You bought your house on the Costa Blanca years ago and now it’s time to sell: change of plans, an inheritance to sort out, or simply cashing out. Selling a house in Spain as a foreigner is a well-established process, but it has particularities worth knowing before you start — especially if you no longer live (or never lived) in Spain.
What you need in order
NIE for all sellers (the same one you used when buying will do), the deed of purchase, the latest IBI paid, a community certificate confirming you are up to date, a valid energy performance certificate, and, if there is a mortgage, the certificate of outstanding debt to cancel it at the notary. If you cannot (or do not want to) travel for the signatures, a power of attorney — granted before a Spanish notary or before a notary in your country with an apostille and translation — allows everything to be signed without you.
The taxes on your sale
If you are a non-tax resident in Spain
The buyer will withhold 3% of the price on account of your tax (form 211) and you will declare the actual gain at the 19% rate using form 210 — if the withholding exceeds what you owe, the Tax Agency will refund the difference. In addition, the municipal capital gains tax (plusvalía) is also handled via the buyer acting as substitute. We have detailed guides on both.
If you reside in Spain
You tax the gain in your IRPF like any resident (with exemptions for reinvestment in a main residence or for being over 65 if they apply) and you pay the municipal capital gains tax directly.
Repatriating the proceeds of the sale
The price is collected normally by bank cheque or transfer on the day of signing, and can be sent to your country without restrictions: Spain does not limit the exit of funds from a legal sale. Your bank (here and there) will request the deed as proof of the origin of the money. It’s advisable not to close the Spanish account until the last bills are settled and, if you are a non-resident, until any possible 3% refund has been received.
The factor that moves the most money: how it’s sold
Your most likely buyer is international, as you once were. That rewards sellers who market in multiple languages, use professional photography and provide a management that handles viewings even if the owner is 2,000 km away. And it punishes the classic mistake of the distant seller: setting the price based on what it cost plus a round number, instead of on what the market pays today in your development.
At Mayrasa we specialize precisely in this: we sell houses for international owners managing the entire process remotely — valuation, preparation, keys, viewings, negotiation in your language, notary via power of attorney and coordinated tax paperwork. Tell us your case in your language and we’ll tell you what your house is worth and what net amount you would take home.
