Registering as autónomo: the numbers that decide
The order is not a preference, it is a dependency. Article 10 LSSI requires your NIF to be permanently and freely accessible on the website, and the invoicing regulation requires it on every factura, so both the visible business and the payable business wait on the registration. Marketing before that is marketing you cannot invoice.
Why the sequence matters
Two published lists both begin with the same item. Article 10 of Ley 34/2002 requires the tax identification number among the information that must be permanently, easily, directly and free of charge accessible. The invoicing regulation requires the name and NIF of the issuer on every factura.
So a business that is visible before it is registered is visible without the one number both lists insist on. The website is incomplete, and the first invoice cannot be issued correctly.
That is the practical argument for doing it in order. It is not about caution, it is about the fact that the two documents your customers deal with both need the same field filled.
This article does not describe the registration procedure itself, which belongs to the authorities and to a qualified adviser. It describes what the published obligations expect once you are registered.
What has to be in place before the first customer
On the website, the Article 10 list: name or company name, residence or the address of an establishment in Spain, registry data where applicable, the NIF, an email address or equivalent means of direct communication, clear and exact price information indicating whether taxes are included, and any codes of conduct. That is 7 categories, and most of a small business fits on 1 page.
On the invoice, the mandatory contents: number and series, issue date, name and NIF, addresses, description with unit price and discounts, the tax rate, the tax amount, and the operation date where it differs. That is around 9 fields.
Set the two side by side once. The number that appears on both has to be identical, and the price statement on the site has to match the tax treatment on the invoice, or the first client's accountant will ask which of the two is right.
| Document | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Website | NIF among seven categories | Article 10 LSSI |
| Website | Email or equivalent direct contact | Article 10 LSSI |
| Website | Price, stating whether taxes included | Article 10 LSSI |
| Invoice | Name and NIF of the issuer | Invoicing regulation |
| Invoice | Tax rate and tax amount | Invoicing regulation |
What to do once it is in place
Then the visibility work in the usual order: identity data consistent across the sources people compare, opening hours as 14 values, and a review rate that fills the three month window 74 percent of consumers look at.
And take advice on the registration itself. The obligations described here are the published ones for what you show and what you invoice; the procedure and the contributions are a separate question for somebody qualified to answer it.
Questions and answers
Can I advertise before registering?
What exactly has to be on the website?
Does this article explain the registration?
What is checked first by a client?
Sources
- Article 10, Ley 34/2002 (LSSI) The seven categories including the NIF and price information
- Real Decreto 1619/2012, invoicing obligations The mandatory contents of a factura
