What the REA is
The Registro de Empresas Acreditadas is a public register created by Law 32/2006, which regulates subcontracting in the Spanish construction sector. The idea is that only companies with their own organisation and a minimum preventive structure work on site as contractors or subcontractors.
The register is managed by the labour authority of the autonomous community where the company has its registered office, and the registration is valid for construction sites anywhere in Spain.
Who has to register
The general rule is simple: if your company is going to be contracted or subcontracted to carry out work on a construction site, it needs to be registered.
- Contractors and subcontractors that execute work on site.
- Self-employed workers who have employees, as they act as a company for this purpose.
- A self-employed worker with no employees is generally not required to register, but it is worth confirming with the contractor and your adviser, because each case has its own details.
What you declare when you register
The application is based on a responsible declaration: the company states that it has its own productive organisation, the necessary means, that it assumes the risks of its activity, that its managers and production staff have training in occupational risk prevention and that it has a suitable preventive organisation.
That declaration is not a formality: those points can be checked later, and the contractor will usually ask for documents that support them.
How it is requested and how long it lasts
The application is normally submitted electronically to the labour authority of your autonomous community, using a digital certificate. Once registered, the company receives a registration number and can obtain the certificate that will be requested on site.
The registration is valid for three years and has to be renewed before it expires. If the date passes, the certificate stops being useful and the requirement appears again as not valid in the documentary platform.
Why the contractor insists on it
If a contractor works with subcontractors that do not meet the legal requirements, it may end up being jointly liable for their labour obligations. That is why many of them check the register before letting anyone in and ask for the certificate in their coordination platform, such as Obralia or Nalanda.
If the REA is missing or expired, site access is usually blocked until the situation is fixed.
How EntraObra can help
We review whether the registration applies to your case, help you prepare the documents and the application, keep an eye on the renewal date and upload the certificate to the platform your client uses.
The decision on the registration always belongs to the labour authority: our part is making sure the file arrives complete and on time.