarjeta de transporte or other requirements described on this page.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Spain licenses road carriers under the same EU Regulation 1071/2009 framework used across the EU. The tarjeta de transporte is administered regionally, through the national Ministry’s territorial offices or directly by an autonomous community’s own transport directorate where that competency has been devolved, but is valid nationwide once granted. It attaches to the company that operates the vehicles: where a mover subcontracts road transport, the carrier’s own authorization covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold it.

A distinctive Spanish detail is that moving has its own tax activity classification (IAE epígrafe 757), separate from general road cargo transport. Industry sources also refer to a dedicated register of moving companies, which this research has not confirmed as an official requirement.

On liability, Spain has no dedicated moving-contract statute; general land-carriage contract law (Ley 15/2009) applies instead. Spain’s consumer complaint system is distributed rather than run through a single national portal: a mandatory complaint form, municipal mediation and regional binding arbitration, with a national ministry serving as the overall entry point.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Register under the correct IAE code for moving services (epígrafe 757) rather than general cargo transport.
2. Where the mover operates its own vehicles, apply for a tarjeta de transporte through the territorial office corresponding to the company’s fiscal domicile.
3. Demonstrate honorabilidad, capacidad financiera and capacitación profesional as part of the tarjeta application, including financial standing of at least €9,000 for the first vehicle plus €5,000 per additional vehicle.
4. Maintain current standing with the Agencia Tributaria and Social Security, since any outstanding debt blocks the tarjeta application or renewal.

Subcontracted transport

5. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

6. Ensure moving contracts comply with Ley 15/2009 and general Código de Comercio and Código Civil principles governing liability.
7. Provide a hoja de reclamaciones on request, as required of all Spanish businesses.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Registered under the correct IAE code for moving services (epígrafe 757)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Tarjeta de transporte heldWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Honorabilidad, capacidad financiera (€9,000 for the first vehicle plus €5,000 per additional vehicle) and capacitación profesional demonstrated as conditions of the tarjetaWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Current standing with the Agencia Tributaria and Social Security, as a condition of the tarjeta application or renewalWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Customer practices

• Moving contracts comply with Ley 15/2009 and general Código de Comercio and Código Civil liability principlesVerified by AffirmationRequired
• Hoja de reclamaciones provided to customers on requestVerified by AffirmationRequired