Every legal form in Spain, each with its abbreviation, the kind of entity it is, liability and typical use where they are well established, and the values the Prometiam company object returns.
This guide lists the 38 legal forms the Prometiam dictionary knows for Spain: what each is called, how it is abbreviated, what kind of entity it is and how it appears in the company object. Use it to read the legal_form of a company registered in Spain, or to decode a form you meet in a contract or on an invoice. It is a general reference, not legal advice.
| Form | Abbreviation | Kind | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociedad Anónima | SA, S.A. | Public limited company (joint-stock company) | Owners’ liability is limited to the capital they contribute. The minimum capital is EUR 60,000, of which at least 25% must be paid at incorporation. Shares are freely transferable unless the bylaws restrict them, and an SA can be listed: the form of larger and listed Spanish companies. |
| Sociedad Anónima Unipersonal | SAU, S.A.U. | Public limited company (joint-stock company) | An SA with a single shareholder; limited liability as for the SA. |
| Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada | SL, S.L. | Private limited company | Owners’ liability is limited to the capital they contribute. The capital is split into participaciones; the minimum is EUR 1 since the 2022 reform (below EUR 3,000 the company must build up reserves). The usual form for small and medium businesses and start-ups; it cannot be listed. |
| Sociedad Limitada Unipersonal | SLU, S.L.U. | Private limited company | An SL with a single owner (socio único); limited liability as for the SL. |
| Sociedad Colectiva | SC, S.C. | General partnership | A general partnership: the partners are personally, jointly and without limit liable for the company’s debts. |
| Sociedad Comanditaria | S.COM., S. EN C. | Limited partnership | A limited partnership: at least one partner is liable without limit, the others only up to their contribution. |
| Empresario Individual | EI, ERL | Sole proprietorship | A sole trader: there is no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable for the business’s debts. |
Every company object carries four legal-form fields: legal_form (the standard abbreviation, null when the form is not mapped), legal_form_family (the cross-country family, so a private limited company compares across countries), local_legal_form (the register’s own value or code as stored) and local_legal_form_name (the register’s name for it, where it publishes one). Each form below shows the values the API returns for it.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=ES&name=<company name>" # each result carries, for example: # "legal_form": "SA" # "legal_form_family": "public_limited_company"
Private limited company: a company with its own legal personality whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable for its debts and whose shares are not offered to the public.
Owners’ liability is limited to the capital they contribute. The capital is split into participaciones; the minimum is EUR 1 since the 2022 reform (below EUR 3,000 the company must build up reserves). The usual form for small and medium businesses and start-ups; it cannot be listed.
SL, S.L., SRL, S.R.L.legal_form SL, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form SL or SRLAn SL with a single owner (socio único); limited liability as for the SL.
SLU, S.L.U.legal_form SLU, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form SLUSLL, S.L.L.legal_form SLL, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form SLLSLP, S.L.P.legal_form SLP, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form SLPSLNE, S.L.N.E.legal_form SLNE, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form SLNESLFS, S.L.F.S.legal_form SLFS, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textPublic limited company (joint-stock company): a company with its own legal personality and share capital whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable; the family of forms that can usually raise money from the public.
Owners’ liability is limited to the capital they contribute. The minimum capital is EUR 60,000, of which at least 25% must be paid at incorporation. Shares are freely transferable unless the bylaws restrict them, and an SA can be listed: the form of larger and listed Spanish companies.
SA, S.A.legal_form SA, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SAAn SA with a single shareholder; limited liability as for the SA.
SAU, S.A.U.legal_form SAU, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SAUSAL, S.A.L.legal_form SAL, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SALSAD, S.A.D.legal_form SAD, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textSAP, S.A.P.legal_form SAP, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textSOCIMIlegal_form SOCIMI, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textSE, S.E.legal_form SE, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textGeneral partnership: the owners run the business together and, as a rule, answer personally for its debts.
A general partnership: the partners are personally, jointly and without limit liable for the company’s debts.
SC, S.C., SRC, S.R.C., Y CIAlegal_form SC, legal_form_family general_partnership, local_legal_form SC or SCOLLimited partnership: at least one partner answers without limit for the debts, the others only up to what they contributed.
A limited partnership: at least one partner is liable without limit, the others only up to their contribution.
S.COM., S. EN C., S.EN C., SCOM, S. COM.legal_form S.COM., legal_form_family limited_partnership, local_legal_form SCOMPartnership limited by shares: a hybrid in which the managing partners are liable without limit and the other owners hold shares.
S.COM.P.A., S.C.P.A., SCPAlegal_form S.COM.P.A., legal_form_family partnership_limited_by_shares, local_legal_form SCOMASole proprietorship: one person trading in their own name with no separate company; the owner is, as a rule, personally liable.
A natural person, not a company. A sole trader: there is no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable for the business’s debts.
EI, ERLlegal_form EI, legal_form_family sole_proprietorship, local_legal_form the register’s own textCooperative: an organisation owned and run by its members.
S.COOP., S. COOP., SCOOP, S COOP, COOPlegal_form S.COOP., legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SCOOP or SOCIEDAD COOPERATIVA or SCOOPAS.C.C., SCClegal_form S.C.C., legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form the register’s own textSCElegal_form SCE, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form the register’s own textCivil partnership: a company under civil rather than commercial law, often used for property holding, farming or professional practices.
SCP, S.C.P.legal_form SCP, legal_form_family civil_partnership, local_legal_form SCP or SCIVEconomic interest grouping: members cooperate in a shared activity while staying independent businesses.
AIE, A.I.E.legal_form AIE, legal_form_family economic_interest_grouping, local_legal_form AIEAEIE, A.E.I.E.legal_form AEIE, legal_form_family economic_interest_grouping, local_legal_form the register’s own textJoint venture: a temporary cooperation between businesses for a specific project.
It has no separate legal personality.
UTE, U.T.E.legal_form UTE, legal_form_family joint_venture, local_legal_form UTEAssociation: a membership body, usually non-profit.
ASOCIACION, ASOC.legal_form ASOCIACION, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ASOCFoundation: assets set aside for a purpose, with no owners.
legal_form Banking foundation, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form the register’s own textFUNDACION, FUND.legal_form FUNDACION, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form the register’s own textMutual: a body owned by its members, typical for insurance and guarantees.
SGR, S.G.R.legal_form SGR, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form the register’s own textMUTUALIDAD, M.P.S.legal_form MUTUA, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form the register’s own textBranch of a foreign company: an establishment or registration of a company incorporated abroad.
SUCURlegal_form SUCURSAL EN ESPAÑA, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form PERM or EXT or SUCURSALInvestment fund or investment company.
SICAVlegal_form SICAV, legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form the register’s own textSCR, S.C.R.legal_form SCR, legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form the register’s own textIt has no separate legal personality.
FI, F.I., FCR, F.C.R., FPlegal_form FI, legal_form_family investment_fund, local_legal_form the register’s own textPublic body: a state, local-authority or other public-law entity.
legal_form Public-sector body, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form ORG or CORP or ADMINCo-ownership: joint ownership of property by several owners, often without legal personality.
It has no separate legal personality.
CB, C.B.legal_form CB, legal_form_family co_ownership, local_legal_form CBlegal_form Owners' association, legal_form_family co_ownership, local_legal_form the register’s own textOther entity type.
SAT, S.A.T.legal_form SAT, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form the register’s own textlegal_form Religious congregation, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form RELSee the Spain company data API guide for the register behind these records and the free NIF lookup to try an identifier. For the register states that go with these forms, read company status in Spain. All countries: company legal forms.
Side by side: SL vs SA in Spain: Differences, Capital and Liability.
Search by name or identifier and read legal_form, legal_form_family and local_legal_form on every result, or filter a bulk list by family.
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