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Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit)

Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit) is filed with Ayuntamiento del local + comunidad autónoma + AEAT. With Managora you do it 100% online: you answer a few questions, sign a digital mandato (power of representation) and we draft, sign and file your application for you. Estimated total cost: from €690. Official tasa (government fee): Municipal tasa (official fee) for the change of holder, according to your municipality's tax bylaw (usually between 50 and 300 euros). On top of that, and this catches out almost every buyer: transfer tax on the takeover, at the rate set by your autonomous region, and the lease deposit (two months' rent for business premises), which has to be lodged with the regional body. If the landlord exercises their right, they can also raise the rent by 20 per cent (art. 32 LAU).

You are about to buy a bar that is already trading and you think you are inheriting a clean licence. We audit what that licence actually covers (if the premises play music and the licence does not allow it, you inherit the breach), whether there is an open penalty file and whether any fines remain unpaid. We then handle the whole takeover: notifying the change of holder, giving the landlord formal notice within one month, the deposit, transfer tax, the health register, and registrations for music, gaming machines and tobacco.

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Estimated total cost
from €690
Managora's fee
€834.90 (21% VAT incl.)
Tasa (official government fee)
Municipal tasa (official fee) for the change of holder, according to your municipality's tax bylaw (usually between 50 and 300 euros). On top of that, and this catches out almost every buyer: transfer tax on the takeover, at the rate set by your autonomous region, and the lease deposit (two months' rent for business premises), which has to be lodged with the regional body. If the landlord exercises their right, they can also raise the rent by 20 per cent (art. 32 LAU). (suplido: paid to the authority on your behalf, no VAT)
Processing time
Notifying the Ayuntamiento (Town/City Hall) of the change of holder usually has to be done within 1 month of the takeover. Notice to the landlord must be given within 1 MONTH and the deadline is absolute (art. 32.2 LAU, the Spanish urban leases act): if it is not given, the landlord can terminate the lease. Tax registration and deregistration: 1 month.
Where it is filed
Ayuntamiento del local + comunidad autónoma + AEAT ↗
What you receive
Application

Cost breakdown: Our fee 690 euros, plus the municipal change-of-holder tasa, the transfer tax set by your region and the lodging of the lease deposit..

Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit): how is it filed?

  1. 1You tell us your region and what REALLY goes on in the premises. That decides whether this is a takeover or a disguised new opening.
  2. 2We audit the licence you would inherit: what it covers, whether there is an open file and whether any fines remain unpaid.
  3. 3Payment of 690 euros. We handle the whole takeover: change of holder, notice to the landlord within the deadline, the deposit, transfer tax and any missing registrations.
  4. 4If your region does not allow the declaración responsable to be transferred, we tell you: the job is then a new opening and is quoted as such.

Which documents do you need?

  • •NIF or CIF (tax ID) of the buyer and of the transferor.
  • •The premises' current licence or declaración responsable (self-certified declaration).
  • •The lease for the premises, if they are rented.
  • •The takeover contract or the document recording the deal.

Legal basis and things to bear in mind

  • IT IS THE MOST COMMON PROCEDURE IN THE SECTOR: there are around 35.000 registrations and 32.000 deregistrations a year in the restaurant trade, against a stock that grows by only about 2.800 premises (INE, DIRCE). Nearly 30.000 times a year a bar changes hands.
  • WHAT YOU ARE REALLY BUYING HERE: the audit of the licence you would inherit. The classic case is premises playing music under a licence that does not cover it: the buyer inherits the breach and the file without knowing it.
  • ABSOLUTE DEADLINE: the assignment of the lease must be formally notified to the landlord within ONE MONTH (art. 32.2 LAU). If it is not, they can terminate the lease. And they are entitled to raise the rent by 20 per cent (art. 32.2 LAU).
  • REGIONAL EXCEPTION: in some regions the declaración responsable is NOT transferable and the buyer has to file their own. There, this is not a takeover but a new opening, and it is quoted as such. That is why we ask about the region first.
  • Not to be confused with cambio_titularidad_actividad_economica, which is the generic takeover of a shop (120 euros). This one is for hospitality, with the licence audit and everything else the sector carries.
  • Verified framework: LAU arts. 32.2 and 32.3; regional entertainment-venue rules and the municipal bylaw.

Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit): frequently asked questions

Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit): how much does it cost?

The estimated total cost (our fee + official tasas and taxes) is from €690: Our fee 690 euros, plus the municipal change-of-holder tasa, the transfer tax set by your region and the lodging of the lease deposit.. Managora's fee is €834.90, 21% VAT included (€690.00 net + €144.90 VAT). The official tasa charged by the authority (a suplido paid on your behalf, no VAT) is: Municipal tasa (official fee) for the change of holder, according to your municipality's tax bylaw (usually between 50 and 300 euros). On top of that, and this catches out almost every buyer: transfer tax on the takeover, at the rate set by your autonomous region, and the lease deposit (two months' rent for business premises), which has to be lodged with the regional body. If the landlord exercises their right, they can also raise the rent by 20 per cent (art. 32 LAU)..

Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit): how long does it take?

Notifying the Ayuntamiento (Town/City Hall) of the change of holder usually has to be done within 1 month of the takeover. Notice to the landlord must be given within 1 MONTH and the deadline is absolute (art. 32.2 LAU, the Spanish urban leases act): if it is not given, the landlord can terminate the lease. Tax registration and deregistration: 1 month.

Taking over a bar or restaurant as a going concern (with a licence audit): which documents do I need?

You need to have to hand: NIF or CIF (tax ID) of the buyer and of the transferor., The premises' current licence or declaración responsable (self-certified declaration)., The lease for the premises, if they are rented., The takeover contract or the document recording the deal.. You do not upload them here: we collect the details through the guided chat.

Who files the procedure?

Managora files it in your name with Ayuntamiento del local + comunidad autónoma + AEAT. You only provide the details through the chat and sign a mandato (power of representation); we prepare, sign and register it.

Can it be done online?

Yes. The whole process is online: you answer a few questions in the guided chat, sign a simple mandato on screen and receive the receipt and the official documents by email, with full legal validity.

Related procedures

Based on the legislation in force and on the official site of the competent authority: Ayuntamiento del local + comunidad autónoma + AEAT ↗.

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