Thread: business in Barcelona

Hi Sandra,

Opening a bar in Barcelona is tougher than it sounds. Most areas of the city don't issue new licenses anymore, so you can only purchase existing ones (through traspaso - leasehold).

If you are interested in areas, somewhat away from the city centre where they still issue licenses, then you need to find suitable premises (each district has its own rules about how many bars per x meter radius, width of the street, zoning, etc.).

Once you have premises that suit, then you need an architect, engineer, designer to prepare a project. This project you present at the town hall. Once approved you can request a building permit. Once finalized you need to have an inspection company (ECA) come in to check everything is legal and once that is done, you get final approval (apertura).

The process can take anything up to a year depending on the premises, the people you work with, etc.... Exact procedures can be found at the ayuntamiento.

Best of luck!