Templates · freelancers and businesses · payment demand
Chase an unpaid invoice in Spain with a formal demand
For freelancers and businesses, in Spain or abroad, with a Spanish client who hasn’t paid. We send the demand. We aren’t a collection agency or a law firm.
A formal demand for payment (requerimiento de pago) tells a Spanish client how much they owe, for which invoice and by when to pay. Sent by burofax with certified content, it proves what you claimed and the date the client received it. Under the Spanish Civil Code, an out-of-court demand by the creditor interrupts the limitation period (art. 1973).
The Spanish rules that matter for an unpaid invoice
- Limitation period. Five years for personal claims with no special period, counted from when payment could be demanded (Civil Code, art. 1964.2). The period is interrupted by a court claim, by an out-of-court demand from the creditor and by any acknowledgement of the debt by the debtor (art. 1973).
- Late payment between businesses. Law 3/2004 covers payments between businesses, or between businesses and the public sector, but not payments by consumers (art. 3). If the contract sets no date, payment is due 30 calendar days after the goods or services were received, and agreed terms can’t go beyond 60 days (art. 4). Interest starts automatically when the date passes, without any reminder (art. 5). The statutory rate is the ECB main refinancing rate plus eight points (art. 7.2), and you can add a fixed €40 for collection costs (art. 8.1).
- Private clients. The debtor is in default from the moment you demand payment, in or out of court (Civil Code, art. 1100, with exceptions), and from then on a money debt earns statutory interest unless you agreed a rate (art. 1108).
- Negotiation first. Since 3 April 2025, a civil claim is generally only admitted after an attempt at an out-of-court solution, the MASC requirement (medios adecuados de solución de controversias) in art. 5 of Organic Law 1/2025. It applies to the Spanish monitorio. It doesn’t apply to a European order for payment or the European Small Claims Procedure (art. 5.3).
- The monitorio. Spain’s order-for-payment procedure, for a money debt of any amount that is due and payable, backed by documents such as invoices or delivery notes (art. 812 LEC). You don’t need a lawyer or a procurador to file the initial application (art. 814.2).
Why the demand goes in Spanish
Your client’s accounts team, their lawyer and, if it gets that far, the court will read it in Spanish. Spanish is the usual choice, on its own or first with your English below. Each template here has an English gloss so you can check the wording before you sign.
Template 1: demand to a business client
For an invoice to a Spanish company or freelancer (autónomo). It cites the invoice in full and Law 3/2004, so a reader can see what you’re owed and on what basis. The ten days to pay aren’t a legal deadline, and you can change them.
Asunto: Requerimiento de pago de factura n.º [invoice number]
Muy señores míos:
[your name or company], con domicilio en [your address and country] y número de identificación fiscal [VAT or tax number], les [«prestó los servicios de» (provided the services of) or «suministró» (supplied)] [description] conforme a [«el pedido» (the order), «el presupuesto aceptado» (the accepted quote) or «el contrato» (the contract)] de [date].
El [date sent] les remití la factura n.º [number], por importe de [amount] € (impuestos incluidos), con vencimiento el [due date]. A día de hoy sigue pendiente de pago [«en su totalidad» (in full) or «un importe de (amount) €»], pese a mis recordatorios del [dates and how: email, phone].
Por medio de este burofax les requiero el pago de [amount] € en el plazo de diez días naturales desde su recepción, mediante transferencia a la cuenta IBAN [IBAN], BIC [BIC], indicando como concepto el número de la factura.
Conforme a los artículos 5, 7 y 8 de la Ley 3/2004, de 29 de diciembre, por la que se establecen medidas de lucha contra la morosidad en las operaciones comerciales, la deuda devenga intereses de demora desde su vencimiento y tengo derecho a percibir 40 € en concepto de costes de cobro. Me reservo el derecho a ejercer las acciones legales que correspondan.
Si ya han realizado el pago, les ruego que me envíen el justificante y que no tengan en cuenta este escrito.
Atentamente,
[name or company, tax number, email]
English gloss of this letter
Subject: Demand for payment of invoice no. [number]
Dear Sirs,
[Your name or company], of [address and country], tax number [number], [provided the services of / supplied] [description] under [the order / the accepted quote / the contract] of [date].
On [date] I sent you invoice no. [number] for [amount] € (taxes included), due on [date]. It remains unpaid [in full / in the amount of (amount) €], despite my reminders of [dates and how].
By this burofax I demand payment of [amount] € within ten calendar days of receipt, by transfer to IBAN [IBAN], BIC [BIC], with the invoice number as the reference.
Under articles 5, 7 and 8 of Law 3/2004 of 29 December on combating late payment in commercial transactions, the debt earns late-payment interest from its due date and I am entitled to €40 for collection costs. I reserve the right to take any legal action available to me.
If you have already paid, please send me proof of payment and disregard this letter.
Yours faithfully, [name or company, tax number, email]
Send this letter (the Spanish subject line is filled in; paste your text once you’ve adapted it).
Template 2: last demand with an offer to negotiate
For when earlier reminders got nowhere. It works for business and private clients. It offers two ways to pay and gives thirty calendar days to reply. Under Organic Law 1/2025, if the other side doesn’t reply or meet within thirty calendar days of receiving a request to negotiate, the attempt counts as ended without agreement (art. 10.4).
Asunto: Último requerimiento de pago y propuesta de negociación
Muy señor/a mío/a:
Le he reclamado el pago de [amount] €, importe de la factura n.º [number] de [date], los días [dates and how], sin que hasta hoy se haya abonado.
A los efectos del artículo 5 de la Ley Orgánica 1/2025, de 2 de enero, le propongo resolver el asunto de forma negociada con una de estas opciones:
1. Pago de [amount] € antes del [date].
2. Pago en [number] plazos mensuales de [amount] €, el primero antes del [date].
Puede aceptar una de ellas o hacerme otra propuesta respondiendo por escrito a [email or postal address] en los treinta días naturales siguientes a la recepción de este burofax. Si en ese plazo no recibo respuesta, entenderé terminado sin acuerdo el intento de negociación.
Atentamente,
[name or company, tax number]
English gloss of this letter
Subject: Final demand for payment and proposal to negotiate
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have asked you to pay [amount] €, the amount of invoice no. [number] of [date], on [dates and how], and it remains unpaid.
For the purposes of article 5 of Organic Law 1/2025 of 2 January, I propose settling this by negotiation with one of these options:
1. Payment of [amount] € before [date].
2. Payment in [number] monthly instalments of [amount] €, the first before [date].
You can accept one or make another proposal by replying in writing to [email or address] within thirty calendar days of receiving this burofax. If I receive no reply in that time, I will consider the attempt to negotiate ended without agreement.
Yours faithfully, [name or company, tax number]
Send this letter (the Spanish subject line is filled in; paste your text once you’ve adapted it).
What to attach, and what to keep
- The invoice, plus the order, accepted quote or contract it relates to.
- Proof that you did the work or delivered the goods: delivery notes, sign-off emails, files sent.
- Your earlier reminders, with dates.
- Any message in which the client admits the debt. Under art. 1973 of the Civil Code, an acknowledgement also interrupts the limitation period.
- Afterwards, the proof of delivery and the certified copy of the burofax: they are documents you can add to a monitorio.
What usually happens next
- The client pays, or asks for time and you agree a schedule in writing.
- The client disputes the work or the amount, and the reply shows where you disagree.
- No reply, or the burofax isn’t collected, and the proof of delivery records it. The options after that include a monitorio application, a collection agency or a lawyer.
Sending it with proof
What matters later is the date of your demand and the exact amount you asked for. The certified content records the amount; the proof of delivery records the date.
Through us, a Correos burofax with proof of delivery (acuse de recibo) and certified content (certificación de contenido) costs €49.90 for up to 3 pages. A certified notification from Notificados costs €29.90. Notificados is a trusted third party, and that option is not a Correos burofax. You see the exact PDF before you pay, nothing is sent or charged until you approve it, and if we can’t send it you get a full refund.
The templates and legal references on this page are general information, not an assessment of your case. We are a sending service, not a law firm, and we don’t check whether a letter is enough for what you want to achieve. You decide what to write and what to ask for. A legal professional can assess your case.