It is a municipal obligatory license allowing the exercise of a commercial, industrial or services activity in order that in any business premises or an office. It consists of a document that accredits the fulfillment of the conditions of habitability and use of this activity.

This foresaid license has to be renewed every time the activity held in the premises changes, when remodeling the place or when, in case of business transfers, the owners are new.

When looking for a place, premise or office for locating your business, you must always bear in mind its adequacy to the requirements demanded for the type of activity you are to develop.

To avoid unexpected costs, make sure that the place fulfills all the requirements before closing the purchasing or renting agreement. Verify them even if in the place this activity was already exercised, since the regulation every time is more demanding and the places with ancient licenses of opening often do not fulfill the current regulation, which is the one being demanded by the city Council.

Two types of licenses exist depending on the degree of inconveniences, damages and risks to the persons of the activity you are to develop:

• Innocuous activities: those not generating significant inconveniences, environmental impact (health, hygiene), damages neither to common or private goods nor risk for goods or persons.
• Qualified activities: those considered to be troublesome, unhealthy, harmful and / or dangerous (hotel and catering business, industrial activities, certain trades and services) needing to adopt sanitary corrective, security and / or environmental policies. Many of them can only be realized in industrial soil.

1. Elaboration of the report or technical project of license of opening and / or adequacy of premises, generally by a competent accredited technical architect.
2. Endorsement of the Project by the corresponding Official Association.Fees to be paid.
3. Payment of the municipal fees, to the bank or at the City Council, as appropriate.
4. Presentation of the request of license of opening, together with the technical project and the proof of payment of the municipal rates, in the record of the competent area of the city Council, generally urbanism or environment.

Depending on the area, location and any other criteria you will be offered the best price in your zone, even including the registration procedures in your city Council.

The Law of Sustainable Economy, on  March 4, 2011 and the Royal decree Law 19/2012 on May 25 about urgent measures of liberalization of the trade and of certain services introduced important innovations to rationalize and adapt the concession of the licenses of opening on the part of the city councils, which was called in its moment as express licenses.