Official letters from Spain, explained in English

Spanish offices send formal letters with strict deadlines, often counted in working days (días hábiles). Many letters now arrive online as electronic notifications: they count as delivered when you open them, or after 10 calendar days if you don’t.

Offices that write to you

Agencia Tributaria (AEAT) — Tax agency. The state tax office, often called Hacienda. It handles income tax (IRPF), VAT (IVA) and tax refunds.
Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) — Social Security treasury. Registers workers and collects Social Security payments (cotizaciones), for example the monthly fee of self-employed people (autónomos).
Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS) — Social Security benefits office. Pays pensions, sick-leave and birth benefits, and the minimum income (ingreso mínimo vital).
Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) — State employment service. Pays unemployment benefit (prestación por desempleo) and unemployment allowances (subsidios).
Oficina de Extranjería / Policía Nacional — Immigration office. Handles NIE numbers, residence permits and TIE cards for foreigners. Fingerprints and cards are done at Policía Nacional offices.
Ayuntamiento — Town hall. Your local council. It handles address registration (padrón), local taxes like IBI and plusvalía, and local fines.
Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) — Traffic authority. Handles driving licences, vehicle records and traffic fines on most roads.
Organismo de recaudación / Diputación — Local tax collection office. Collects local taxes and fines for many town halls, for example IBI, car tax and parking fines.
Agencia tributaria autonómica — Regional tax agency. Your region’s tax office. It handles taxes on inheritances, gifts and property purchases (ITP). In the Basque Country and Navarra it also handles income tax.
Juzgado / Tribunal — Court. A court. Court letters always matter — never ignore them, and get advice quickly.
Notificaciones electrónicas (DEHú / Carpeta Ciudadana) — Electronic notifications. The government website where official letters wait for you online. It isn’t the office that wrote the letter — open the letter to see who sent it.
Arrendador / inmobiliaria — Landlord or letting agency. The owner of your flat, or the agency that manages it.
Compañía de luz, gas o agua — Energy or water company. The company that sells you electricity, gas or water.
Comunidad de propietarios — Owners’ association. The association of all flat owners in a building. It shares costs like cleaning, lifts and repairs.
Banco / empresa de recobro — Bank or debt collector. Your bank, or a company that collects debts for others. Check that the debt is real before you pay.

Common kinds of letters

Providencia de apremio — Enforced collection notice. You didn’t pay in time. A surcharge is now added, and if you still don’t pay they can take the money from your bank account, wages or property.
Diligencia de embargo — Seizure notice. They are taking money or property to pay a debt — for example from your bank account, wages or a tax refund.
Requerimiento de pago (procedimiento monitorio) — Court payment order. A court orders you to pay a debt. You usually have 20 working days to pay or to oppose it. If you do nothing, they can take the money by force.
Reintegro / cobro indebido — Request to pay money back. They believe you got money you weren’t entitled to, for example unemployment benefit, and want it back.
Multa / sanción — Fine. An official fine, for example for a traffic or parking offence. You can usually pay with a discount or object — not both.
Reclamación de deuda / burofax — Payment demand. Someone says you owe money and asks you to pay. If you ignore it, the next step can be a court case or a list of people who owe money (fichero de morosos).
Propuesta / trámite de alegaciones — Proposal — chance to explain. A draft decision, not the final one. You can reply with your arguments and proof (alegaciones) before they decide.
Citación / cita — Appointment. They want you to come in person on a set date. Missing it without a good reason can delay or harm your case — or cut your unemployment benefit.
Requerimiento de documentación — Request for documents. They need papers or information from you. If you don’t answer in time, they may close your application or decide without your papers.
Resolución denegatoria — Rejection. Your application was turned down. You can usually appeal — the end of the letter says how and by when.
Liquidación provisional — Tax assessment. The tax office checked your tax and set the amount. You may have to pay more — or get money back.
Resolución estimatoria / concesión — Approval. Your application was approved. The letter shows what you get, from when and for how long.
Desahucio / resolución de contrato — Termination or eviction notice. Someone is ending a contract — for example your rental contract, your job or a service. Eviction (desahucio) and dismissal (despido) letters have short deadlines.
Factura de luz, gas o agua — Energy or water bill. A bill for electricity, gas or water. Check the period, the meter readings and whether the reading was estimated (lectura estimada).

Spanish office words

NIE, NIF, DNI, TIE, Empadronamiento, Padrón, Hacienda, IRPF, Modelo, Liquidación, Propuesta de liquidación, Requerimiento, Notificación, Plazo, Días hábiles, Días naturales, Recurso de reposición, Recurso de alzada — see all 50 words.

Reply templates in Spanish

Questions

How long do I have to answer an official letter in Spain?

It depends on the letter. Look for words like “plazo”, “hasta el”, “días hábiles” — they mark the deadline. In Spain, deadlines usually count from the day after the letter is delivered (notificación). A paper letter is delivered on the day you receive it; an electronic one when you open it, or 10 calendar days after it was made available. We estimate 3 days for post — use the real date if you know it. To object, the letter usually names the way to do it (“recurso de reposición”, “reclamación económico-administrativa”, “recurso de alzada”, “reclamación previa”, “alegaciones”, “oposición”, “recurso”).

Can I understand a Spanish letter without speaking Spanish?

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