A guide for property owners · Barcelona

Selling an apartment with a mortgage in Barcelona: steps, costs and discharge

How to repay the loan from the sale, remove the mortgage charge and work out how much you will keep.

Yes, you can sell an apartment with a mortgage in Barcelona. The usual approach is to use part of the sale price to repay the loan on completion and arrange removal of the mortgage charge from the Land Registry. You do not need to finish repaying the loan before marketing the property. First, establish the outstanding balance, the costs and how payments will be coordinated.

Repaying the loan and removing the registered charge are separate procedures. Both must be addressed when you have agreed to transfer the property free of that mortgage.

01 · The process

How to sell a mortgaged apartment in three steps

Before the deposit agreement: check the debt and loan terms

Ask the bank for an estimated repayment figure and check the mortgage deed and a recent Land Registry extract (nota simple). Review any early repayment charge and notice period. The balance shown in your banking app may not include every amount needed to settle the loan.

The deposit agreement (arras) should set out how the mortgage will be discharged, who will pay the costs and a realistic completion deadline.
At completion: coordinate payment to the bank

Request a certificate stating the amount outstanding for the planned completion date and send it to the notary. Part of the sale price is paid to the bank using the agreed payment method, with the remainder going to the seller after deducting deposits already received and any agreed amounts held back.

If funds are retained to cover the discharge procedure, specify who receives them, what they cover and how the costs will be documented and any surplus refunded.
Complete the discharge at the Land Registry

Once the loan has been repaid, request a zero-balance certificate and arrange the mortgage discharge deed with the lender’s consent. In Catalonia, Form 600 must be filed claiming the applicable exemption, and the documents must be submitted to the Land Registry.

Check afterwards that the charge has been removed. The sale deed alone does not remove the mortgage from the register.

For the other property documents and the rest of the sale process, see our guide to the steps for selling an apartment in Barcelona.

02 · The costs

How much does it cost to discharge a mortgage when selling?

There is no single fixed price. Separate the money you owe the bank from any early repayment charge and the cost of removing the registered mortgage. Ask for an itemised estimate before agreeing to set funds aside.

Item	What to budget for
Loan repayment	Outstanding principal and interest accrued up to the repayment date, plus any other amounts due.
Early repayment	A charge may apply. It depends on the contract, its date, the interest rate type and the applicable legal limits. Request the calculation in writing.
Zero-balance certificate	Free of charge. The bank should not charge for its representative’s signature or travel to the notary’s office either.
Notary and Land Registry	Fees apply for the discharge deed and registration. Request an estimate for your transaction.
Administrative agent (gestoría)	A service fee applies if you appoint an agent to handle the paperwork. It should be listed separately from notary and Land Registry fees.
Stamp duty (AJD) on the discharge	The mortgage discharge deed is exempt from payment. Form 600 must still be filed in Catalonia.

If you sell the property free of that mortgage, you would normally cover its discharge; specify the allocation of costs in the contract. Also budget for taxes on the sale, certificates and estate agency fees.

03 · An example

How much money is left after repaying the mortgage?

Imagine a sale for €360,000, with €140,000 used to settle the loan. This would be the initial breakdown:

Sale price€360,000Total agreed price

Less payment to the bank−€140,000Loan repayment

Balance before costs€220,000Costs and taxes still to be deducted

Fictional, simplified example. Deposits already received form part of the sale price, and funds held back for expenses may reduce the amount you receive on completion day.

The €220,000 is not yet your final net amount. Deduct the mortgage discharge costs, agency fees, other expenses and any applicable taxes, including Barcelona’s municipal plusvalía tax.

The money you keep is not the same as your taxable capital gain. For Spanish personal income tax (IRPF), the gain is calculated using the adjusted transfer and acquisition values. Repaying the mortgage principal does not, by itself, reduce that gain. If you are not tax resident in Spain, also check the withholding requirements and non-resident income tax (IRNR) rules.

04 · Moving home

Selling an apartment with a mortgage to buy another home

Start by working out how much money will be available and when you can use it. This needs to fit with the deposit agreement for your new home, your cash contribution to the purchase, taxes and buying costs.

Coordinate both transactions before committing to dates

Selling first lets you establish the amount available, although you may need temporary accommodation. If you buy first, confirm your financing and ability to manage both transactions if the sale is delayed. Back-to-back completions require coordination of payments, banks, notaries and the handover of keys.

If your purchase depends on selling or obtaining finance, negotiate how those conditions will be reflected in the deposit agreement for the new property. Do not assume that your deposit will be refundable.

Check whether reinvestment relief applies

Under IRPF, your capital gain may be fully or partly exempt if you sell your main home and reinvest in another home that also meets the requirements. The general period is two years before or after the sale, measured from date to date.

When calculating the amount you must reinvest, the outstanding principal of the loan used to buy the home being sold is taken into account where applicable. This is a different calculation from your available cash: buying another property does not automatically remove your tax liabilities.

05 · Frequently asked questions

Want to sell your apartment with a mortgage in Barcelona?

We value your property and help you organise documents, costs and deadlines to coordinate the sale with the bank and notary. If you plan to buy another home, we will take both transactions into account from the outset.

We work with fixed fees agreed from the start.

Request a valuation

Sources and scope

A PUNTO HABITAT guide for property owners. Your loan, registered charges and tax position determine the procedures required for your transaction. The official sources below are in Spanish.