The Public Corporation of Property Rights and Commerce Registrars of Spain is a corporation created by law to perform public functions. It is a lawful organisation recognised by the Spanish State, and it has its own legal personality and full legal capacity to act. It brings together Land Registrars, Business Registrars and personal Property Registrars operating in Spain. The Land Registry is used to register and disclose property ownership and the rights over that property. The Business Registry guarantees security in commercial trade by disclosing the legal and economic particulars of companies and other registered persons included in it and providing information about their legal representatives. The Movable Property Registry is controlled by the Land and Business Registry. Its purpose is to disclose the ownership, liens and encumbrances on movable properties and the general contracting conditions.

For some years now, the Public Corporation of Property Rights and Commerce Registrars of Spain has developed intense activity at the European level, initially through the Institutional Office of the Corporation in Brussels, and from 2004 mainly through the European Land Registry Association (www.elra.eu).  The Institutional Office of the Corporation in Brussels plays a double role. On the one hand, it provides information and support to European institutions, companies and natural persons who are interested in the Spanish registry system. On the other hand, it supervises European initiatives that could have an impact in the Spanish registries.