Collecting in Spain

The payment behaviour of Spanish companies remains poor in comparison to other countries.

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) can reach up to 15 or 20 days overdue, with payment often reaching 70 to 80 days on average. Commercial credit (late payment) is an underlying feature of commercial exchanges in Spain.

The judicial process in Spain is very slow, so it is usually preferable to conduct efficient and orchestrated debt collection efforts before considering legal action. When the debtor has become insolvent, collecting debt becomes extremely complicated, especially in as far as unsecured creditors are concerned.

Availability of financial information

Except for stock exchange listed companies, little information on domestic companies is publicly available. Businesses have an obligation to publish their financials in the official Mercantile Register, and a lack of publication may sometimes lead to closing the company’s inscription in the Register.

Negotiating 

The judicial process in Spain is very slow, so it is usually preferable to make concessions while relations are still amicable, in order to avoid legal actions which can lead to insolvency proceedings.

Before starting legal proceedings against a debtor, assessing its assets is also important as it allows verification as to whether the company is still active and whether recovery chances are at best. In addition, it is essential to be aware of the debtor’s solvency status: if insolvency proceedings have been initiated, it becomes impossible to enforce a debt.

Read our full report to better understand the nature of collecting payments in Spain.

Our export finance experts are happy to help make exporting easier, discuss your ideas and offer finance solutions tailored to your company needs.