8Sole-Shareholder Companies

Under the Law, which applies in this respect to both S.A.s and S.L.s, either of these corporate forms can be set up as, or can subsequently become, a sole-shareholder company.

Such companies are subject to a specific regime entailing special reporting and registration requirements. For example, the fact that a company has a single owner has to be registered at the relevant Commercial Registry and acknowledged on all company correspondence and commercial documentation. Likewise, contracts between the company and its sole owner need to be recorded in a special company register (the book of contracts with the sole shareholder).

In general, such requirements may be deemed for the purpose of providing information, although compliance is of the utmost importance since, if six months elapse from the date on which the company acquires sole shareholder status without such circumstance having been registered at the Commercial Registry, the sole shareholder will bear personal, unlimited and joint and several liability for any company debts assumed during the period of sole-shareholder status.