Spain has 1,966,938 companies that continue to be listed as active in the registers, even though they have not published any acts or filed accounts for years. They represent 46% of the total.
According to autonomosyemprendedor.es, based on a study by Iberinform, a subsidiary of Crédito y Caución, there are 1,966,938 companies in Spain that are still listed as active despite having no registration activity for years. They account for 46% of the total number of companies.
In the last year, 79,174 companies have joined this situation, and their share of active companies in the register has increased by one percentage point. These are businesses that have ceased operations or projects that never gained traction, but whose owners have not formalised their dissolution or liquidation.
The report attributes this accumulation primarily to the cost and bureaucracy involved in closing a company, with expenses for notary, management, and registration, which arise when resources are often scarce. Iberinform notes that many insolvent microenterprises do not have funds even to pay for a bankruptcy proceeding.
Leaving the company inactive avoids those immediate payments, but does not eliminate obligations. The General Access Point of the Administration explains that an inactive company retains its legal personality and must continue to maintain accounts, legalising books, and filing annual accounts with the Commercial Registry.
The Tax Agency also reminds that inactive companies must file the Corporate Tax, even if they never started operating, along with the relevant withholding tax declarations.
Failure to file accounts can result in fines ranging from €1,200 to €60,000, according to the Capital Companies Act, following the processing of the case by the Institute of Accounting and Audit of Accounts (ICAC). Additionally, it can lead to registration closure, which prevents the registration of documents while the non-compliance persists, with exceptions such as the cessation of administrators or dissolution.
By regions, Ceuta and Melilla lead the proportion of inactive companies, with 52%, ahead of Canary Islands and Andalusia, both at 49%. At the opposite end, La Rioja drops to 31%, followed by Navarre, at 35%, and the Basque Country, at 36%.
The Capital Companies Act considers the cessation of activity that constitutes the corporate purpose as grounds for dissolution when it extends for more than one year.
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