Procedures

Procedures related to prior authorization

Request for prior authorization (step 1)

To apply the Canary Islands Special Zone tax incentives, you must first obtain authorization (step 1) and subsequently register (step 2).

To begin, you must request authorization using the standard form available on the electronic office, which includes a section for describing the activities the company intends to carry out, as well as other details. You must also submit the documentation specified in the form along with your application.

If the ZEC Governing Board approves your project, you will receive prior authorization.

Once that authorization has been obtained, you will have 18 months to apply for the registration of the company or branch in the ROEZEC (Official Registry of ZEC Entities). (If you have already obtained the authorization, proceed to the “Registration Application” procedure—step 2—).

VERY IMPORTANT: Entities cannot begin operations until they have completed registration (step 2).

Modification of prior authorization

You may request any changes you wish to your initial authorization.

Prior to registration, if you wish to change, expand, or reduce your activities, or if there have been significant changes to the essential conditions upon which the project authorization was based (such as changes in promoters or partners, solvency, or financial projections), you must request a modification of the authorization, which requires approval by the Governing Council.

Some minor modifications do not require authorization. If in doubt, you may request a modification to the authorization, and the Governing Council will assess whether or not approval is required. You may also contact our technical staff for information.

VERY IMPORTANT: Entities cannot begin operations until they have completed registration (step 2).

Request for extension of time

Once you have obtained prior authorization (step 1), you must register the company or branch in the ROEZEC in order to begin operations. You have 18 months to do so. If you have obtained prior authorization but require more time to register your company in the ROEZEC, you can use this procedure to request an extension of the deadline by up to an additional 9 months.

VERY IMPORTANT: The request for an extension of the deadline must be submitted before the 18-month period expires and sufficiently in advance to allow for a decision to be made.

Request to waive prior authorization

If you do not wish to proceed with the ZEC project you initiated, you can use this procedure to relinquish the prior authorization granted to you by the Governing Board.

Request for exemption from the investment requirement

Will your company create more jobs than the required minimum (more than 5 jobs on a capital island, or more than 3 jobs on a non-capital island)?

Through this procedure, you can request an exemption from the investment requirement for access to the ZEC, provided you meet certain conditions. Further information is available in Circular 1/2022, which can be found in the “Regulations” section.

This exemption may be requested at the time of applying for prior authorization or subsequently, prior to registration. It may also be requested alongside the application for registration in the ROEZEC or after such registration (procedure 12).

VERY IMPORTANT: In any case, this exemption must be requested before the deadline for job creation expires (procedure 12).

Withdrawal of application (Other applications)

Procedure intended exclusively for the submission of applications not covered by the other specific procedures available on the electronic office, as well as for submitting supplementary documentation for existing files in order to rectify or improve them.

Warning of the lapse of the prior authorization

We will notify you if the 18-month deadline for registering the entity in the ROEZEC is approaching its expiration. You can check the registration deadline within this procedure. If this deadline passes, the authorization will expire, and you will lose the right to register the entity and operate as a ZEC entity. If you wish to extend this deadline, you may request an extension via the “Request for deadline extension” procedure (procedure 3).

Procedures related to registration

Application for registration in the ROEZEC (step 2)

To begin operating as a ZEC entity, your entity must be registered in the Official Registry of ZEC Entities (ROEZEC). Once authorization has been obtained (step 1), you must visit a notary and the Mercantile Registry to incorporate and register your entity. After completing these procedures, you will be able to register it in the ROEZEC.

You have a period of 18 months from the notification of the granting of prior authorization to complete this procedure (this period may be extended by an additional 9 months via the “Extension of registration period” procedure). Registration is mandatory in order to benefit from the tax advantages of the ZEC regime.

VERY IMPORTANT:

1. Entities may not begin operations until they have received the resolution of registration.

2. Registration shall take place provided that the details of the authorized project essentially match the particulars to be registered (activities, partners, projected capital, solvency, etc.).

Application for authorization and registration of the amendment to the entity's corporate purpose.

Do you want to modify the corporate purpose of your ZEC company?

You must request authorization from the Governing Council to modify the corporate purpose (using the standard “Prior Authorization Request” form). Subsequently, you must apply for its registration in the ROEZEC within the timeframe specified in the authorization, so that the change is officially recorded in said Official Registry.

In this way, the newly authorized activities (or the modifications made) will become part of the entity’s registered data.

VERY IMPORTANT: Operations for new activities not included in the initial authorization and registration cannot commence until they have been registered in the ROEZEC.

Notification of changes to ROEZEC information

Have any details regarding your company registered in the ROEZEC changed?

You must notify the Governing Council of any changes to the information contained in the Register.

VERY IMPORTANT: If the change affects the corporate purpose of the registered company, you must request authorization from the Governing Board. (See: “Application for authorization and registration of the amendment to the entity’s corporate purpose”).

Notification of non-application of tax benefits

If you have been unable to meet the requirements to qualify as a ZEC entity (employment, investment, resident administrator, place of effective management, etc.) due to circumstances beyond your control, the entity may retain its registered status in the ROEZEC, provided you notify the Governing Board before July of the year following the fiscal year in question.

In that case, moreover, you will not be able to apply the tax benefits for the year in which the non-compliance occurred.

You can find more information in Circular 1/2025, under the “Regulations” section.

Request for cancellation of registration in the ROEZEC

If you wish to relinquish your status as a ZEC entity, you can cancel your registration in the Official Registry of Canary Islands Special Zone Entities (ROEZEC) through this procedure.

The company will cease to be registered in the Official Registry of ZEC Entities, and the effects and benefits associated with that registration will no longer apply.

VERY IMPORTANT: Once registration has been cancelled, it is not possible to re-authorize or re-register the entity and apply ZEC incentives if it has already commenced operations. In some cases, it is preferable to notify the authorities that the incentives will not be applied while maintaining registered status, and then apply the ZEC tax incentives once the requirements are met again. (See the procedure “Notification of non-application of tax benefits”).

Request for exemption from the investment requirement

Will your company create more jobs than the required minimum (more than 5 jobs on a capital island or more than 3 jobs on a non-capital island)?

This exemption may be requested at the time of applying for prior authorization or subsequently, prior to registration (procedure 5). It may also be requested at the time of the application for registration in the ROEZEC or after such registration.

VERY IMPORTANT: This exemption must be requested before the job creation deadline expires.