8Legislation on foreign investment and exchange control
8.1 Legislation on foreign investment
Royal Decree 664/1999 deregulated practically all transactions of this kind (with the conditions and exceptions set forth below), adapting Spanish domestic law to the rules on the freedom of movement of capital contained in Articles 56 et seq. of the Treaty of the European Union.
The most noteworthy aspects of the regulations applicable to foreign investments are as follows:
- As a general rule, and for purely administrative, statistical or economic purposes, foreign investments must be reported afterwards to the Directorate-General for International Trade and Investments, once the investment has been made18. The only exceptions are: (i) investments from tax havens, which in general are subject to a prior administrative notification; and (ii) foreign investments in activities directly related to national security, and real estate investments for diplomatic missions by non-EU Member States, which require prior authorization by the Spanish Council of Ministers. There is no obligation for foreign investments to be formalized in the presence of a Spanish public certifying officer (unless an express provision provides otherwise).
- The parties subject to the obligation to report investments or divestments in transferable securities are not generally the investors, but rather the investment firms, credit institutions or other resident entities engaging, as the case may be, in any of the activities specific to the first two and acting at the risk and expense of the investor, as the interposed holder of such securities. Investors must report the investment only when the securities account or deposit is held at an institution domiciled abroad, where the securities are being kept by the holder of the investment; or where they acquire a holding of 3% or more in listed companies (the last case must be reported to the National Securities Market Commission).
- Foreign investments in the air transportation and radio industries, in industries relating to raw materials, minerals of strategic interest and mining rights, in the television, gaming, telecommunications and private security industries, in industries concerned with the manufacturing, marketing or distributing of arms and explosives and in national security-related activities (these latter activities are subject to the clearance rules), will be subject to the requirements imposed by the relevant bodies established by industry-specific legislation, although the general provisions may apply to them once those requirements are met.
8.1.1 Foreign investments - Characteristic
Table 9
| FOREIGN INVESTMENTS | |
|---|---|
| Investors19 | Non-resident individuals (that is, Spanish or foreign nationals domiciled abroad, or who have their principal place of residence abroad). |
| Legal entities domiciled abroad. | |
| Public entities of foreign States. | |
| Regulated investments20 Reporting obligations | Participation in Spanish companies, including their incorporation and subscription and acquisition of shares in joint-stock companies or in limited liability companies, and any legal transaction whereby voting rights are acquired. |
| Establishment of, and increase of capital allocated to branches. | |
| Subscription and acquisition of marketable debt securities issued by residents (debentures, bonds, promissory notes). | |
| Participation in mutual funds recorded on the Registers of the Spanish National Securities Market Commission21. | |
| Acquisition by non-residents of real estate located in Spain, valued at more than €3,005,060, or where the investment originates from a tax haven, whatever its amount is. | |
| Incorporation, formalization or participation in joint ventures, foundations, economic interest groupings, cooperatives and joint-property entities, with the same characteristics as in the previous paragraph. | |
| Parties subject to obligation | The investor. |
| The Spanish public certifying officer who may have intervened in the transaction. | |
| However, investments in certain assets (securities, mutual funds, registered shares) may require that other individuals involved in the transaction report the investment (credit or financial institutions, deposit-taking or management companies of such assets, the Spanish company receiving the investment). | |
| Reporting rules | As a general rule, all foreign investments subject to disclosure, and the liquidation thereof, must be reported after the event to the Investments Register of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. |
Investments from tax havens must be reported before and after the event. However, the following cases shall be excluded from the prior declaration:
This prior disclosure obligation is not equivalent to a prior verification or authorization requirement and, once the investment has been disclosed, the investor may make its investment without having to wait for any reply from the authorities. In all cases, the declaration is valid for six months, so once notified, the investment must be made within that time period. |
|
8.1.2 Monitoring of foreign investments
The Directorate-General for International Trade and Investments (DGCI)22 can generally or specifically require Spanish companies which have foreign shareholders, and Spanish branches of non-resident persons, to file an annual report with it on the status of their foreign investments. The DGCI may also require the holders of investments to provide the information necessary in each particular case.
8.1.3 Suspension of the deregulation rules
The Spanish Council of Ministers can suspend the application of the deregulation rules in certain cases, which will require the investments concerned to undergo a prior procedure to obtain administrative clearance from the Council of Ministers.
At present, the Council of Ministers has only suspended the deregulation rules in respect of foreign investments in Spain in activities directly related to national security, such as the production or sale of arms, munitions, explosives and other armaments (except in the case of listed companies engaged in those activities, in which case clearance will only be required for acquisitions by non-residents that reach, exceed or fall below certain ownership thresholds, starting from 3% of the capital stock, or those acquisitions that without reaching such thresholds enable such investors to directly or indirectly form part of their managing bodies).
18The contents and instructions to complete each declaration can be found at the following link: https://comercio.gob.es/InversionesExteriores/Declaraciones_Inversion/procedimientos/Paginas/presentacion-declaraciones.aspx.
The forms are obtained, completed and presented electronically using a help program called AFORIX, which can be downloaded from the electronic sub-office of the Secretary of State for Trade (at https://sede.comercio.gob.es, by accessing the option: Procedimientos y servicios electrónicos->Descarga de programas de ayuda->AFORIX Programa para la cumplimentación de Formularios de Inversiones Exteriores). It is necessary for the declarant to have an electronic signature in order to submit the declaration electronically. As an exception, in the event that the holder of the investment is an individual, he/she may also use, in addition to the forms obtained via AFORIX, the preprinted forms available at the General Register of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and may choose whether to file the declaration electronically or on paper.
19A Spanish company in which foreign shareholders have a majority holding is not deemed to be an investor. A change of registered office of legal entities or a change of residence of individuals will be sufficient to change the classification of an investment as a Spanish investment abroad or a foreign investment in Spain.
20Foreign investments not included in the above list (such as equity loans) are totally deregulated, and no communication is required in relation to them. The foregoing, notwithstanding any industry-specific regulations that may apply to such investments, and the rules on exchange control, with respect to such investments.
