Company Formation & Banking in Gran Canaria
Canary Islands
Most company formations in Las Palmas start from the same place: someone already earning online who needs to be properly registered. The decisive Canary fact is that registration is for IGIC rather than IVA, which changes the invoice you send to every client from day one — including clients on the Spanish mainland, who are not domestic customers for indirect-tax purposes.
For a one-person consultancy, autónomo is often the right answer and the ZEC is not — it is designed for substantive operations with investment and hiring commitments. An honest adviser will say so. Where a company does start to make sense is when profit is being retained and reinvested, because that is where the island reserve regime changes the arithmetic.
Local context: Gran Canaria
| Extranjería office | Oficina de Extranjería de Las Palmas, the province that also covers Fuerteventura and Lanzarote |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | Las Palmas has among the best fibre and co-working provision in the archipelago, which is why the remote-work caseload concentrates here |
| Company registry | Registro Mercantil de Las Palmas |
| Local context | Las Palmas is one of Europe's best-established remote-work bases, so digital-nomad structures and Canary-specific tax setups are the everyday work here |
| Indirect tax | IGIC, not mainland IVA, at a lower general rate |
| Tax regime | Régimen Económico y Fiscal de Canarias (Ley 19/1994), including the RIC reserve and the ZEC zone |
| Tax administration | Agencia Tributaria for state taxes; the Canary tax body for IGIC |
| Work authorisation | Granted by the central Oficina de Extranjería |
Sources: Gobierno de Canarias — Tributos · Ley 19/1994 — REF de Canarias (BOE) · Zona Especial Canaria (ZEC) · Agencia Tributaria
What we handle: Company Formation & Banking
Autónomo or SL setup, business NIE and a Spanish bank account.
- Autónomo vs SL guidance for your case
- Business NIE for founders
- Company incorporation (SL) and statutes
- Opening a Spanish bank account, remotely where possible
Questions about this service
Do I need a company, or is autónomo enough in Las Palmas?
For most solo online workers, autónomo is enough and cheaper to run. A company earns its overhead when there is liability to limit, profit to retain, or partners to accommodate. Anyone pushing an SL on a freelancer without asking about profit and risk is selling a setup, not advising.
Will I need a Spanish bank account before or after incorporation?
For a company, the share capital normally has to be deposited before the deed is signed, so the account comes first — and account opening for a non-resident founder is frequently the slowest step in the whole process. Starting it early is what keeps the timeline honest.
Free consultation
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Send the form — we’ll assess your situation for free and propose a clear plan. We reply within 2 hours.
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