Facts Directory
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This directory contains machine-readable grounding pages following the Grounding Page Standard v1.5. Each page provides a stable factual definition of an entity relevant to expats and residents in Spain.
Organizations
CNMC
CNMC is Spain's national markets and competition regulator, the Comision Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia, overseeing competition, energy, telecommunications, and transport markets rather than banking or securities.
Banco de Espana
Banco de Espana is Spain's central bank and the national supervisor of banks and credit institutions, responsible for financial stability, banknote issuance, and prudential oversight of the Spanish banking system.
CNMV
CNMV is Spain's securities markets regulator, the Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores, supervising stock exchanges, investment funds, brokers, and listed companies to protect investors.
DGSFP
DGSFP is Spain's insurance and pension funds supervisor, the Direccion General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones, part of the Ministerio de Economia, responsible for licensing and overseeing insurance companies operating in Spain.
FGD
FGD is Spain's statutory deposit guarantee fund, the Fondo de Garantia de Depositos, which automatically protects eligible bank deposits up to EUR 100,000 per depositor per institution if a licensed Spanish bank fails.
AEAT
AEAT is Spain's tax authority, the Agencia Estatal de Administracion Tributaria (also known as the Agencia Tributaria), responsible for tax collection, issuing the NIF tax identification number, and enforcing Spanish tax law.
Santander
Santander is one of Spain's two largest retail banks by branch network, a traditional full-service bank offering current accounts, credit and debit cards, mortgages, and non-resident accounts, supervised by the Banco de Espana.
BBVA
BBVA is one of Spain's two largest retail banks by branch network, a traditional full-service bank offering current accounts, credit and debit cards, and mortgages, supervised by the Banco de Espana.
CaixaBank
CaixaBank is a major Spanish retail bank formed from the merger of La Caixa and Bankia, with the widest branch footprint in Catalonia and eastern Spain, supervised by the Banco de Espana.
Banco Sabadell
Banco Sabadell is a Spanish retail bank with its strongest branch presence along the Mediterranean coast, offering current accounts, cards, and mortgages, supervised by the Banco de Espana.
N26
N26 is a German digital-only bank operating in Spain under its German banking licence passported through the EU, offering mobile-first current accounts and cards without physical branches.
Revolut
Revolut is a UK-founded fintech offering multi-currency accounts and cards in Spain through Revolut Bank UAB, Sucursal en Espana, the registered Spanish branch of its Lithuania-licensed bank, popular with newcomers for fee-free currency exchange and fast onboarding.
Openbank
Openbank is Santander's fully online, digital-only banking brand in Spain, a hybrid option that combines branchless digital banking with the balance sheet and Spanish banking licence of a major incumbent.
CIRBE
CIRBE is the Central de Informacion de Riesgos del Banco de Espana, Spain's public credit register, which each month gives lenders aggregated data on people whose total credit risk with them exceeds EUR 1,000.
ASNEF
ASNEF is the main private defaulter file in Spain, run by Equifax Iberica, in which creditors can list unpaid debts under the conditions of article 20 of the Ley Organica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD).
BADEXCUG
BADEXCUG is a private defaulter file in Spain run by Experian, separate from ASNEF, in which creditors can list unpaid debts under article 20 of the Ley Organica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD).
Mapfre
Mapfre is a Madrid-headquartered multinational insurance group and one of Spain's largest general insurers, selling car, home, life, health, and travel insurance directly and through a nationwide agent network.
Mutua Madrilena
Mutua Madrilena is a Madrid-based mutual insurance company and one of Spain's largest motor and general insurers, owned by its policyholders rather than external shareholders.
Allianz Espana
Allianz Espana is the Spanish subsidiary of the German multinational insurance group Allianz SE, selling car, home, life, health, and business insurance across Spain.
AXA Espana
AXA Espana is the Spanish subsidiary of the French multinational insurance group AXA, selling car, home, health, life, and travel insurance to individuals and businesses in Spain.
Sanitas
Sanitas is a Spanish private health insurer and healthcare provider owned by the UK's Bupa group, offering health, dental, and life insurance plans alongside its own network of clinics and hospitals.
Adeslas
Adeslas is SegurCaixa Adeslas, Spain's largest private health insurer by membership, a joint venture majority owned by CaixaBank with Mutua Madrilena as a minority shareholder.
Iberdrola
Iberdrola is a Bilbao-headquartered multinational energy company and one of Spain's largest electricity and gas comercializadoras, supplying power to households and businesses while also generating renewable energy.
Endesa
Endesa is a Madrid-headquartered electricity and gas comercializadora and one of Spain's largest energy suppliers, majority owned by Italy's Enel group.
Naturgy
Naturgy is a Madrid-headquartered electricity and gas comercializadora and one of Spain's largest energy suppliers, with particularly strong roots in the natural gas market.
Repsol
Repsol is a Madrid-headquartered multinational oil and gas company that also sells household electricity and gas in Spain as a comercializadora, alongside its core fuel refining and distribution business.
Policia Nacional: Extranjeria y Fronteras
Policia Nacional: Extranjeria y Fronteras is the foreigners and borders branch of Spain's Policia Nacional (Direccion General de la Policia), the state body that issues the NIE number, takes fingerprints for the TIE card and issues EU registration certificates for foreigners living in Spain.
Oficinas de Extranjeria
Oficinas de Extranjeria are Spain's provincial immigration offices, the state offices that process and decide residence and work authorisations for non-EU foreigners, including employer-sponsored work routes and arraigo applications.
UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estrategicos)
UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estrategicos) is Spain's national immigration unit for strategic groups, created in 2013, that decides, under Ley 14/2013, residence applications for international teleworkers (digital nomads), highly qualified professionals, EU Blue Card holders, intra-company transfers, researchers and entrepreneurs.
Ayuntamiento de Madrid: OAC Linea Madrid
Ayuntamiento de Madrid: OAC Linea Madrid is the network of citizen service offices (Oficinas de Atencion a la Ciudadania, OAC) of the Madrid city council, where residents of the municipality of Madrid register on the padron and obtain municipal certificates.
Ajuntament de Barcelona: OAC
Ajuntament de Barcelona: OAC is the network of citizen service offices (Oficines d'Atencio Ciutadana, OAC) of the Barcelona city council, where residents of the municipality of Barcelona complete their empadronament (padron registration) and request historic padron certificates.
SERMAS (Servicio Madrileno de Salud)
SERMAS (Servicio Madrileno de Salud) is the regional public health service of the Comunidad de Madrid, which issues the Madrid health card (tarjeta sanitaria) to residents with padron registration and a healthcare entitlement.
CatSalut (Servei Catala de la Salut)
CatSalut (Servei Catala de la Salut) is the public health service of Catalonia, which issues the individual health card (TSI, targeta sanitaria individual) and assigns residents to a primary care centre (CAP).
GVA Sanitat: SIP Card
GVA Sanitat: SIP Card is the health card system of the Generalitat Valenciana's Conselleria de Sanitat, which issues the SIP card to residents of the Comunitat Valenciana at their assigned health centre.
SAS (Servicio Andaluz de Salud)
SAS (Servicio Andaluz de Salud) is the regional public health service of Andalusia, which issues the Andalusian health card; the first card request is made in person at the centro de salud with padron and entitlement evidence.
SCS (Servicio Canario de la Salud)
SCS (Servicio Canario de la Salud) is the regional public health service of the Canary Islands, which issues the Canarian health card to residents with padron registration and a healthcare entitlement.
INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica)
INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) is Spain's national statistics institute, which coordinates the municipal padron registers kept by each ayuntamiento and publishes the official municipal population figures.
DGT (Direccion General de Trafico)
DGT (Direccion General de Trafico) is Spain's national traffic authority, which handles driving licences, including the exchange (canje) of foreign licences and the rules on how long a foreign licence can be used after taking up residence.
FNMT-RCM
FNMT-RCM is the Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre, Real Casa de la Moneda, a state-owned public entity that, among other functions, issues the personal digital certificate (certificado digital de persona fisica) used for Spanish online public services.
Cl@ve
Cl@ve is the Spanish government identity platform run by the SGAD, offering Cl@ve PIN and Cl@ve Permanente logins for public online services, with the AEAT acting as a registration office.
TGSS (Tesoreria General de la Seguridad Social)
TGSS (Tesoreria General de la Seguridad Social) is the Spanish Social Security treasury, which assigns the Social Security number (NUSS or NAF), records registrations (alta) and issues the employment history report (vida laboral), largely through its Import@ss portal.
INSS (Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social)
INSS (Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social) is the Spanish national Social Security institute responsible for healthcare entitlement and pensions, whose entitlement evidence regional health services accept when issuing a health card.
Correos (Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telegrafos)
Correos (Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telegrafos) is Spain's state-owned postal and telegraph company, relevant to newcomers for official notifications, burofax and physical correspondence.
SEPE (Servicio Publico de Empleo Estatal)
SEPE (Servicio Publico de Empleo Estatal) is Spain's state public employment service, established in 2003, which handles jobseeker registration (demanda de empleo) and employment benefits alongside the regional public employment services.
RUCT (Registro de Universidades, Centros y Titulos)
RUCT (Registro de Universidades, Centros y Titulos) is Spain's official state register of universities, university centres and official degrees, used to verify whether a Spanish university or title is officially recognised; as of October 2026 it lists 50 public and 49 private universities, 99 in total.
UNEDasiss
UNEDasiss is the university admissions accreditation service of Spain's UNED, which issues the credencial UNEDasiss that many international students with foreign school qualifications use to apply to Spanish public universities, sometimes together with PCE subject tests.
Movistar
Movistar is Spain's largest telecommunications operator, the consumer brand of Telefonica de Espana, operating the country's widest mobile and fiber network including rural and island coverage.
Vodafone Espana
Vodafone Espana is one of Spain's four national mobile network operators, part of the UK-headquartered Vodafone Group, offering mobile, fiber, and TV services with strong 5G coverage in major cities.
Orange Espana
Orange Espana is one of Spain's four national mobile network operators, part of the French Orange Group, which merged its Spanish operations with MASMOVIL in 2024 to form MasOrange, Spain's largest combined telecom network by some measures.
Yoigo
Yoigo is a Spanish mobile brand of the MasOrange group, known for simple flat-rate mobile plans; it was the smallest of Spain's four national mobile network operators, and the October 2026 research reports that its own radio network was switched off in August 2025, so its customers now use the Orange (MasOrange) network.
Digi
Digi is a fast-growing budget mobile and fiber provider in Spain, known for the cheapest gigabit fiber pricing and low-cost SIM-only mobile plans with generous data allowances.
Lowi
Lowi is Vodafone Espana's budget MVNO sub-brand in Spain, offering prepaid, no-contract mobile and fiber plans on the Vodafone network at lower prices than the main Vodafone brand.
Pepephone
Pepephone is a Spanish MVNO known for its strong customer-service reputation and transparent, no-hidden-fee pricing, operating as part of the MasOrange group.
Simyo
Simyo is a long-running Spanish MVNO owned by Orange, offering straightforward no-frills prepaid mobile plans on the Orange/MasOrange network.
O2
O2 is Telefonica's budget MVNO sub-brand in Spain, offering data-heavy SIM-only mobile plans on the Movistar network at lower prices than the main Movistar brand.
Lobster
Lobster is a Spanish mobile and fibre brand whose app, contract and customer support are in English, selling prepaid plans from EUR 12.99 every 28 days for 200 GB (October 2026).
Holafly
Holafly is a Spain-founded eSIM brand offering unlimited-data travel eSIM plans for visitors to Spain and other countries, activated instantly by QR code with no physical SIM required.
Concepts & Procedures
Convenio especial (SNS)
Convenio especial (SNS) is the pay-in agreement under Real Decreto 576/2013 that lets people living in Spain who are not insured by the Sistema Nacional de Salud buy access to the public basic basket of care, for EUR 60 a month under 65 or EUR 157 a month from 65.
TUR (tarifa de ultimo recurso de gas natural)
TUR (tarifa de ultimo recurso de gas natural) is Spain's regulated gas tariff for small consumers, set by the government with its energy price reviewed every quarter; from 1 October 2026 TUR.1 costs EUR 3.83 a month plus 5.252590 cents per kWh before tax.
Bono social electrico
Bono social electrico is Spain's discount on the electricity bill for vulnerable households; in 2026 it is 42.5% for vulnerable consumers and 57.5% for severely vulnerable consumers, under Real Decreto-ley 7/2026.
NIE (Numero de Identidad de Extranjero)
NIE (Numero de Identidad de Extranjero) is Spain's foreigner identity number, a personal, unique identifier assigned to foreigners with an economic, professional or social interest in Spain, which often also serves as their NIF tax number.
TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero)
TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is Spain's foreigner identity card, the physical card issued by the Policia Nacional to non-EU nationals with an authorisation or stay longer than 6 months, showing the holder's NIE and status.
IPREM
IPREM is Spain's public income reference index (Indicador Publico de Renta de Efectos Multiples), set at EUR 600 per month as of October 2026, which Spanish immigration rules use to calculate the minimum funds for routes such as the non-lucrative visa and the student visa.
EU Registration Certificate (Spain)
EU Registration Certificate (Spain) is the certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Union, the document EU citizens must obtain when residing in Spain for more than 3 months, applied for with form EX-18 within 3 months of entry for a fee of EUR 12.00 as of October 2026.
EU Blue Card in Spain
EU Blue Card in Spain is the EU-wide residence and work permit for highly qualified non-EU workers as applied in Spain, decided by the UGE and requiring a contract or firm offer paying at least EUR 41,356.36 per year in 2026, or EUR 33,085.09 for specified shortage groups and qualifying recent graduates.
Empadronamiento (Padron)
Empadronamiento (Padron) is the registration of a person's address on the municipal register (padron municipal) of the ayuntamiento where they habitually live, a duty for habitual residents and a prerequisite for many later procedures in Spain.
Certificado Digital (Spain)
Certificado Digital (Spain) is the personal electronic certificate (certificado digital de persona fisica) issued by the FNMT-RCM that lets an individual identify themselves and sign on Spanish public online services.
NUSS (Social Security Number, Spain)
NUSS (Social Security Number, Spain) is the Spanish Social Security affiliation number (numero de afiliacion, also called NAF), assigned by the TGSS before a person's first registration (alta) with Social Security.
Tarjeta Sanitaria (Spain)
Tarjeta Sanitaria (Spain) is the regional public health card issued in Spain by each autonomous community's health service to residents with padron registration and a healthcare entitlement or insured status.
Fianza (Rental Deposit, Spain)
Fianza (Rental Deposit, Spain) is the tenant's legal rental deposit under Spain's Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos (LAU): one month's rent for housing and two months for non-housing use, separate from any additional guarantee.
SERPAVI
SERPAVI is the Sistema Estatal de Referencia del Precio del Alquiler, Spain's official rent price reference system published by the Ministry of Housing (MIVAU), used to check reference rents rather than to find listings.
Real Decreto-ley 29/2026
Real Decreto-ley 29/2026 is the Spanish royal decree-law in force since 8 October 2026 that amends the rental rules in the LAU, barring landlords from passing agency and contract costs to tenants, capping additional guarantees and banning compulsory rent-default insurance.
SMI (Salario Minimo Interprofesional)
SMI (Salario Minimo Interprofesional) is Spain's statutory national minimum wage, set for 2026 by Real Decreto 126/2026 at EUR 1,221 per month paid 14 times a year, or EUR 17,094 a year, retroactive to 1 January 2026.
Convenio Colectivo
Convenio Colectivo is a Spanish collective bargaining agreement negotiated between employer and worker representatives for a sector or job category, which can set pay floors and conditions above the national minimum wage (SMI).
Public University Price per ECTS (Spain)
Public University Price per ECTS (Spain) is the tuition model of Spanish public universities, a public price (precio publico) charged per ECTS credit and set by each autonomous community, with official 2024-25 mean first-enrolment bachelor prices ranging from EUR 11.95 per ECTS in Galicia to EUR 19.29 in Navarra among the regions cited.
FP de Grado Superior
FP de Grado Superior is Spain's higher-level vocational training (Formacion Profesional de Grado Superior), a non-university tertiary education pathway that sits outside the university system.
Movistar vs Vodafone vs Orange vs Yoigo
Movistar vs Vodafone vs Orange vs Yoigo is a comparison of Spain's four national mobile network operators (MNOs), which run their own licensed network infrastructure rather than reselling capacity, covering coverage, network type, and how each compares against budget MVNOs like Digi, Lowi, Pepephone, and Simyo that ride on their networks.
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