A Nota Simple is an official extract from the Spanish Land Registry that summarises a property’s legal status, ownership, and any charges or debts attached to it. If you are considering buying property in Mallorca, this document is the first thing you should request. It will not give you legal proof of title, but it will tell you whether the seller actually owns the property, whether there is a mortgage outstanding, and whether any legal embargo is registered against it.
The Nota Simple, formally known as the Nota Simple Informativa, is issued by the Registro de la Propiedad, Spain’s official Land Registry. It is an informative document, not a legally binding one, and its purpose is to give buyers, sellers, agents, and lenders a clear snapshot of a property’s registered status at a given point in time.
Anyone with a legitimate interest can request one. That includes prospective buyers, solicitors, mortgage lenders, and real estate professionals. The document is non-binding and informative, meaning it reflects what is currently recorded at the registry but does not carry the legal weight of a court-admissible certificate.
Key parties who rely on a Nota Simple:
A typical Nota Simple covers several categories of information, all drawn directly from the Land Registry record. The document contains the property description, current ownership details, and any registered encumbrances.
Specifically, you can expect to find:
What the Nota Simple does not provide is legal proof of title. It reflects the registry record as it stands, which may not always capture very recent transactions. For that reason, buyers should treat it as a starting point for due diligence, not the final word.
The Nota Simple is informative only and does not carry public faith in the legal sense. Spanish law distinguishes clearly between this document and the Certificación Registral, which is the legally binding equivalent issued by the same registry and admissible in court proceedings.
In practical terms, the Nota Simple is what buyers use to verify ownership and charges before committing to a purchase. It supports due diligence but cannot substitute for a full legal review by a qualified Spanish solicitor. Scenarios where you will typically need one include:
If a dispute ever reaches court, the Certificación Registral is the document that carries authority. The Nota Simple is the practical, everyday tool that gets you to that stage safely.
There are three routes available, each suited to different circumstances.
To make the request, you will typically need:
Pro Tip: If you are at an early stage and simply want to verify ownership before making an offer, the online portal is the fastest option. For a full property purchase checklist, including all the documents you will need at each stage, Vogue Properties Mallorca has a detailed guide.
The fees are modest and fixed by official regulation.
The online route costs more but delivers the document within roughly two hours, making it the preferred choice when speed matters. In-person requests at a Palma registry office are the least expensive option and are often processed immediately.
One practical point: a Nota Simple reflects the registry at the moment of issue. If you obtained one several weeks ago, request a fresh copy before signing any contract. Charges can be registered or discharged in the intervening period, and an outdated document could give you a misleading picture.
Local property professionals are consistent on one point: never make an offer or sign any preliminary agreement without first reviewing a current Nota Simple.
Obtaining a recent Nota Simple before making any offer or signing an option agreement is the single most effective way to avoid inheriting hidden debts or restrictions. Due diligence experts recommend this as the foundational step in any Spanish property transaction.
The risk of skipping this step is real. Debts and legal embargoes registered against a property in Spain follow the property, not the seller. A buyer who completes without checking could find themselves liable for an outstanding mortgage or a tax debt they knew nothing about. Understanding the costs and taxes involved in a Mallorca purchase, including what charges can transfer with the title, is part of the same due diligence process.
Practical precautions recommended by experienced Mallorca property advisers:
Vogue Properties Mallorca, with over 20 years of experience guiding international buyers through the island’s property market, recommends treating the Nota Simple as the starting point of every transaction, not an afterthought.
Buyers in Mallorca will encounter several documents during a purchase, and it helps to know what each one does.
The Nota Simple is the informative registry extract described throughout this article. It is quick, inexpensive, and gives you the current registered picture of the property.
The Certificación Registral is issued by the same Registro de la Propiedad but carries full legal authority. It is court-admissible and used when legal proof of ownership or encumbrances is required, for example in litigation or formal mortgage proceedings. It costs more and takes longer to obtain.
The Escritura Pública (title deed) is the notarised document that records the actual transfer of ownership. It is signed before a notary and then submitted to the Land Registry for registration. The Nota Simple reflects what has already been registered from previous escrituras.
The Catastro certificate comes from a separate government body, the Catastro, and records the physical and fiscal description of the property for tax purposes. It does not record ownership or legal charges. Buyers sometimes confuse the cadastral reference with the Land Registry record, but the two systems serve different functions and are maintained independently.
For a broader overview of buying property in Spain, including how these documents fit into the full transaction timeline, a dedicated buying guide covers each stage in detail.
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The Nota Simple is an official Land Registry extract that every buyer in Mallorca should obtain before signing any agreement, as it reveals ownership, charges, and legal restrictions and is available at a modest cost.
A Nota Simple is an official, informative extract from the Spanish Land Registry summarising a property’s ownership, legal status, and any registered charges such as mortgages or embargoes. It is non-binding and intended for due diligence purposes.
Online requests via the official Colegio de Registradores portal are typically processed within approximately 2 hours. In-person requests at a Registro de la Propiedad office are often immediate, while postal or agent requests take 1–3 business days.
You can request one online through the official portal at sede.registradores.org, in person at a local Land Registry office, or through a solicitor or real estate agent. You will need the property address and, ideally, the cadastral reference number.
The official fee is €3.64 plus VAT for an in-person request and €9.02 plus VAT for an online request through the Colegio de Registradores portal.