Success in international business is not just about you and your customers in Spain. Get to know the business facts of the country you are dealing with and familiarize yourself with the different business practices, cultures, customs regulations and the economy.
Country facts Spain
KEY FACTS SPAIN
SPAIN
POPULATION
46,6 Million (2017)
LANGUAGE
Spanish
CAPITAL
Madrid
REGION
Europe
CURRENCY
Euro €
Bienvenido a España
Spain, located on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe, has 46.6 million (2017) inhabitants and has an area of 505.992 km². Spain has four official regional languages: Catalan, Basque, Galician and Araneese.
Since the beginning of the sixties of the 20th century, Spain is known as a holiday destination, which is an important part of the economy. Spain is an important agricultural producer in Europe. Some products in this sector are lemons, oranges, olives and olive oil, nuts and grapes.
The country is one of the countries most affected by the economic crisis. Unemployment is the highest in the EU (2017) except for Greece. This is mainly due to the collapse of the Spanish housing market. It is expected that Spain will need years to get out of the economic crisis, which is longer than most other member states of the European Union.
Spain is the 16 largest export economy in the world. Spain's top export products are cars ($ 31.8 billion), refined petroleum ($ 13.4 billion), packaged pharmaceuticals ($ 9.8 billion), auto parts ($ 9.8 billion) and trucks ($ 6.22 billion). The top export destinations in Spain are France ($ 41.7 billion), Germany ($ 31.7 billion), Portugal ($ 25.2 billion), the United Kingdom ($ 22 billion) and Italy ($ 21.7 billion).
Doing business in Spain
- The Spanish business culture is formal.
- Spanish companies are more hierarchical than the Dutch ones.
- Come to appointments on time. But do not expect that you will always be received on time.
- Consider long payment terms. Check the creditworthiness of the Spanish companies. It is advisable to consider taking out credit insurance.
- Information material must be written in Spanish. Think of brochures, websites and manuals.
- There are different working hours: lunch from 14.00 to 16.00 or 17.00. Afterwards, work continues until 19.00 or 20.00. In the summer people often do not work in the afternoon. Many companies are closed all year round on Friday afternoon or closed in the month of August.
Bron: Rijkdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (rvo.nl)
Doing business in Spain
- the fourth largest country in Europe.
- Spain is the 16 largest export economy in the world and has 48 million inhabitants
- Dutch exports to Spain amounted to € 12.8 billion in 2016
- Dutch imports from Spain amounted to € 7.3 billion in 2016
- The largest cities in Spain include Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoze, Malaga and Murcia
Spain and DHL Express
With our experience from 1991 and extensive local network, DHL Express is your ideal partner to support your business. Simply send your important documents and packages via DHL Express to, for example, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga or Zaragoza.
....since 1991... ... 900 employees...
... 42 Service Centers
...over 750 vehicles... ...8 hubs and gateways
Spain / Netherlands transit times
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DHL Express strives to provide accurate and reliable information. Published transit times are indicative. At www.dhl.nl you can view the current transit times. Published transit times are based on the most common transit time between two countries to direct delivery areas in the destination country. The transit time for non-direct delivery areas is available through our customer service. Published transit times may vary, among other things, due to local customs procedures in the destination country or a non-average value, size or a non-average weight of a shipment.
National public holidays 2021
Date | Holiday |
---|---|
01 jan | New Year's day |
06 jan | Epiphany |
02 apr | Good Friday |
04 apr | Easter Sunday |
05 apr | Easter Monday |
01 may | Labour day |
15 aug | Assumption day |
12 okt | Hispanic day |
01 nov | All Saint's day |
06 dec | Constitution day |
08 dec | Inmaculada Concepción de María |
25 dec | Christmas day |
26 dec | Day after Christmas |
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