The Nerja Town Hall has agreed to express its support in the next full plenary meeting of the Council for what is known as licencia express, which is designed to make the setting up of businesses much easier.

The Royal Decree 19/2012 deals with the elimination of having to obtain a licence prior to opening a business. Basically it means that the myriad of paperwork that stands in the way of a business actually opening its doors is being simplified.

Councillor for Commerce, Nieves Atencia explained that by, “making a responsible declaration, you can go to the Town Hall and open your business immediately,” i.e., you don’t have to wait until you have obtained the licence. “You declare that all is in order and that your premises/business obeys all relevant regulations, and with that you open its doors and start to earn money,” she said.

According to Sra. Atencia, Licencia Express, is a measure of fundamental support for what adds up to 5% of the GDP, giving employment to 1.8 million people – “we are talking in terms of 600,000 business premises and 435,000 businesses in Spain,” she said.

This new system is designed for premises of less than 300 sq/m (which is classified as a ‘small business). However, she said that the Central Government would be watching how things to develop, with a mind to extending the idea to bigger set ups.

So, there you have it; the old red-tape nightmare behind trying to start a business in Spain might just be a thing of the past… and not a minute too soon.

(News: Nerja, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)