Running foreign operations in Spain? The risks...

What's the real risk when running foreign operations in Spain? It's not what you see on the surface. 

It's the hidden assumptions baked into Spanish compliance that catch even experienced finance teams off guard, director liability rules that work completely differently, tax deadlines that don't align with your fiscal year, statutory account formats that can't simply be translated from your consolidated reports.

I've spent years working in both worlds, and what strikes me most is how often these issues are discovered too late.

The Spanish system isn't just 'different paperwork', it's built on fundamentally different legal and tax principles.

The companies that succeed across borders are the ones who recognise this early and build their processes to handle both local Spanish requirements and global audit standards from day one.

What compliance challenge has surprised you most when working across different jurisdictions?

++ I'm Rolf, I talk about business compliance, Spanish market entry and accounts in Spain's complex business landscape. Follow me for insights, tips and advice about cross-border accountancy.