What it is
Support for starting and growing businesses in Spain
It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 28 June 2013. Introduced by: Gobierno.
Official title: Government bill on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalization.
Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000052· updated 11 Nov
Automatic summary, not yet reviewed
- It creates the figure of the Limited Liability Entrepreneur: an individual who runs a business can keep business or professional debts from reaching their main home, if the home is worth less than €300,000 (or less after applying the 1.5 coefficient in cities with over one million residents). The limit must be registered in the Mercantile Registry and the Property Registry.
- It creates the Successive Formation Limited Company, a company that can be set up without the €3,000 minimum capital. In exchange, it must put 20% of profits into a legal reserve, cannot pay dividends below certain thresholds, and payments to shareholders and directors cannot exceed 20% of net assets.
- It creates Entrepreneur Service Points, physical and online one-stop offices where all the steps to set up a company, start a business and also close it can be completed. Companies with standard bylaws can be formed online, with very short registration deadlines.
- It regulates the out-of-court payment agreement: a business owner or company with debts of up to €5 million can negotiate with creditors, through a mediator, debt reductions of up to 25% and payment deferrals of up to three years, before going to insolvency proceedings.
- It sets up tax breaks: a special VAT regime that lets companies pay the tax when they collect payment (for businesses with under €2 million in operations), a 10% corporate income tax The personal income tax (IRPF in Spain): what people pay on what they earn from work, business or savings. deduction for reinvesting profits, and a 20% personal income tax deduction for investing in new or recently created companies.
- It cuts Social Security contributions for self-employed people starting out (80% reduction for the first six months, then 50% and 30%) and for people with disabilities who register as self-employed. It also makes contributions easier for those who hold both a job and self-employment.
- It simplifies paperwork and burdens: public administrations must remove one administrative burden for each new one they create, very small companies can handle their own workplace risk prevention, the labor inspectorate's visit book becomes electronic, and the thresholds requiring contractor classification in public procurement go up (works to €500,000 and services to €200,000).
- It makes visas and residence permits easier for foreign investors, entrepreneurs, highly qualified professionals and researchers. For example, someone investing €500,000 or more in Spanish real estate can apply for an investor residence visa, and permits are decided within twenty days.
Who it affects
- People who want to start a business or are already self-employed: They can limit their liability for their home, set up companies more cheaply and quickly, and pay lower Social Security contributions when starting out.
- Small and medium-sized businesses: They face less paperwork, fewer statistical surveys, easier access to public contracts, and tax breaks for reinvesting profits.
- Foreign investors and entrepreneurs: They can get faster visas and residence permits if they invest in Spain or start business activity there.
- Companies with debts: They can negotiate an out-of-court payment agreement with creditors before going to insolvency proceedings.
- Students and teachers: School curricula must include entrepreneurship, and teachers will receive training on the subject.
Words worth knowing
- Emprendedor de Responsabilidad Limitada (Limited Liability Entrepreneur)
- An individual who runs a business and, once registered as such, does not have to answer for business debts with their main home (if it is worth less than €300,000).
- Sociedad Limitada de Formación Sucesiva (Successive Formation Limited Company)
- A type of company created without the usual minimum capital, but with special obligations to protect its lenders.
- Criterio de caja (cash criterion)
- A system where VAT is paid when the customer pays the invoice, not when it is issued.
- Acuerdo extrajudicial de pagos (out-of-court payment agreement)
- A negotiation with creditors, with a mediator's help, to defer or reduce debts without going to court.
- Registro Mercantil (Mercantile Registry)
- A public registry where official information about companies and individual business owners is recorded.
- income tax
- The personal income tax (IRPF in Spain): what people pay on what they earn from work, business or savings.
It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries
Where it stands
How far did it get?
It took 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.
- Introduced28 June 2013Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
- Admitted1 July 2013The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
- Amendments3 July 2013Groups propose changes.
- Committee15 July 2013A committee goes through the text in detail.
- Plenaryno dateAll 350 deputies vote.
- Senate25 July 2013The Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
- BOE19 September 2013It is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 11 official steps on a timeline
19 September 2013
How did the plenary vote?
Voted on: Amendment to paragraph d) of the Thirteenth Final Provision.
This law had 5 votes; this is the latest with every deputy’s vote. See them all
Source: Congreso de los Diputados, vote 5 of sitting 130· updated 10 Nov
Each dot is a seat. Tap one, or use the arrow keys, to see who it is.
Your province
How did the deputies from your province vote?
And your senators: the Senate does not link its votes to this law in its open data, so we cannot put them side by side here.
Or see how most of each province voted
- A Coruña More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- Albacete More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Alicante/Alacant More votes in favour 7 yes · 0 no · 4 abst.
- Almería More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Araba/Álava More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Asturias More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 5 abst.
- Ávila More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Badajoz More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Barcelona More votes in favour 7 yes · 0 no · 19 abst.
- Bizkaia More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Burgos More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Cáceres More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Cádiz More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Cantabria More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Castellón/Castelló More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Ceuta More votes in favour 1 yes · 0 no
- Ciudad Real More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Córdoba More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- Cuenca More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Gipuzkoa More votes in favour 2 yes · 1 no · 1 abst.
- Girona More votes in favour 1 yes · 0 no · 4 abst.
- Granada More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- Guadalajara More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Huelva More votes in favour 1 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Huesca More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Illes Balears More votes in favour 5 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Jaén More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- La Rioja More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Las Palmas More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- León More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Lleida More votes in favour 1 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Lugo More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Madrid More votes in favour 13 yes · 0 no · 14 abst.
- Málaga More votes in favour 6 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- Melilla No count 0 yes · 0 no
- Murcia More votes in favour 8 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Navarra More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Ourense More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Palencia More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Pontevedra More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- Salamanca More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 3 abst.
- Segovia More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Sevilla More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 6 abst.
- Soria More votes in favour 1 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Tarragona More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 4 abst.
- Teruel More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Toledo More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Valencia/València More votes in favour 9 yes · 0 no · 7 abst.
- Valladolid More votes in favour 3 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
- Zamora More votes in favour 2 yes · 0 no · 1 abst.
- Zaragoza More votes in favour 4 yes · 0 no · 2 abst.
More details: how each group and each province voted
The groups
Who voted in favour and who against?
In favour, most of Vasco (EAJ-PNV) and Popular en el Congreso. 3 deputies voted differently from their group.
By province: in 37 most voted in favour; in 0, against.
Coloured by how most of each province’s deputies voted.
- In favour: 37
- Against: 0
- Abstained: 8
- Tie: 6
| Group | Seats | How it voted |
|---|---|---|
| Socialista | 110 | 1 in favour · 99 abst. · 10 did not vote |
| Vasco (EAJ-PNV) | 5 | 5 in favour |
| Mixto | 18 | 1 in favour · 1 against · 8 abst. · 8 did not vote |
| GC-CiU | 16 | 13 abst. · 3 did not vote |
| GIP | 11 | 8 abst. · 3 did not vote |
| GUPyD | 5 | 5 abst. |
| Popular en el Congreso | 185 | 167 in favour · 18 did not vote |
What happens next
What happens now?
It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.
The same initiative in the other chamber:
- X Legislature, Senate Government bill on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalization.
Published in the BOE: Law 14/2013, of September 27, on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalization.
Sources
Where does all this come from?
- Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000052
Official title, type, author, dates and stage.
Retrieved 11 November 2026
- Congreso de los Diputados, vote 5 of sitting 130
The count and every seat’s vote.
Retrieved 10 November 2026
- BOE, BOE-A-2013-10074
The law as published.
Retrieved 11 November 2026
- The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
- Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
- We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.