Buying a property on the Costa Blanca without visiting: How a power of attorney works

Most people who buy a home on the Costa Blanca do not live here yet. They see the property on one trip, go home, and then discover that the purchase needs them in Spain again - for the NIE, for the bank, for the notary. Flights, hotels, days off work, and a completion date that moves because somebody cannot get here.

It does not have to be that way. A Spanish purchase can be completed from start to finish by power of attorney, and it is entirely normal practice.

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WHAT A POWER OF ATTORNEY ACTUALLY DOES

A power of attorney is a notarised document in which you authorise your lawyer to carry out specific acts on your behalf. It is not a blank cheque. A well-drafted purchase power of attorney lists exactly what the lawyer may do - apply for your NIE, open the bank account, sign the deposit contract, appear at the notary, pay the transfer tax, register the property in your name - and nothing else.

You keep control throughout. Every document is sent to you for approval before anything is signed, and the power can be revoked at any time.

HOW TO GRANT IT WITHOUT COMING TO SPAIN

There are two routes.

At a Spanish consulate in your own country. You attend with your passport, sign before the consular officer, and the document is valid in Spain immediately. No translation and no apostille needed.

Before a notary in your own country. You sign locally, then the document needs the Hague Apostille and an official Spanish translation. This is usually quicker to arrange than a consular appointment, though it costs a little more.

For French and Belgian clients we normally prepare the document in French so that you know precisely what you are signing before it is translated.

WHAT IT DOES NOT REMOVE

A power of attorney saves you the journey. It does not remove the checks - and those are the part that actually protects you.

Before any money leaves your hands, somebody has to confirm at the Land Registry that the seller is the owner and that the property carries no mortgage, embargo or debt; check with the Town Hall that what is built matches what is licensed; verify the community fees and the IBI are paid; and read the deposit contract properly, because that is where deposits are lost.

In Spain the notary does not do this for you. The notary confirms identities and formalises the deed. The estate agent's job is to complete the sale. The only person in the transaction whose sole job is to protect the buyer is an independent lawyer.

A NOTE FOR SELLERS

The same applies in reverse. If you are selling and no longer live here, the sale can be completed by power of attorney, including the settlement of the 3% non-resident retention and the plusvalía municipal.

We have been doing this from Jávea since 1992, in English, French and Spanish, for clients across Dénia, Moraira, Benissa, Altea and Valencia. The first consultation is free.

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This article is general information, written in September 2026. Spanish law - and tax rates and time limits in particular - changes, and every case turns on its own facts. It is not legal advice on your situation and no client relationship arises from reading it. Take advice on the specifics before you act.