Your property is in Spain.So is your lawyer's admission.
Ribas Brutschy Abogados runs Spanish and German matters from a single office, admitted to the bar in both jurisdictions. One file, one contact — no correspondent lawyer in between.
- KarlsruheGermany
- BruchsalGermany
- Eivissa·IbizaBalearic Islands, Spain
Two legal systems. One file.
What separates German and Spanish law is not translation but structure. Four of those differences regularly cost foreign buyers and heirs money.
In Germany, ownership passes on registration — the register is constitutive. In Spain it passes on contract and delivery, and registration is voluntary and declaratory. Reading one register with the habits of the other means trusting the wrong document.
What looks like a reservation fee is often a withdrawal clause under article 1454 of the Spanish Civil Code: if the buyer walks away, the deposit is lost; if the seller does, it is owed twice over. Which kind of arras was agreed follows from the wording of the contract, not from its heading.
Since 2022 Spain taxes property transfers not on the agreed price but on a reference value set by the cadastre, where that value is higher. The Spanish Constitutional Court upheld the rule in February 2026.
A German Erbschein does not simply carry over into Spain. Cross-border estates fall under the EU Succession Regulation — with its own certificate, its own jurisdiction rules and the prior question of which law governs the succession at all.
Nine areas — in both systems.
Our core competence lies in inheritance, property, commercial, company and tax law. In estates and property matters we work towards a tax-efficient solution, not merely a legally sound one.
- DE·ESInheritance lawDerecho de sucesionesFrom the notarial will to administering an estate in full, in both countries. Where an estate turns contentious we offer a structured mediation.
- DE·ESProperty lawDerecho inmobiliarioAcquisition and disposal in Germany and Spain — legal and tax, with an eye on what separates the two systems.
- DE·ESCommercial and company lawDerecho mercantil y societarioChoice of legal form, incorporation, drafting and formalities — from the S.L. to the GmbH.
- ES·EUTax lawDerecho fiscalDouble taxation and trade, inheritance, income, value added, transfer, wealth and capital gains tax, for residents and non-residents.
- DE·ESContract lawDerecho contractualDrafting and reviewing Spanish contracts — before, during and after signing.
- DE·ESTenancy lawDerecho de arrendamientosFlats, houses and commercial premises, on the tenant's and the landlord's side.
- DE·ESLitigationDerecho procesalSettlement or conciliation first. Where it cannot be avoided, we represent you in person before the courts.
- DE·ESCriminal lawDerecho penalFraud and breach of trust, offences against property and assets, corruption and bribery, tax and business crime, criminal product liability.
- ES·EUCompetition lawDerecho de la competenciaReviewing a planned transaction and representation before the competition authorities.
Buying in Spain, stage by stage.
A Spanish purchase is decided earlier than a German one: not before the notary, but in the private contract that precedes it. That is where the risks we check are found.
ReservationReserva
A reservation agreement, often on the agent's own form. It already binds you.
What matters hereIts wording decides what your payment is in law. That decides what happens to your money later.
Private contractContrato de arras
Purchase contract with a deposit, customarily around ten per cent of the price.
What matters hereArras penitenciales, confirmatorias or penales — three legal consequences under one word.
Due diligenceNota simple
Extract from the Registro de la Propiedad, cadastre, encumbrances, planning status, community bylaws.
What matters hereUnfinished inheritances, undischarged mortgages, missing co-owner consents, unresolved planning questions.
CompletionEscritura pública
Notarial deed of sale, payment of the price, handover.
What matters hereIf the seller fails in his duties to cooperate, his conduct may amount to withdrawal — with the deposit repayable twice over.
Registration and taxRegistro·Impuestos
Registration, ITP on a resale or IVA plus AJD on a new build, plusvalía municipal.
What matters hereThe tax base is the valor de referencia. Thereafter annually: IBI and, without Spanish residence, non-resident income tax.
German-Spanish by staff, not by referral.
Our team of German-Spanish lawyers and multilingual staff works from Karlsruhe, Bruchsal and Eivissa. Our clients include private individuals, small and medium-sized companies of German and Spanish origin, banks and asset management firms.
Where our own remit ends we work with tax advisers, auditors and management consultants rather than stretching the mandate.
- on the team
- 11
- bar associations
- 6
- countries
- 4
- languages
- 4
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung named our firm among the TOP Anwälte in inheritance law for 2026.
Bar admissions
Rechtsanwaltskammer Karlsruhe·ICAIB Baleares·ICAMUR Murcia·ICAM Madrid·Barreau de Strasbourg·Colegio de Abogados de Córdoba
Professional indemnity
HDI Versicherung AG, covering the entire territory of the European Union — meeting at least the requirements of § 8(4) PartGG in conjunction with § 51a BRAO.
Memberships
- DSJV — German-Spanish Lawyers' Association
- AHK Spain — German Chamber of Commerce for Spain
- DAV — German Bar Association
The estimate comes before the mandate.
Cost transparency is our first principle. Before we begin work you receive a binding cost estimate.
- Usually by time spent. The hourly rate is between 250 and 350 euros.
- In court proceedings, under the RVG. There we are required by law to bill at least the fees set by the German lawyers' remuneration act.
- On request, a fixed fee. We agree fixed fees and specific advisory contracts individually.
Hourly rate
€250–350
plus disbursements and, where applicable, VAT
Free initial assessment for property purchases and sales.
Two sentences are enough. You receive an outline assessment of the procedure, the costs and the benefit of instructing us.
The initial assessment is an outline explanation of the procedure, costs and advantages of instructing our firm for property purchases and sales in Spain or Germany. It is limited to the purchase or sale of existing or newly built property by private individuals.