Process & legal · 2 July 2026 · 6 min read
The six steps from offer to keys, and how long each really takes.
Ask three agents how long a Spanish purchase takes and you will get three cheerful answers. The honest one is: six to twelve weeks from agreed offer to keys, if nothing surprises anyone. Here is where that time actually goes.
Step 1: The NIE (2 to 4 weeks, start now)
The NIE is your Spanish tax identification number, and nothing happens without it. Not the bank account, not the deed, not the utilities. You can apply through the Spanish consulate in Dublin or have a lawyer in Spain get it under power of attorney.
The trap: people wait until they have found a property. Do it the week you decide Spain is happening and it will never be on your critical path. We wrote a separate guide to the NIE covering both routes.
Step 2: The reservation (day one)
When your offer is accepted you sign a short reservation document and pay a holding deposit, usually €3,000 to €6,000. The property comes off the market while your lawyer does the checks. Make sure the reservation is worded so the deposit comes back if the legal checks find a problem. A good lawyer insists on this. A rushed buyer never asks.
Step 3: Due diligence (2 to 3 weeks)
The quiet fortnight where your lawyer earns their fee. Land Registry search, debts and charges on the property, the licence of first occupation, community fees and arrears, planning status. Boring on a good day. On a bad day, the reason you walk away with your deposit intact.
Step 4: The arras contract (week 3 to 4)
The private deposit contract. You pay 10% of the price, and the deal locks: if you pull out you lose the deposit, if the seller pulls out they owe you double. The arras sets the completion deadline, usually 30 to 60 days out. If you need a mortgage, the clock this contract starts is the one that matters. Do not sign it before your finance is moving.
Step 5: Completion at the notary (week 6 to 12)
Everyone meets at the notary's office. The deed (escritura) is signed, the balance moves, and the keys change hands. You do not have to be there: most of our buyers complete by power of attorney and collect the keys on their next flight out.
Step 6: Registration and the boring glory (weeks after)
The deed is filed at the Land Registry, the taxes get paid, and utilities move into your name. Your lawyer handles all of it. The registration itself can take a few weeks to finalise, but the property is yours from the moment the deed is signed.
Where it actually goes wrong
Almost never at the notary. Delays live in three places: an NIE nobody applied for, a mortgage started after the arras was signed, and paperwork problems that due diligence finds late because the buyer rushed the reservation. All three are avoidable with sequencing, which is most of what good guidance is.