Dealership Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Concesionario)

A Dealership Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Concesionario) is a commercial contract under which a supplier (concedente) grants an independent dealer (concesionario) the right to purchase goods for resale within a defined Spanish territory, operating under the supplier's brand and subject to agreed commercial standards. The agreement is governed principally by the Código de Comercio (Real Decreto de 22 de agosto de 1885), particularly Article 244 which recognises the commissionist and distribution figure, together with the Ley 12/1992, de 27 de mayo, sobre Contrato de Agencia and general contract law principles in the Código Civil Articles 1254 through 1314. Unlike an agency agreement where the agent acts on behalf of the principal, the concesionario acts in its own name, buying goods at wholesale prices and reselling at its own risk and margin.

The Acuerdo de Concesionario differs fundamentally from a franchise (franquicia) regulated under Real Decreto 201/2010 and from a commercial agency (contrato de agencia) under Ley 12/1992. In a dealership, the concesionario takes title to the goods purchased from the supplier, bears inventory risk, and generates profit from the margin between purchase and resale prices. The supplier retains control over brand standards, pricing guidelines, and territory exclusivity, but the dealer operates as an independent businessman (empresario independiente) registered in the Registro Mercantil and subject to full commercial obligations under the Código de Comercio.

Spain's competition law framework — primarily the Ley 15/2007, de 3 de julio, de Defensa de la Competencia (LDC), administered by the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) — and EU Regulation 330/2010 on vertical agreements (now replaced by EU Regulation 2022/720, the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation — VBER) regulate the permissible scope of territorial restrictions, resale price maintenance prohibitions, and exclusivity clauses in dealership agreements. Absolute territorial protection, resale price fixing, and passive sales restrictions to end consumers are per se prohibited under Article 1 LDC and Article 101 TFEU.

Motor vehicle dealership agreements in Spain are additionally subject to EU Regulation 461/2010 (Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation — MVBER) and the CNMC's sector-specific guidance. The Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD) requires that customer data processed under the dealership arrangement comply with Reglamento (UE) 2016/679 (RGPD) and Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD).

The Acuerdo de Concesionario must be registered with the relevant public registries if it involves real estate, but commercial dealership agreements are generally private contracts. Key Spanish legal requirements include: clear identification of both parties with NIF or CIF, precise territorial definition by autonomous community (comunidad autónoma) or province, agreed minimum purchase quantities (cuotas mínimas), term and renewal provisions, termination grounds and notice periods, and post-termination obligations including non-compete clauses within the limits of Ley 12/1992 Article 20 (applicable by analogy). The Juzgado de lo Mercantil has jurisdiction over commercial contract disputes under the Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil (Ley 1/2000).

The legal framework governing the Dealership Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Concesionario) in Spain draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255. Parties executing a Dealership Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Concesionario) in Spain should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Código de Comercio (1885) art. 244; Ley 12/1992 de Contrato de Agencia sets the foundational requirements.

A Dealership Agreement Spain is needed when a manufacturer, importer, or brand owner wishes to distribute its products through an independent reseller operating within a defined Spanish territory under a structured commercial relationship. The agreement governs the purchase-resale cycle, brand standards, and mutual obligations between the parties.

The agreement is needed when a foreign company (empresa extranjera) entering the Spanish market wishes to appoint a local concesionario to handle distribution, customer relationships, and after-sales service without establishing a branch (sucursal) or subsidiary (filial). The dealership structure allows market entry without direct employment or permanent establishment risk under the Convenio de Doble Imposición applicable between Spain and the supplier's home country.

A Dealership Agreement Spain is required when an existing distribution relationship is being formalised or when the terms of an existing informal arrangement need to be clarified following a commercial dispute. Spanish courts (Juzgados de lo Mercantil) apply the general principles of the Código de Comercio and Código Civil to undocumented commercial distribution relationships, often with unpredictable results.

The agreement is needed when the supplier wishes to impose minimum purchase obligations (cuotas mínimas de compra), quality standards, authorised territory boundaries, or pricing floors that are lawful under the VBER (EU Regulation 2022/720) — these obligations cannot be enforced without a written contract.

A Dealership Agreement Spain is necessary when the parties wish to agree on post-termination indemnification (indemnización por clientela) by analogy with Article 28 of the Ley 12/1992 de Contrato de Agencia, which Spanish courts have applied to long-term exclusive distribution relationships generating customer goodwill for the supplier.

The agreement is also needed when the dealer requires financing or credit facilities from the supplier (financiación de stocks), when warranty obligations (garantías) need to be apportioned between supplier and dealer under Ley 7/2017 on consumer guarantees, or when the dealer is to operate an authorised service centre under the supplier's technical standards.

Parties in Spain should prepare a Dealership Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Concesionario) proactively rather than waiting for a dispute to arise. Courts interpret agreements based on the written terms rather than oral representations. Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255. Where the transaction involves regulated activities, prior approval from the relevant authority may be required before execution.

A valid Dealership Agreement Spain under the Código de Comercio and applicable competition law must contain the following essential elements.

Identification of Parties: Full legal name, NIF or CIF, registered address (domicilio social), and Registro Mercantil registration details of both the supplier (concedente) and the dealer (concesionario). The legal representative (representante legal or apoderado) signing on behalf of each legal entity must be identified, with their authority evidenced by a notarial power of attorney (escritura de poder notarial) if the signatory is not the sole administrator.

Grant of Dealership Rights: Clear statement of whether the dealership is exclusive (exclusiva) or non-exclusive (no exclusiva) within the defined territory. Exclusivity granted to the concesionario must comply with Article 4 of EU Regulation 2022/720 (VBER) — passive sales restrictions and customer group restrictions are prohibited. The CNMC guidance on vertical agreements should be consulted for sector-specific rules.

Territory Definition: Precise geographic scope — identified by autonomous community (comunidad autónoma), province (provincia), or municipality (municipio). Online sales restrictions must respect the VBER prohibition on restricting internet sales to territory customers.

Products and Brand Standards: Detailed specification of the products (productos) or product lines covered, together with the supplier's brand guidelines (manual de identidad corporativa), quality standards, and authorised use of trade marks registered with the Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEPM) under Ley 17/2001 de Marcas.

Purchase Obligations and Pricing: Agreed minimum purchase quantities (cuotas mínimas anuales) by product category, recommended resale prices (precios de venta recomendados — noting that fixing minimum resale prices is prohibited under Article 1 LDC and Article 4(a) VBER), payment terms, and credit conditions. Trade discounts (rappels) and rebate structures must comply with the Ley 15/2010 de morosidad (payment deadlines in commercial transactions).

Term and Renewal: Contract duration (plazo), automatic renewal provisions (prórroga automática), notice period for non-renewal, and grounds for early termination (resolución anticipada). Spanish courts have applied the doctrine of abuse of right (abuso de derecho — Código Civil Article 7.2) to protect dealers against arbitrary non-renewal of long-standing exclusive distribution relationships.

Post-Termination Obligations: Dealer obligations on termination — return of materials, cessation of trade mark use, stock repurchase obligations, and non-compete restrictions within the limits of Ley 12/1992 Article 20 as applied by analogy. Indemnification by clientela (customer base goodwill compensation) provisions.

Data Protection: GDPR-compliant data processing agreement (DPA) under RGPD Article 28 and LOPDGDD, addressing the processing of customer data collected by the dealer on the supplier's behalf, with AEPD notification obligations where applicable.

Dispute Resolution: Jurisdiction of the Juzgado de lo Mercantil of the supplier's or dealer's registered domicile under Ley 1/2000 LEC, or agreed arbitration before the Corte de Arbitraje de Madrid or Tribunal de Arbitraje de Barcelona under Ley 60/2003 de Arbitraje.

Forms-legal.com provides this Dealership Agreement Spain template as a practical starting point. Given the competition law complexity under LDC and VBER, every dealership agreement should be reviewed by a Spanish abogado especialista in distribución comercial before execution.

Additional compliance elements for a Dealership Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Concesionario) used in Spain include: Under the Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC) RDL 1/2010, the Registro Mercantil maintains the register of Spanish companies. The Código de Comercio 1885 governs commercial obligations. The Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT) administers Impuesto sobre Sociedades (IS) under Ley 27/2014. The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) enforces competition law. The Código Civil governs general contractual obligations under Article 1255. Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Spain-compliant documentation.