How to start a vending business in Spain: permits, location and numbers

To start a vending business in Spain (montar un negocio de vending), you do not need a special vending licence. You need to register like any other business, follow the hygiene rules if you sell food, display the information the law requires on the machine and, above all, find a location that sells enough for the numbers to work.

In this guide, we go through the procedures one by one, what the machine must display, how to agree terms with the venue, where the investment goes, and how to know before buying whether a location can pay for itself. Checked against the BOE, Spain’s official gazette, on 14 October 2026.

Do you need a licence?

There is no national licence for running vending machines. Spain’s Retail Trade Act (Ley 7/1996, de ordenación del comercio minorista) treats automatic vending as just another form of retail sale, and since 2010 it has not required any prior authorization: only that the machines comply with their technical regulations and carry the information required by law.

Two caveats:

• Each region (comunidad autónoma) has its own trade law, and some may require a notification or registration. Ask your regional trade department.
• If the machine is on the street or in a public space, you need a permit from the town hall (ayuntamiento). Inside a private venue, what matters is your agreement with whoever runs it.

Registration: self-employed or company, and IAE

The first step is choosing how to trade: as a self-employed worker (autónomo) or through a company. To start with a few machines, most people go self-employed; a company costs more to run, but it keeps your personal assets separate and changes how VAT works.

Then you register with the Spanish Tax Agency (Hacienda), using the census declaration (declaración censal), under the right heading of the business activity tax (Impuesto sobre Actividades Económicas, IAE):

• 647.5, if you sell food and drinks, excluding tobacco, in vending machines.
• 664.9, if you sell other items in machines: chargers, toys, hygiene products.

The IAE schedule sets a fee per machine, but self-employed workers and companies with annual turnover below one million euros are exempt from paying it. You still have to register under the heading.

And with registration comes VAT. A self-employed operator who sells products exactly as bought is usually under the equivalence surcharge scheme (recargo de equivalencia); a company is on the standard VAT scheme. We explain it, with the rate for each product, in our guide to VAT on vending machines in Spain.

If you sell food: health registration and hygiene

Anyone selling food from vending machines counts as a food retailer, and Spanish Royal Decree 1021/2022 on food hygiene in retail (Real Decreto 1021/2022) applies:

• Registration in your region’s register, through a notification or a sworn statement (declaración responsable) to the local health authority. This also covers any storeroom where you keep stock.
• Rotate products by their use-by or best-before date, as often as needed.
• Maintain the temperatures set by the rules for each type of food.
• A power-cut alarm in machines that sell foods requiring refrigeration, to alert the operator if the power fails.

The food handler’s card (carné de manipulador de alimentos) no longer exists as such, but anyone handling food must be trained in food hygiene (as required by EU Regulation 852/2004). It is up to the business to make sure this training exists and can be proven.

What the machine must display

Article 50 of the Retail Trade Act requires it, displayed where it can be seen:

• what product it sells and at what price;
• who sells it, with an address and a phone number for complaints;
• which coins it accepts and how to use it;
• that it complies with technical regulations, such as CE marking.

In addition, the machine must refund the money if it does not deliver the product (Article 51). And if it sells food, the outside must show the name, address, and phone number of the operator who supplies and maintains it (Article 12 of Royal Decree 1021/2022).

If you plan to start with a used machine, check all of this before paying for it. We cover it in our guide to buying a used vending machine in Spain.

Tobacco and alcohol: separate rules

• Tobacco has its own rules: tobacco machines are tied to a licensed tobacconist (estanco), can only be placed in certain venues, and must prevent minors from using them. It is not something you add to a snack machine.
• Alcohol is regulated by each region’s laws, mainly to stop sales to minors, and they may ban or restrict it in machines. Check your region’s rules before adding it to your range.

The agreement with the venue

Location is what matters most for profitability, and the agreement with the venue operator determines a large part of the costs. It is worth putting in writing:

• What the venue charges: a percentage of sales, a fixed monthly amount, or both.
• Who pays the electricity used by the machine.
• When you can get in to restock and collect the cash.
• Who is responsible for what: breakdowns, theft, damage. The law makes the venue owner jointly liable with the machine owner toward the buyer (Article 52 of the Retail Trade Act), so the venue will want to know you respond quickly.
• Exclusivity: whether the venue agrees not to place another machine.
• Duration and notice period for removing the machine, for both parties.

And public liability insurance that covers the machine at that location.

Where the investment goes

We do not give figures because they vary a lot depending on the machine and the location, but the list of what must be paid before selling the first unit is always similar:

• the machine, new or used, with transport and installation;
• the payment system: coin mechanism and, increasingly, card reader with its contract;
• the first stock and a float for the coin mechanism;
• insurance and registration paperwork;
• the vehicle for restocking and a place to store the product, if you do not already have them.

The numbers before buying

Before buying a machine for a location, run the numbers with a cautious sales forecast:

1. What each sale leaves: the price, once VAT is removed, minus the product cost, the venue commission, and shrinkage.
2. The break-even point: fixed monthly costs (travel, machine depreciation, insurance, and so on) divided by what each sale leaves. That is the number of sales you need to avoid losses.
3. The payback period: what the machine costs divided by what it leaves each month.

If the machine would need to sell more than that spot can deliver just to break even, the location does not work, however cheap the machine is. We work through a full example in our article on vending machine profitability.

The prudent approach is to start with one machine and measure. After a few months of real sales, you will know which assortment works, how often you need to visit, and whether a second machine is worthwhile.

Getting organized from the first machine

With one machine, you can keep everything in your head. With three, you cannot. What is worth noting down from day one:

• What is left and what you load in each slot on every visit. That is where sales come from.
• Expiry dates, so you can sell the soonest-to-expire items first.
• What you take out of the cash box, to compare it with what you should have based on sales.
• Purchases, with their price, so you know the real margin of each product.

Frequently asked questions

What licence do I need to place a vending machine?

There is no national vending licence. You need to register as self-employed or as a company and under the IAE, the health registration if you sell food and, if the machine is in a public space, a permit from the town hall. Check with your region as well.

Under which IAE heading do I register?

Under 647.5 if you sell food and drinks without tobacco, and under 664.9 if you sell other items. Self-employed workers and companies with turnover below one million euros do not pay the fee.

Do I need a food handler’s card?

The card no longer exists as such, but anyone handling food must have food hygiene training, and the company must be able to prove it.

How much can you make with a vending machine?

There is no single figure that applies to everyone. It depends on what sells at that location, the margin on each product, the venue commission, and the expenses. The calculation, with an example, is in our profitability guide.

How much does a venue charge for having a machine?

Whatever is agreed: a percentage of sales, a fixed amount, or a mix. The important thing is to include it in the calculation for each machine before signing.

Is it better to start with a new or a used machine?

A used machine lowers the investment, but it must be checked carefully and you should budget for more repairs. Compare the payback period of both options using the same sales forecast.

Can I sell tobacco in my machines?

Not like any other product: tobacco has its own rules, tied to a licensed tobacconist, with limits on where the machines can go and on access by minors.

Conclusion

Starting a vending business is simpler on paper than it looks: registration, IAE, health registration if there is food, and the mandatory information on the machine. The hard part is the other side: finding locations that sell enough, striking a good deal with the venue, and keeping track of each machine from day one. Start with one, measure it and then grow: that way you avoid the machines that never pay for themselves.

This article is for information only and is not a substitute for advice from your tax advisor. Trade and health rules vary from region to region: check yours before you start.

Useful links

• Vending machine profitability: the calculation, with an example.
• Used vending machine in Spain: what to check before buying.
• VAT on vending machines in Spain: the rate for each product.
• Vending management software: what it should do and how to choose it.
• The loading list: what to put in the van before you set off.