Do you have to register as self-employed to sell through an online store in Spain?

Q&A • Getting started

Do you have to register as self-employed to sell through an online store in Spain?

Selling regularly from a website is an economic activity, even for a small shop. There are two separate registrations and they are often confused: the tax one and the social security one.

Short answer

  1. Selling on a regular basis means registering with the tax office through form 036 or 037 and joining the RETA scheme.
  2. The census registration requires an IAE activity code; distance selling of assorted goods usually falls under code 665.
  3. RETA registration is filed with Social Security and can be submitted up to 60 days before the activity starts.
  4. New self-employed workers can apply for the reduced flat-rate contribution during the first twelve months; confirm the current amount before budgeting.
  5. A single isolated sale does not create the obligation, but a store open to the public counts as a regular activity.

The two registrations, step by step

  1. File form 036 (or the simplified 037) before the first sale, stating the IAE code and the start date.
  2. On the same form, set the VAT regime and, if you will buy or sell within the EU, request registration in the ROI intra-Community register.
  3. File the RETA registration with Social Security, choosing your contribution base and mutual insurer.
  4. Check whether your town hall requires a licence or responsible declaration for the warehouse or premises you ship from.

Practical examples

  • Example: you sell handmade ceramics and invoice €900 a month. That is a regular activity, so both registrations are required.
  • Example: you sell your own second-hand bicycle once. That is not an economic activity and triggers no registration.
  • Example: you combine salaried employment with the store. That is dual activity and RETA registration is still mandatory.

Common mistakes

  • Opening the store «just to test» and invoicing for months without census registration.
  • Registering with the tax office but forgetting RETA, or the other way round.
  • Choosing a single activity code when you sell very different product families.
  • Requesting ROI registration after the first intra-Community sale: VIES validation is not immediate.

How 4shopy helps

  • You can build and test the store in draft mode while the registrations are being processed, without publishing it.
  • The seller's tax details are configured once and appear in the legal notice and on every order.
  • Invoicing across the 4b2b ecosystem numbers orders sequentially from day one.
  • The monthly cost is fixed and predictable, which helps when estimating the income forecast for the registration.

See also