Administrative Law · Spain
Your administrative law lawyer in Spain for public authority disputes
Decisions, sanctions and silences from Spanish public bodies have their own court route — and their own short deadlines. Tell us what you are facing and we will match you, free of charge, with a lawyer who handles administrative law in Spain.
- Public law disputes before the Contentious-Administrative Courts
- Appeals against administrative acts, sanctions and refusals
- Fee structure and next steps explained before you instruct anyone
Free and without obligation. We introduce you to a lawyer who handles administrative law in Spain — you decide whether to instruct them.
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The problem
When a public authority decides something about you
Dealing with a public authority in Spain can feel like arguing with a wall. A licensing refusal, a fine, a planning decision, a tax assessment or a silence that never becomes an answer — each of these is an administrative act, and each can usually be challenged. The difficulty is that the contentious-administrative route runs on short, unforgiving time limits and its own procedural rules. That is where an administrative law lawyer in Spain earns their place: someone who reads the notification date, checks whether a prior administrative appeal is required, and prepares the claim before the Contentious-Administrative Courts. Our free matching service introduces you to a lawyer who handles public law disputes in Spain, explains how the process works and what it will cost, and leaves the decision entirely with you.
Administrative law in Spain
How public law proceedings work in Spain
Spain follows the continental civil-law model, and judicial power is organised as a single ordinary judiciary under Article 117 of the 1978 Constitution. Administrative disputes are carved out into their own order of jurisdiction, with its own courts, its own time limits and its own fee rules.
The contentious-administrative route
Disputes between individuals or companies and public authorities are heard by the Contentious-Administrative Courts at first instance. Above them, the High Courts of Justice operate at the level of each Autonomous Community, and the Supreme Court in Madrid includes a Contentious-Administrative Chamber that handles cassation and review. The Audiencia Nacional deals with administrative matters affecting the whole of Spain.
Deadlines that shape the case
Administrative challenges run to a strict timetable. The recurso de alzada and the recurso de reposición must be filed within one month, and an administrative law lawyer in Spain will start by fixing the exact notification date, because everything else follows from it. Deadlines elsewhere in Spanish law vary widely, from twenty working days for dismissal claims to five years for contractual debt.
Court fees: who actually pays
A court fee (tasa judicial) applies to the exercise of judicial power in the civil and contentious-administrative orders under Law 10/2012, but only legal persons — companies, associations and foundations — owe it. Natural persons are exempt. The fee combines a fixed amount, which varies by order and type of proceeding, with a variable amount based on the value in dispute. The labour and criminal orders carry no fee.
Who may practise, and who stands beside you
To practise law in Spain you must belong to a Colegio de la Abogacía, coordinated by the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española; registration in a single Colegio is enough to practise throughout the country. Qualification requires a law degree, the Máster de Acceso a la Abogacía of 90 ECTS including professional practice, and the state aptitude examination under Law 34/2006. Before the higher courts, a procurador provides procedural representation while the abogado directs the case.
Fees, costs and free legal aid
Lawyers’ fees in Spain are freely agreed between lawyer and client; there are no binding official tariffs, although Bar Associations publish non-binding guideline criteria. If you lose, a court may order you to pay the other side’s costs, capped at one third of the amount in dispute for lawyers’ and procuradores’ fees in declaratory proceedings. Free legal aid under Law 1/1996 is requested through the Bar Association of the competent court.
Language and territorial organisation
Spanish is the language of the courts, and in regions with a co-official language proceedings may also be conducted in it. The Estatuto General de la Abogacía requires knowledge of Spanish and, where applicable, of the co-official regional languages. Spain is a highly decentralised state, and the High Courts of Justice operate at the level of each Autonomous Community.
Key time limit — Administrative & Regulatory Law
Rent arrears recovery (lease) — 5 years. Applies to unpaid rent claims arising from a lease.
The country details on this page are drawn from official Spanish and European sources — the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE), the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española and the European e-Justice Portal — as published when this page was prepared.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Spain
- Estatuto General de la Abogacía Española (Royal Decree 135/2021)
- Consejo General de la Abogacía Española
- Law 1/1996 on free legal aid
- Administrative procedure legislation (deadline for the recurso de alzada and reposición)
- Civil Code (limitation periods)
- Employment procedure legislation (dismissal claim period)
- Inheritance and gift tax legislation (filing period)
Common problems
Why these cases unravel before they really begin
Most administrative matters are lost on timing and procedure rather than on the merits.
The clock is already running
In Spain the administrative appeal window is one month, and notifications rarely wait. If a decision has just landed on your desk, the period is counting down while you work out who to call.
The procedure is written for lawyers
Contentious-administrative proceedings have their own rules on standing, evidence and form. Handling them alone, or filing in the wrong order, is where straightforward cases turn into complicated ones.
You cannot judge the price
Lawyers’ fees in Spain are freely agreed, so two firms can quote very differently for the same dispute. Without a comparison, it is hard to know what is reasonable or what legal aid would cover.
How we help
What our free matching gives you
We do not practise law. We connect you with the right lawyer and let you decide.
Specialists rather than generalists
We match you with lawyers who regularly work on public law and contentious-administrative matters in Spain, not with firms that take the occasional administrative file.
A useful first conversation
Your first contact covers the facts of your case, the deadline that applies to your notification and the documents the lawyer needs, so you can decide with real information.
Free and non-binding
Matching costs you nothing. You agree fees directly with the lawyer you choose, and there is no obligation to instruct anyone we introduce you to.
Used to clients abroad
Living outside Spain does not remove your need for Spanish counsel. We work with lawyers accustomed to acting for clients based in other countries and working across time zones.
Beyond Spain
Administrative law elsewhere in Europe
Administrative law is national: the courts, the deadlines and the fee rules change with every border. If your matter touches more than one country, we can also look for counsel elsewhere in Europe.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What does an administrative law lawyer in Spain actually do?
They handle disputes with public authorities: challenging administrative acts, sanctions and refusals, managing the administrative appeal stage, and bringing or defending claims before the Contentious-Administrative Courts. They also tell you which deadline applies to your notification and what the procedure will require from you in practice.
How long do I have to appeal an administrative decision in Spain?
The recurso de alzada and the recurso de reposición must be filed within one month. Because that period is short and runs from the notification, the first thing a lawyer will ask for is the decision itself and the exact date you received it.
Which courts hear administrative cases in Spain?
At first instance, the Contentious-Administrative Courts. The High Courts of Justice operate at the level of each Autonomous Community, the Audiencia Nacional handles administrative matters affecting the whole of Spain, and the Supreme Court’s Contentious-Administrative Chamber, sitting in Madrid, deals with cassation and review.
Do I have to pay a court fee to bring an administrative claim in Spain?
A court fee (tasa judicial) applies in the contentious-administrative order under Law 10/2012, but it is owed only by legal persons such as companies, associations and foundations. Natural persons are exempt, and the labour and criminal orders are not subject to the fee at all.
How are lawyers’ fees set in Spain?
Freely, by agreement between you and the lawyer — there are no binding official tariffs, although Bar Associations publish non-binding guideline criteria. If you lose, the court may order you to pay the other side’s costs, capped at one third of the amount in dispute for lawyers’ and procuradores’ fees in declaratory proceedings.
Can I get free legal aid for an administrative case in Spain?
Free legal aid under Law 1/1996 covers a lawyer, a procurador, experts and exemption from procedural costs for people without sufficient means. It is recognised where gross annual household income does not exceed a threshold linked to the IPREM indicator, generally twice the IPREM and higher with dependent family members. Applications go to the Bar Association of the competent court.
Next step
Speak to an administrative law lawyer in Spain
Describe your situation in a few lines — the authority involved, the decision you received and the date on it. We will match you with a lawyer who handles administrative law in Spain and can tell you where you stand.