Includes information on business customs, travel advisory, visa requirements, acceptable business etiquette, dress, business cards, gifts, etc.
Last Published: 6/24/2019

Business Travel

Spain is a party to the Schengen Agreement. Check the Embassy of Spain website for the exact requirements on visa-free travel to Spain. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the period of stay.

Business Customs

Spaniards tend to be more formal in personal relations than Americans are, but less rigid than they were 10 years ago. It is a mistake to assume doing business in Spain is just like doing business in Mexico and Latin America; Italy or France would be a better comparison. A handshake is customary upon initiating and closing a business meeting, accompanied by an appropriate greeting. Professional attire is expected: business dress is suit and tie, and business cards are required.

Spaniards expect a personal relationship with suppliers; there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings with Spanish business representatives to break into this market. Initial communication by phone or fax is far less effective than a personal meeting, and mail campaigns generally yield meager results. Less than 30 percent of local managers are fluent in English.

Spaniards tend to be "conservative" in their buying habits. Large government and private sector buyers generally are more comfortable dealing with other large, established organizations or with firms recognized as leaders within their sectors — so known brands do well.

Travel advisory

Please refer to the Department of State’s Country Specific Information for Spain for more information.

Embassy and Consulate Locations
The U.S. Embassy in Madrid is located at Serrano, 75. You must have an appointment to access the Consular Section for U.S. visa or non-emergency passport, citizenship, and notarial services. For more information, see the Embassy’s website at https://es.usembassy.gov.

There is a U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona, at Paseo Reina Elisenda, 23, telephone (34) 93-280-2227. You must have an appointment to access the Consular Section for non-emergency passport, citizenship, and notarial services. We do not provide U.S. visa services in Barcelona.

We also provide limited consular services at five Consular Agencies in Spain.

Emergency services are available to U.S. citizens Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Madrid and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Barcelona without an appointment. We do not provide notarial services without an appointment at any of our locations. Please see our websites for more information about the emergency and non-emergency services we provide.

Business travelers to Spain seeking appointments with U.S. Commercial Service officials at the Embassy in Madrid should contact the Commercial Section in advance. The Commercial Section can be reached by telephone at (34) 91-564-8976, and by e-mail.

Emergency Information
The Embassy has a Duty Officer to assist American citizens outside of normal business hours. The Duty Officer can provide information on medical facilities, on obtaining emergency funds from home, on dealing with and replacing lost/stolen passports, and on reporting crimes. However, most activities, like obtaining an emergency passport to replace a lost/stolen one, can only be performed during normal working hours.

The Duty Officer can be reached at tel. (34) 91-587-2200.

Please consult this website regarding emergency assistance.

From the United States, the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at the Department of State can be reached by calling 1-888-404-4747.

From outside the U.S., this office can be reached through (1) 317-472-2328.

Visa Requirements

Check the Embassy of Spain website for the exact requirements on travel to Spain.

Entry requirements for the United States

Visa applicants should go to the links below. For further information, visa applicants should call (34) 91 123 88 66.

Spanish passport holders generally may enter the United States for tourist or business visits of 90 days or less under the Visa Waiver Program. They need, however, to register online for the advance travel authorization under Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). 

The U.S.  Department of Homeland Security (DHS),  Customs and Border Protection (CBP),   Reminds Travelers to allow 72 hours for ESTA: Consistent with existing requirements, international travelers using ESTA for travel to the Unites states should apply as soon as possible but not less than 72 hours before their international flight is scheduled to depart.  Due to changes in ESTA application processing, real-time approvals will no longer be available.  International travelers without an approved ESTA will not be authorized to board their flight.  

State Department U.S. Visas
ESTA Travel Authorization
U.S. Embassy Madrid / Visa Unit
U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Currency

Spain is part of the Euro zone and uses the euro as the local currency.

Despite a brief decrease in the amount of credit cards in Spain during the economic crisis of 2008, cards are a widely used method of payment. The number of credit cards circulating in Spain at the end of 2017 was 52.4 million, up 7.38 percent from the year before for a variety of reasons; the limitation of bank fees in 2014, the increase of online transactions, and the one percent growth in GDP of Spain. Some of the most commonly used credit cards in Spain include Barclaycard Oro, Bankinter, Mastercard, and Visa. Debit cards including Maestro, Visa Debit and Mastercard debit are accepted. Many banks are investing in innovative products and new technologies to rebuild their images. Spanish banks BBVA, Grupo Santander, and Caixabank have been the leaders in the innovation process of contactless cards and devices, mobile payments, and digital wallets. Spain is one of the European countries with the highest rate of penetration for such products.  Vendors may require additional identification such as a passport or other form of accepted picture identification.  

ATMs are commonplace in cities and towns both on street, in retail outlets and some gas stations and visitors should be aware that bank transaction fees may apply, including foreign transaction fees and conversion fees.  Traveler’s checks are not generally accepted for purchases.  Visitors should inquire about the policy of the bank, hotel, or store before seeking to cash a personal check. 
For currency or other numerical quantities, a decimal point (period) is commonly used to mark off the thousands position and a comma to denote decimal amounts – unlike the practice in the United States; for example, 1.234.456,78 EUR.

Telecommunications/Electronics

Telecommunications to and from Spain, compare favorably with similar services found throughout the European Union.  A direct-dial telephone system links Spain to the United States and most of the world. Calls to the United States may be charged to international telephone cards such as AT&T (900-99-00-11), Sprint (900-99-00-13), and Verizon (900-99-00-16). These numbers can be used to place collect calls to the United States.

All landline numbers in Spain start with 9. Mobile phone numbers start with 6. To place a call to Spain, dial 011+34+ telephone number. To place a call to the United States from Spain, dial 00+1+area code+ telephone number.
Public phones in Spain accept coins and Telefónica (main Spanish telephone company) debit cards. Some public phones also accept commercial credit cards.

Transportation

Frequent direct air service is available to major U.S. cities from Madrid and Barcelona. Airports in both Madrid and Barcelona have good public transportation service to downtown. All major cities have metered taxis, and extra charges must be posted in the vehicle. Travelers are advised to use only clearly identified cabs and to ensure that taxi drivers always switch on the meter. A green light on the roof indicates that the taxi is available. There is a flat rate of Euros 30 from the Madrid Airport to the city center.

Public transportation in large cities is generally excellent. Rail service is comfortable and reliable but varies in quality and speed. High-speed trains are available to Seville, Malaga, Valencia and Barcelona, and Leon Intercity buses are usually comfortable and inexpensive. International Driving Permits are required for non-EU drivers planning to drive in Spain.

For additional general information about road safety, including links to foreign government sites, please see the Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs home page.

Language

While an increasing number of business people speak English, having product literature, correspondence and negotiations in Spanish provides a distinct advantage over competitors who use only English. Certain regions in Spain have second official languages: Catalan in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands; Valencian in Valencia; Galician/Portuguese in Galicia; and Basque in the Basque Country.

Health

Good medical care in Spain is available, though U.S. medical insurance is not usually valid outside the United States. Travelers have found supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas coverage to be useful since doctors in Spain expect up-front payment.

The hotline for the Center for Disease Control for international travelers can provide further information on health matters: (404) 332-4559.

For more details, please check this website.

Local Time, Business Hours and Holidays

Spanish National Holidays
The Government of Spain publishes a list of official holidays every year. The holidays authorized for 2019 are:
January 1                              New Year
January 6                              Epiphany (Wise Kings’ Day)
March 30                              Good Friday
May 1                                   Labor Day
August 15                             Our Lady’s Assumption
October 12                            National Holiday
November 1                          All Saints’ Day
December 6                          Constitution Day
December 8                          Day of the Immaculate Conception
December 25                        Christmas Day

In addition to these national holidays, other local holidays vary by region and city.

In Madrid:
January 7                              Epiphany (Wise Kings’ Day)
April 18                                 Easter Thursday
May 2                                    Regional Holiday-Madrid
May 15                                  St. Isidro- Patron of Madrid
November 9                          Our Lady of Almudena
December 9                          Day of the Immaculate Conception

In Barcelona:
April 22                                  Easter Monday
June 10                                  Whit Monday
June 24                                  St John’s Day
September 11                        Regional Holiday - Catalonia
September 24                        La Merce – Patron of Barcelona
December 26                         St. Stephen’s Day
               
The Embassy and Consulates also observe official U.S. holidays:
January 1                              New Year’s Day
January 21                            Martin Luther King’s Birthday
February 18                          Presidents’ Day
May 27                                 Memorial Day
July 4                                    Independence Day
September 2                         Labor Day
October 14                           Columbus Day
November 11                       Veterans Day
November 22                       Thanksgiving Day
December 25                       Christmas Day

Consular Agencies may be closed for local or regional holidays. Please contact the Agency directly to schedule an appointment. A full listing of official holidays observed by the Embassy is available.

Work Week
Workdays next to Spanish holidays and vacation periods are not good times to schedule business meetings. Neither is the month of August nor the vacation periods around Christmas and Easter.

Business hours in Spain are generally 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. To ensure availability, appointments are recommended. Banking hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during the week, and sometimes Saturday morning. Department stores are generally open 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Many small shops and businesses close at lunchtime, generally from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. but stay open until 8:00 p.m.
Spaniards are receptive to breakfast invitations starting not earlier than 8:00 a.m. A Spanish breakfast typically consists of juice, rolls and coffee. Lunch normally starts at 2:00 p.m.  Spanish business lunches can last up to last two hours. Dinner starts late, i.e. around 9:30 p.m. and may last until midnight.

Climate and Clothing
Due to the differences among various regions, it could be said that Spain has a Mediterranean-continental climate. The weather in the northern coastal regions (bordering the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay) is temperate and often rainy throughout the year, and temperatures are neither very low in winter nor very high in summer. The climate on the Mediterranean coastline, including the Balearic Islands, is typically Mediterranean -- mild in the winter, and hot and dry in the summer. The differences are more extreme on the inland plateau, where Madrid is located, and which is the highest in Europe. The climate is dry, with cold winters and hot summers. The Canary Islands have a climate of their own, with pleasant temperatures all year and a short, milder winter.

While Spanish women tend to dress down in the summer, men still wear suits and ties, particularly in the cities. Air conditioning is common in all major hotels and business establishments.

Tipping
Tips are not obligatory in Spain. A service charge is not included in restaurant bills; however, waiters in Spain (unlike in the United States) are paid at least the minimum official wage and do not rely to the same extent on tips for their income. Tips are customarily left for good service (normally up to five percent of the bill). Taxi drivers may be tipped by rounding up the payment to include up to five percent of the fare.

Temporary Entry of Materials or Personal Belongings

Laptop computers for personal/business use do not require any special documentation. Occasionally, the Customs service at Madrid’s Barajas airport [tel. (34) 91- 393-7552] decides shipping a laptop constitutes as a temporary importation requiring the presentation of a warrant: a cash deposit or a statement from a Spanish bank stating an import tax will be paid if the equipment is sold in Spain. Before leaving Spain, the equipment and necessary forms should be taken to the Customs Office at Barajas airport for reimbursement of the deposit.

Electrical Characteristics
Electric current in Spain is 220 volts AC, 50 cycles. Most U.S. electrical equipment and appliances need a transformer and plug adapter. Although laptops today are often dual voltage, it is advisable to verify this before plugging one in to Spanish current.

U.S. cell phones, unless they are tri-band and the U.S. wireless carrier works on the GSM standard, will not work in Spain or the rest of Europe. Additionally, the carrier plan should allow for international roaming. Phones, which work in the United States as well as in European countries, can be purchased at cell phone retail stores in the United States. Cell phone rental is also available in Spain, although some travelers find it cheaper to purchase a basic pay-as-you-go phone upon arrival and charge it with pre-paid phone cards as needed.

Travel Related Web Resources

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.