Instituto Cervantes Sistema de Acreditación de Centros Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes Accreditation System for Centres) Español
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Legal requirements and documents

Candidate institutions in Spain must furnish:

  • Their ID card or analogous (self-employed business person).
  • Their duly registered articles of association and any amendments thereto (corporate bodies) showing that the corporate purpose is education-related; where registration with the Mercantile Registry or analogous is not required: the articles of association, company by-laws or founding charter specifying the rules governing their activity, registered as appropriate in the respective official registry.
  • Where the applicant is a representative: the power of attorney duly registered with the Mercantile Registry as appropriate and the legal representative of the institution’s tax identification document or analogous.
  • Their municipal business or opening licence.
  • Proof of the most recent payment of the business tax (unless exempt).
  • If the institution has a trade name other than the company’s or the owners name: proof of ownership (Trademark and Trade Names Registry) or equivalent.
  • A ‘responsible statement’ signed by the institution’s owners, specifying:

    • 1) that they are not involved in any of the conflicts of interest or affected by the incapacities laid down in Section 60 of Royal Legislative Decree 3/2011 of 14 November approving the consolidated text of the Act on Public Sector Contracts;
    • 2) they are not in arrears of Social Security payments;
    • 3) they are not in arrears of any tax due in the preceding 12 months;
    • 4) their turnover is lower than stipulated in Section 82.1.c of Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004 of 5 March approving the consolidated text of the Act on Local Public Treasuries and that they are therefore exempt from paying the business tax.

Candidate institutions in European Union member countries and signatories of the European Economic Area agreement must furnish:

  • A certificate attesting to their registration in a professional or commercial registry where required by the national legislation or, wanting that, a ‘responsible statement’ attesting to the non-existence of such a registry or to the effect that registration is not mandatory,  in which case they must furnish the institution’s founding charter.
  • An instrument attesting to the application signatory’s capacity to act as the institution's legal representative and the legal representative’s national ID card or analogous.
  • A ‘responsible statement’ specifying: 1) that the institution and its premises meet all legal formalities required to conduct its business, for which it is duly authorised under the existing national legislation; 2) where the company uses a trade name other than its own name, that it is entitled to do so; 3) that the company accepts the jurisdiction of Spanish courts of whatsoever category in connection with any incidents directly or indirectly relating to the agreement to be concluded, as appropriate, with the Cervantes Institute.

Candidate institutions in the rest of the world must furnish:

  • A report from Spain’s standing diplomatic mission or consulate in the country or territory where the institution is located, specifying that they are registered in the local professional or commercial registry or analogous or, wanting that, that they routinely engage in foreign language teaching on the local marketplace or, wanting that, a ‘responsible statement’ to the effect that there is no such registry or registration is not mandatory, together with the company’s articles of association.
  • An instrument attesting to the application signatory’s capacity act as the institution's legal representative and the legal representative’s national ID card or analogous.
  • A ‘responsible statement’ specifying: 1) that the institution and its premises meet all legal formalities required to conduct its business, for which it is duly authorised under the existing national legislation; 2) where the company uses a trade name other than its own name, that it is entitled to do so; 3) that the company accepts the jurisdiction of Spanish courts of whatsoever category in connection with any incidents directly or indirectly relating to the agreement to be concluded, as appropriate, with the Cervantes Institute.
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