Vivid Editorial Team

The Vivid editorial team writes about company formation, finance and self-employment, with practical guides on business accounts, taxes and funding for founders and the self-employed.

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Business accounts

Can a bank transfer be cancelled? Deadlines and options

A transfer already received by your institution is irrevocable, but there are exceptions: scheduled transfers, those not yet processed and agreements with the institution. What Spanish law says and what to do if the money reached another account.

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Business accounts

Is the IBAN the account number? Differences and where to find it

Yes: since 2014, the number of an account in Spain has been called the IBAN. What changed from the old CCC, how it differs from the SWIFT code, which number to give clients and suppliers and how to find yours.

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Business accounts

SEPA mandate: what the "documento SEPA" is and how to fill it in

The "documento SEPA" is the order with which you authorise a company to collect from you by direct debit. What data it carries, how it is filled in, how CORE and B2B differ and how long you have to get a payment refunded.

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A small white bank building with columns on a dark stone base, a purple tag with the letters ES76 and a glass question mark
Business accounts

ES76: which bank is it? How to find the bank from an IBAN

ES76 does not identify any bank: it is the country code plus two check digits. The bank sits in the next four digits, and here is how to read them, with the codes of the main Spanish institutions.

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Business accounts

Instant transfer limits for businesses in Spain

Who sets the limit of an instant transfer, how long it takes to arrive, how much it can cost and what protection payee verification gives, according to the SEPA Regulation and the Banco de España.

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Freelancing & self-employment

How to change your self-employed bank account in Spain

The change is made in Import@ss, and the date of the request decides whether this month’s contribution already comes out of the new account. Steps, deadlines and requirements according to Social Security.

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A purple card with the embossed letters NIF in front of a frosted glass card with the letters CIF
Company formation

CIF or NIF in Spain: what the difference is and which applies

The CIF ceased to exist in 2008, and since then every company identifies itself to the Spanish tax authority with its NIF. What changed, how a company number is built and which one a freelancer uses.

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Company formation

Razón social: what a company’s legal name is in Spain

The razón social is the legal name under which a Spanish company appears in its articles of association, in the Commercial Registry and on its invoices. What the law says, how it is chosen and which name a freelancer uses.

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Company formation

IAE epígrafe in Spain: what it is and how to choose yours

The epígrafe is the code the IAE tariffs use to classify your activity, and it goes into the census registration form. How the sections are organised, how to find yours and what changes between a freelancer and a company.

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