According to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, industries with an emphasis on providing digital services are attracting more and more self-employed workers in Spain. In March 2025, for example, there were 21,000 more self-employed workers providing professional information or communications services than there were in March 2024.

This increase isn’t random: a growing number of businesses have opted to provide their services online, taking advantage of the flexibility and opportunities available in the digital space. In this article, we’ll explain how businesses can capitalize on the adaptable nature of the online world to sell online services in Spain.

What’s in this article?

• What are online services?
  
• Advantages of selling online services in Spain
  
• Disadvantages of selling online services in Spain
  
• How to sell online services in Spain
  
• FAQs about selling online services in Spain
  

What are online services?

Online services include any kind of service that relies on information and communication technologies. Customers can purchase these services using a computer or mobile device. Here are some examples:

• Specialized professional services: Document translation, tax advice, legal consulting, etc.
  
• Education and training: Private tutoring, coaching, business mentoring, etc.
  
• Technical support and maintenance: Website management, IT support, data recovery, etc.
  
• Content creation: Article writing, video editing, graphic design for social media, etc.
  
• Digital marketing: Organic search engine optimization (SEO), ad campaigns, brand strategy, etc.
  

Advantages of selling online services in Spain

Offering online services in Spain provides several benefits to businesses—here are a few.

Operational flexibility

Business owners who offer online services have the flexibility to adjust their schedules, tools, and work methods to fit the needs of their business. Doing so helps with work-life balance and often makes it possible to work from any location, which can cut down on the expenses associated with renting and maintaining a physical space.

Global reach

Online services remove geographical barriers, as they can be accessed from anywhere. This global access also increases the size of a business’s potential customer base, making it easier to expand a business beyond Spain.

Process automation

Selling online services makes it possible to automate tasks like bookings with payments. For example, a customer can choose a date and time for a business consulting session, and the booking is confirmed automatically once the payment goes through.

Better control of data

Providing online services makes it much simpler to gather and review data on user behavior, campaign results, and the most effective ways to attract clients. This ability to track data helps businesses adjust marketing strategies and improve processes using actual information instead of guesses.

Disadvantages of selling online services in Spain

Selling services online in Spain also comes with certain challenges that businesses need to be aware of. For instance, customers can cancel an online service very easily and quickly, which can have a negative impact on the business’s cash flow.

Depending on a business’s line of work, gaining trust can be harder without in-person contact with the customer. This means businesses providing online services need to put much more effort into their digital communications.

It’s important to remember that working in a global market also means facing international competition. Oftentimes, businesses need to find innovative ways to stand out from professionals in other countries who offer similar services at lower rates.

How to sell online services in Spain

When selling online services in Spain, it’s important to understand the specific steps involved, as well as any legal and tax implications. Here’s a step-by-step look at the process.

Build a website to sell online services or use an external platform

Business owners can either build an online shop from scratch or use an existing ecommerce platform to sell their online services. With this first approach, businesses have full control over their website’s content, including the ability to customize every detail of their brand’s image and the ability to list their online services. While this approach is generally more complex and requires an up-front investment in technical resources, there are many ecommerce platforms that make it easy, without involving any complex code. Options include:

• Shopify: This all-in-one platform lets users build a website to sell products and services online to customers worldwide, without requiring any programming skills. More than 43,000 online stores in Spain have been built with Shopify, a figure that has more than doubled since early 2022.
  
• PrestaShop: While PrestaShop might have a steeper learning curve compared to other options, its open-source nature means it offers unique customization features.
  
• WooCommerce: WooCommerce is WordPress’s ecommerce plugin used by almost 100,000 businesses in Spain. It allows users to build highly customized online stores, though it does require some technical skills.
  

If you’d rather avoid building a website and use an external platform instead, there are several options available. Here are some of the most popular in Spain:

• Marketplaces: An online sales platform allows other businesses to sign up and offer their services directly through its website. Malt is one of the most commonly used marketplaces in Spain.
  
• Social media: Businesses can use hosted payment pages, like those provided by Stripe Payment Links, to promote their online services through their social media profiles. This makes it quick and easy for customers to pay for services.
  

Set up a payment gateway

Businesses need to set up a payment gateway to allow their customers to pay for their services. Any good payment gateway should follow current regulations and provide the user with a sense of trust and security. For example, Stripe offers the functionality of a payment gateway with its platform Stripe Payments. With Payments, customers get a smoother shopping experience, since it lets businesses accept their preferred payment methods for ecommerce.

If you decide to sell subscription-based services, Stripe Billing can also be very useful; Billing lets businesses set up plans, offer trial periods, manage each subscription, and automate billing cycles.

Comply with legal and tax requirements

Before making a single sale, it’s essential to make sure you meet all the legal and tax obligations regarding online services in Spain.

Businesses should first register with the census of entrepreneurs, professionals, and withholders by submitting Form  036 and obtaining a value-added tax (VAT) taxpayer certificate.

Business owners should also make sure their website follows the requirements outlined in Organic Law 3/2018 on the Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights, the Law on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce (LSSI), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These requirements include, among other things, business owners showing relevant details about their businesses on their websites, getting specific consent to use cookies, and making sure that payments are secure.

Finally, businesses need to apply the appropriate VAT rates based on the online services they offer and where those services are provided, as outlined in European Directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of VAT. Here’s how it applies based on the customer’s location:

• If a business sells to customers in Spain: The business needs to apply the standard VAT rate, which is currently 21%.
  
• If a business sells to private customers in another EU member country: They must charge the VAT rate that applies in the customer’s country.
  
• If a business sells to VAT-registered businesses in another EU member country: They don’t need to charge VAT in Spain—the reverse charge rule applies, and the customer will handle the VAT in their own country. To apply this exemption, the business must verify and keep a record of the customer’s valid intracommunity VAT number.
  
• If a business sells to customers outside the EU and the service is used outside the EU: The transaction is treated as an export of services and is not subject to VAT.
  

FAQs about selling online services in Spain

Do I need to register as self-employed or set up a business to sell online services in Spain?

Yes, to sell online services in Spain you must register as self-employed or set up a business, as this is the only way to legally issue VAT invoices for each service sold. While there are a few scenarios in which it’s possible to sell online without being self-employed, these are rare and usually don’t apply to someone planning to offer online services in Spain.

Are there subsidies available to businesses selling online services in Spain?

Yes, subsidies are available to businesses selling online services in Spain. The Digital Kit is a grant that supports the development of digital businesses and can offer up to €29,000 of funding. Business owners can use this money to build the websites on which they will offer their online services. The funds can also be used to promote their websites and reach as many potential customers as possible.