What is a cadastral certificate and what is it for?

Whether you are an owner or a buyer, you may have been asked for, or needed to request a cadastral certificate for a procedure related to a property. Do you have questions about this document? Then you will want to know what it is, what it is used for and how to request yours.

What is a cadastral certificate?

The cadastral certificate is an official document issued by the Directorate-General for the Cadastre, part of Spain's Ministry of Finance and Civil Service, that contains detailed information about a property or plot of land. It describes its physical, legal and economic features, certifying that data, or that it does not exist.

The Cadastre and cadastral certificates are regulated by the Real Estate Cadastre Law, that is, Royal Legislative Decree 1/2004 of 5 March, which approves the Consolidated Text of the Real Estate Cadastre Law. This Law sets the rules for creating and maintaining the Cadastre, as well as the rights and obligations of owners.

After that, Law 13/2015 of 24 June was approved, reforming the Mortgage Law approved by the Decree of 8 February 1946 and the Consolidated Text of the Real Estate Cadastre Law. Its aim was to improve coordination between the Land Registries and the Cadastre, with a communication system that makes it easier to exchange descriptive and graphic information about properties, providing greater legal certainty and simplifying administrative procedures.

The Law requires each plot of land or property to be identified and described precisely and unequivocally. Cadastral information must be updated regularly to reflect changes in ownership, floor area and use, valuation, or any other relevant aspect.

What information does a cadastral certificate of a property contain?

The descriptive and graphic cadastral certificate (CCDyG) contains, in addition to the basic physical, legal and economic data of the property, its graphic representation. When the property is coordinated with the Land Registry, this is stated together with the registry code of the property.

Content of the descriptive and graphic cadastral certificate:

1. Cadastral reference. A 20-character alphanumeric code that works as the property's unique identifier.
2. Descriptive data of the property:
   • Location: address, land class, main use, floor area, year of construction.
   • Cadastral value: total, land and building.
   • Ownership: full name and address, and tax ID, of all owners, with their ownership shares.
   • Building: floor, use and area of each element.
   • Crops: types of crops and area.
3. Cadastral plot. Area and plot plan.
4. Graphic coordination with the Land Registry. It shows the name of the Land Registry, the registry property code (CRU) and the coordination date.
5. Applicant, purpose and issue date of the cadastral certificate.
6. List of adjoining plots.
7. Signature of the document. Secure Verification Code (CSV) and seal of the Directorate-General for the Cadastre.

What is the cadastral certificate of a property used for?

The cadastral certificate can be used in different situations, such as:

• Tax procedures (property tax IBI, municipal capital gains tax IIVTNU).
• Managing inheritances (Cadastral Value, Cadastre Reference Value).
• Property transactions.
• Applying for mortgage-backed loans, etc.

Are you buying a home? In addition to the cadastral certificate, the bank will also require a mortgage appraisal to know the value of the property.