What the company NIF is, and why people say CIF
Spain's tax identification number, the NIF (número de identificación fiscal), covers companies as well as individuals. A company NIF is a letter followed by digits and a check character, and the letter decodes the entity type: A for an SA (public limited company), B for an SL (the common private limited company), N for foreign entities, W for permanent establishments, and so on through the alphabet.
Until 2008 the company version was a separate number called the CIF. It was formally abolished and absorbed into the NIF by Royal Decree, but the old name survives in everyday Spanish business usage: when a counterparty asks for your CIF, they mean the company NIF, and the numbers themselves did not change.
How to check a Spanish NIF
Spain's company register is the Registro Mercantil, with paid extracts (notas simples) available through its central portal; official gazette notices (BORME) publish incorporations, officer changes and insolvencies. For VAT-registered companies trading in the EU, the VIES system confirms a Spanish VAT number (ES plus the NIF) and returns the registered name where disclosure allows.
For routine vetting, confirm the NIF letter matches the entity type you were told (a "SA" whose NIF starts with B deserves a question), and match the name and number through the Registro Mercantil or a report. The wider Spanish sources are on our Spain company credit report page and in the registry directory.
What a NIF check proves, and what it doesn't
A NIF check confirms identity and entity type, and through the Registro Mercantil, existence and registration. Spanish accounts are filed but access is paid, and payment behaviour sits outside the public record. For a commercial business decision, a full company report adds the financial standing, payment behaviour and adverse history that the number itself says nothing about.
Common questions
Is the CIF still valid in Spain?
The term was formally abolished in 2008, but the numbers carried over unchanged into the NIF system, and Spanish businesses still use the word CIF daily. Treat CIF and company NIF as the same thing.
What does the letter at the start of a Spanish NIF mean?
It encodes the entity type: A for an SA, B for an SL, N for foreign entities, W for permanent establishments, among others. It is a quick first check that the entity is what it claims to be.
How do I check a Spanish company for free?
VIES confirms a VAT-registered company free of charge. Registro Mercantil extracts are paid documents; gazette (BORME) notices are free to search and show key corporate events.
Need more than the number can tell you?
A Spain company credit report adds financial standing, payment behaviour and adverse history to the registry facts, available as an instant online report. Delivered in plain English.