Online court auctions and hospital-based birth registration in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. Court auctions of seized assets move online, to a single Auction Portal run by the State Agency for the Official State Gazette (Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado). The auction notice is published in the Official State Gazette and the portal gathers all the information about the asset.
2. To bid, you must register on the portal with secure electronic identification and deposit 5% of the value of the assets. The auction accepts bids for twenty calendar days and does not close until one hour after the last bid.
3. If the best bid reaches 70% of the value of the real estate (or 50% for movable property), the sale to the best bidder is approved. The debtor can avoid the auction by paying the entire debt before the award is approved.
4. Registration of newborns is handled from the health center: parents sign an official form and the center sends it electronically to the Civil Registry within seventy-two hours. There is no need to go in person to the Registry.
5. Health personnel must ensure the identification of the newborn and the mother-child relationship, using biometric, medical or analytical tests if needed, and must take the baby's footprints and the mother's fingerprints. If a newborn dies after six months of gestation, the death certificate must be signed by at least two doctors.
6. To obtain Spanish nationality by residence, the process becomes electronic and applicants must pass two tests: one on Spanish (level A2 or higher) and one on the Constitution and Spanish culture. The procedure carries a 100-euro fee.

Who it affects

• People taking part in court auctions of seized assets: They must register on the Auction Portal, identify themselves electronically and deposit 5% of the value to bid.
• Debtors facing seizure: They can free their assets by paying the full debt before the award is approved, and can get a debt reduction of up to 2% if the occupant allows the property to be visited.
• Parents of newborns: They can register the birth from the hospital, without going to the Civil Registry.
• Health centers and medical staff: They must report births and deaths electronically and guarantee the identification of the newborn.
• Applicants for Spanish nationality by residence: They apply electronically, pass two tests and pay a 100-euro fee.

Words worth knowing

Subasta judicial (court auction)

Public sale of assets seized from someone with debts, to pay the debt with the proceeds.

Consignar (deposit)

To put down an amount of money as a guarantee in order to take part.

Remate (award of the auction)

Final assignment of the auctioned asset to the best bidder.

Secretario judicial (judicial secretary)

A public official who runs the court office and manages procedural steps.

Registro Civil (Civil Registry)

Public office where births, deaths, marriages and other civil status events are officially recorded.

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