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CNAE · IAE · Modelo 036 · Activity codes

CNAE and IAE codes in Spain: how to choose the right one.

Two different activity codes, two different purposes, one very common mistake. Below is what each one is, how they differ, and a lookup table of the codes foreign-owned companies actually use.

Jump to the code table ↗ Common CNAE codes for foreign-owned Spanish companies
CNAE
Statistical
Classifies what your company does. Four digits. Used by the registry, statistics office and banks.
IAE
Fiscal
The tax classification declared on the Modelo 036. Determines your tax obligations.
Where it hurts
Banking and VAT
A mismatch between code and reality stalls account opening and VAT registration.
The short answer

What is a CNAE code?

The CNAE (Clasificacion Nacional de Actividades Economicas) is Spain's statistical classification of economic activities, aligned with the EU's NACE system. It is a four-digit code describing what your company does — for example 6201 for computer programming or 7022 for business management consultancy. Every Spanish company has one.

And the second one

CNAE vs IAE: what is the difference?

The CNAE is statistical and describes your activity. The IAE (Impuesto sobre Actividades Economicas) is fiscal: it is the tax classification you declare on the Modelo 036, and it determines which tax obligations apply. They are related but not interchangeable, and they are declared to different bodies for different reasons.

Foreign founders usually meet both codes at the same moment — when the gestor asks which activity the company will carry out — and treat the question as administrative box-ticking. It is not. The code you choose is read by the tax authority, by the Commercial Registry and, most consequentially, by the bank assessing your account application.

What each code actually does.

 CNAEIAE
PurposeStatistical classificationTax classification
Full nameClasificacion Nacional de Actividades EconomicasImpuesto sobre Actividades Economicas
FormatFour digits, e.g. 6201Epigrafe within a section, e.g. 843.9
Declared whereDeed, Commercial Registry, statisticsModelo 036 or 037
EU equivalentMaps to NACE Rev. 2No direct equivalent
AffectsSector statistics, bank risk profiling, registry entryTax obligations, VAT treatment, possible exemptions
Can you have severalOne principal, others possibleYes, one per activity carried out
The mistake that costs weeks

Choosing the closest-sounding code instead of the accurate one.

A consultancy registered under a wholesale trade code, or a software company registered as generic "other services", creates a mismatch between what the paperwork says and what the bank hears in the interview. Compliance teams read the activity code as a risk signal, and an unexplained divergence between code and business narrative is one of the most common reasons an account application stalls.

Common CNAE codes for foreign-owned companies.

These are the codes that come up most often in our own formation work. Use them as a starting point for the conversation, not as a final answer — the correct code depends on what the company genuinely does, and several activities sit close to a boundary.

Technology and digital

CNAESpanish descriptionIn practice
6201Actividades de programacion informaticaSoftware development, custom development, SaaS build
6202Actividades de consultoria informaticaIT consultancy, systems advisory, implementation
6209Otros servicios relacionados con las TICOther IT services not covered above
6311Proceso de datos, hosting y actividades relacionadasHosting, data processing, cloud infrastructure
6312Portales webWeb portals, marketplaces, content platforms

Consultancy and professional services

CNAESpanish descriptionIn practice
7022Otras actividades de consultoria de gestion empresarialGeneral business and management consultancy — the most common professional-services code
7010Actividades de las sedes centralesHead office and group management activities
7112Servicios tecnicos de ingenieria y otras actividadesEngineering services, technical consultancy
6910Actividades juridicasLegal services
6920Actividades de contabilidad, teneduria de libros, auditoria y asesoria fiscalAccounting, bookkeeping, audit and tax advisory
7490Otras actividades profesionales, cientificas y tecnicas n.c.o.p.Professional services not classified elsewhere — use sparingly

Trade, e-commerce and distribution

CNAESpanish descriptionIn practice
4791Comercio al por menor por correspondencia o InternetOnline retail — the standard e-commerce code
4619Intermediarios del comercio de productos diversosCommercial agency and intermediation across product types
4690Comercio al por mayor no especializadoGeneral wholesale without a single specialisation
4669Comercio al por mayor de otra maquinaria y equipoWholesale of machinery and equipment
4652Comercio al por mayor de equipos electronicos y de telecomunicacionesElectronics and telecoms equipment wholesale
5210Deposito y almacenamientoWarehousing and storage

Marketing, media and research

CNAESpanish descriptionIn practice
7311Agencias de publicidadAdvertising agencies, marketing services
7320Estudio de mercado y realizacion de encuestas de opinion publicaMarket research and survey work
7021Relaciones publicas y comunicacionPR and corporate communications
7410Actividades de diseno especializadoDesign services

Holding, property and finance

CNAESpanish descriptionIn practice
6420Actividades de las sociedades holdingHolding companies — expect additional bank scrutiny with this code
6810Compraventa de bienes inmobiliarios por cuenta propiaBuying and selling property on own account
6820Alquiler de bienes inmobiliarios por cuenta propiaLetting own property
6832Gestion y administracion de la propiedad inmobiliariaProperty management for third parties
6499Otros servicios financieros, excepto seguros y fondos de pensionesFinancial services — check licensing before using
Two codes to think twice about

6420 (holding) and anything in the financial group.

A holding code is legitimate and common, but it signals a passive entity to a bank compliance team, which raises questions about source of funds and business purpose. Financial-services codes may imply activity requiring authorisation. Neither is a reason to avoid the correct code — it is a reason to prepare the explanation before the bank asks.

How banks read your activity code ↗ Declaring codes on the Modelo 036 ↗

How to choose correctly.

Step 01
Describe what the company will actually doIn one or two plain sentences, without marketing language. Most misclassification starts with a description written to impress rather than to describe.
Step 02
Identify the principal activityThe one generating most turnover. Secondary activities can be declared too, but one has to be principal and it should be the one that is genuinely dominant.
Step 03
Match to CNAE, then to IAEThe CNAE is the statistical classification; the IAE epigrafe is what goes on the Modelo 036. They should be consistent with each other and with the company object in the deed.
Step 04
Check consistency with the deedThe objeto social in your escritura describes what the company may do. If the activity code sits outside it, that inconsistency will surface at the registry or the bank.
Step 05
Prepare the narrativeBe able to explain in one paragraph why this code, what the company sells, to whom and where the money comes from. That paragraph is what a bank compliance officer is really assessing.

Do you have to pay the IAE?

The IAE is both a classification and a tax, which causes confusion. Most newly formed companies do not pay it, but they all have to declare under it.

Generally exempt

New companies and smaller turnover

An exemption commonly applies during the first tax periods of activity, and separately for companies below a turnover threshold. Most foreign-owned SLs fall into one or both categories at the outset.

Still obligatory

The declaration itself

Exemption from payment does not remove the duty to declare the activity correctly on the Modelo 036. Companies that treat "we do not pay IAE" as "IAE does not concern us" get the classification wrong by default.

Terminology
CNAE
Clasificacion Nacional de Actividades Economicas — the statistical activity classification, aligned with EU NACE.
IAE
Impuesto sobre Actividades Economicas — the fiscal classification and the tax attached to it.
Epigrafe
The specific IAE heading under which an activity is declared.
Objeto social
The company's stated purpose in the deed of incorporation. Activity codes should sit within it.
Modelo 036
The census declaration where activity codes, VAT and other tax elections are made.
NACE
The EU statistical classification that CNAE maps to, which is why the code travels internationally.
n.c.o.p.
"No clasificado en otra parte" — not elsewhere classified. Common in catch-all codes.
Where we come in

The code is chosen with the bank conversation already in mind.

We select CNAE and IAE against what the company genuinely does, keep them consistent with the objeto social, and build the business narrative that the bank will ask for — before it asks.

Company formation ↗
Frequently asked
What is a CNAE code in Spain?
A four-digit statistical code classifying a company's economic activity, aligned with the EU NACE system. Every Spanish company has one, declared at incorporation and used by the Commercial Registry, the statistics office and, informally but importantly, by banks assessing an account application.
What is the difference between CNAE and IAE?
CNAE is statistical and describes what you do. IAE is fiscal: it is the classification declared on the Modelo 036 and it determines your tax obligations. They are related and should be consistent, but they are separate systems declared for separate purposes.
Can I have more than one code?
Yes. A company can carry out several activities, and each can be declared under IAE. One CNAE is principal — normally the activity generating most turnover. Declaring a wide range you do not actually pursue is unhelpful: it dilutes the picture and invites questions.
What happens if I choose the wrong code?
Usually nothing immediately, and then friction later: a bank questioning the mismatch between code and business, a VAT or ROI application that stalls, or an inspection asking why the declared activity differs from the invoices. Correcting it is possible through a modifying Modelo 036, but it is slower than getting it right at the outset.
Do I pay the IAE?
Most new and smaller companies are exempt from payment, under an exemption for initial periods of activity and a separate turnover threshold. The exemption applies to the payment, not to the obligation to declare the activity correctly.
Which code should an e-commerce business use?
4791, retail trade by correspondence or internet, is the standard code for selling online to consumers. If you also wholesale, warehouse or manufacture, those are separate activities with their own codes, and the principal one should reflect where the turnover actually comes from.
Codes listed are from CNAE-2009 and are given for orientation. Classification depends on the actual activity carried out and borderline cases are common; IAE exemptions, thresholds and epigrafes change. General information, not tax advice — confirm your classification with a professional before filing the Modelo 036.
Continue reading

Getting registration right.

Guide 01
Modelo 036 ExplainedWhere the codes are declared, and what else the form decides.
Read guide ↗
Guide 02
Why Banks Reject Foreign-Owned CompaniesHow the activity code is read by compliance.
Read guide ↗
Guide 03
ROI and Intra-Community VATThe registration that depends on the code being right.
Read guide ↗

Four digits. Read by everyone who matters.

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About the author
AB

Alexander Baranov

Founder, Voixa Consultors · International corporate structuring since 2008

Seventeen years designing and delivering cross-border corporate structures — incorporation, tax, holding, banking and market entry — for founders and companies expanding into Spain and the EU. Author of professional books on entering the Spanish market.

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