Can I send it on behalf of a client?

Yes. The letter says who is claiming and on whose behalf. Collection agencies and agents outside Spain do this all the time.

Do I get an invoice for my company?

Yes, with your VAT ID: you add it when paying.

Can I attach the invoices?

Yes, as PDF: they go in the same burofax and count as pages (4 included; each extra page 1 €).

What if the company is insolvent?

Then you don't claim by burofax: you file your claim with the insolvency administrator. Check the Spanish public insolvency register (Registro Público Concursal) before sending anything.

From outside Spain · invoices

A Spanish company isn't paying my invoice: how do I claim from abroad?

With a burofax demanding payment by a deadline, listing the invoices, late-payment interest and what you will do if they don't pay. It is the formal demand a Spanish court expects before a claim, and it often works on its own: a certified letter from Spain carries more weight than a fifth email. From any country, online: 39 € with your letter, sent on paper with proof of delivery, invoiced to your company. Written in English? We send it translated into Spanish (+20 €).

30 days: legal B2B payment term if nothing else was agreed
40 €: per invoice for collection costs, no proof needed
39 €: your letter, sent from abroad

I have my letter, 39 €

What Spanish law gives you as a business

Unless you agreed otherwise, the payment term between businesses is 30 days, and 60 at most by agreement.
Late-payment interest runs from the due date without having to claim it: the European Central Bank rate plus eight points, unless you agreed another.
You can claim 40 € per invoice for collection costs without proving them, and more if you justify them.

What the letter must say

Your company and theirs, with their Spanish tax ID (CIF/NIF).
Each invoice: number, date, due date and amount, and the total with interest.
Where to pay: IBAN and, outside the SEPA area, SWIFT or BIC.
A deadline and what you'll do otherwise: claim it in court with interest and costs.
A contact person and email at your company.

How it works from abroad

Paste your letter or upload it as PDF or Word, and attach the invoices: they go in the same burofax.
If your company has no address in Spain, tick the box (+10 €): it goes out in its name «c/o Burofácil».
Pay by card and add your VAT ID for the invoice. We send it on paper with proof of delivery to the company's address.

Which address to send it to

The registered office listed in the Spanish companies register, which is where the company must receive notices. If the contract names another address for notices, send it there too. A PO box won't do. You can look up the registered office on the company's invoices, its website's legal notice page (aviso legal) or the Spanish companies register.

If they still don't pay

In Spain a debt backed by invoices can be claimed through a simple payment-order procedure started with a form; up to 2,000 € without a lawyer or procurador. Within the EU you can also use the European Small Claims Procedure, up to 5,000 €, in writing, or the European Order for Payment. In every case the burofax and its proof of delivery show you claimed first.

What Spanish law says

The B2B payment term is 30 calendar days, extendable by agreement to 60 at most (art. 4 Law 3/2004 on late payment). fuente
Late-payment interest accrues automatically from the due date, at the ECB rate plus eight points unless agreed otherwise (arts. 5 and 7 Law 3/2004). fuente
The creditor is entitled to 40 € for collection costs without proof (art. 8 Law 3/2004). fuente
The European Small Claims Procedure covers cross-border claims up to 5,000 € (Regulation (EC) 861/2007, as amended). fuente

Frequently asked questions

Can I send it on behalf of a client?: Yes. The letter says who is claiming and on whose behalf. Collection agencies and agents outside Spain do this all the time.
Do I get an invoice for my company?: Yes, with your VAT ID: you add it when paying.
Can I attach the invoices?: Yes, as PDF: they go in the same burofax and count as pages (4 included; each extra page 1 €).
What if the company is insolvent?: Then you don't claim by burofax: you file your claim with the insolvency administrator. Check the Spanish public insolvency register (Registro Público Concursal) before sending anything.