In short: which document and who files it
To open an office, shop or studio in Barcelona you need an activity permit (permís d'activitat). Which one is set by the OMAIIAA, the city's activities and environmental intervention ordinance. Since its adaptation to Catalan Law 18/2020 it has three regimes: environmental authorisation (annex I), licence (annex II) and notice (annex III). Ordinary offices and shops usually fall under annex III: you file a notice (comunicat) instead of waiting for a licence.
Annex III has three variants: III.a, notice with certification from a control body (ECA); III.b, notice with a project and a technical certificate; III.c, notice with a technical certificate only. Annex III has no variant without a technician: at minimum you need a certificat tècnic signed by a qualified professional.
The activity holder or their representative files it online through the City Council's Oficina Virtual de Tràmits. It is a two-step process: first the prior query «Consulta del permís per iniciar una activitat», then «Tramitació d'expedients d'activitats», where the notice is filed.
When you need it and when the regime differs
A notice is needed to start a new activity and to substantially change an existing one. Examples: a consultancy in a former ground-floor shop in the Eixample; a clothing shop in Gràcia; a design studio in Poblenou. The regime depends on the address, the activity heading (epígraf) and its parameters: floor area, capacity, installed equipment. So the same shop can fall under different regimes on two different streets.
When a notice is not enough: businesses with customers and noise, such as bars and restaurants, often need a licence or extra reports. In Ciutat Vella several activities first need a Pla d'Usos preliminary report. If the query comes back «Consulta tècnic/a» or «No compatible per suspensió», you will need a planning compatibility report. Healthcare and childcare centres also have sector rules; from our own work, a child psychology centre in the Eixample where licensing the medical activity ran alongside the fit-out.
Outside Barcelona, for instance in Castelldefels, the same Law 18/2020 applies with local rules; many town halls take notices through the Finestreta Única Empresarial on the Generalitat's Canal Empresa.
What to prepare and who does it
You: a digital ID (idCAT Mòbil, Cl@ve, idCAT Certificat or another recognised certificate), the holder's tax number (NIF), the prior query code, a confidentiality declaration for project data, and a declaration that you will take out civil liability insurance before opening.
The technician: the certificat tècnic, signed by a qualified professional responsible for starting up the activity according to the project. For III.b, also the project: report, budget and drawings (site plan, floor plan and section).
The control body: for III.a, the ECA certification. You request it once works are finished, with the project and the installation completion certificate; the City Council website lists the accredited bodies.
Any reports the query requires: fire safety, Pla d'Usos, planning compatibility. The exact list for your case comes out of the query itself as a route sheet (full de ruta).
Step by step
1. Before signing the lease, run «Consulta del permís per iniciar una activitat» on the Oficina Virtual: «Inicia el tràmit», option «Consultar el tipus de permís per començar una activitat», address, activity and parameters. The result shows the regime, compatibility and documents, and the query code is valid for six months.
2. If the premises need works, permit them separately first (works notice or licence). The activity notice is filed once works and installations are finished and the premises are ready to operate.
3. Get the certificat tècnic from the technician and, for III.b, the project; for III.a, obtain the ECA certification.
4. File «Tramitació d'expedients d'activitats»: log in with a digital signature, enter the query code and NIF, upload the documents on the route sheet and sign. The same holder or representative who ran the query must file. If the rules have changed since the query, the system will show new parameters or ask for a fresh query.
5. Pay the ICIO construction tax. According to the City Council website in 2026, for notices it is 4% of the cost of works or installations. 6. Per the procedure page, you can start trading the day after filing the complete documents with the tax paid.
After filing
A notice is not a permit in the classic sense: the City Council checks the file and the activity after you open. Keep a copy of the notice, the technical certificate and the insurance policy on the premises; inspectors can call at any time and will issue a notice to fix any breaches.
If your activity falls under the licence regime, the logic changes: you apply before works, the Council has six months to decide and silence means refusal. You cannot open before the decision.
An often forgotten duty: if you have no private waste collection contract, you pay the municipal commercial waste collection charge; how to pay is explained on the Institut Municipal d'Hisenda website.
Common mistakes
Signing the lease before the query. The premises may turn out incompatible with your activity after the contract is signed.
Opening before filing. You may only operate from the day after complete filing with the tax paid.
Wrong activity heading. If the activity or capacity is misstated, the regime and documents will be wrong too and the notice will have no effect.
An expired query. The code lasts six months; if the fit-out drags on, you run the query again.
Someone else filing. The notice must be filed by whoever's NIF appears on the query, or the system will not accept it.
Forgetting insurance. You sign the declaration when filing, and the policy must be in force before you open.
Before you file
The OMAIIAA annexes and forms change, so check the current pages for both procedures on the City Council's Oficina Virtual before filing. If you would rather not deal with it, BCN YARD can handle the activity permit together with the fit-out.
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