The Public Insolvency Registry (RPC) is the central instrument for the formal disclosure of insolvency proceedings in Spain. Every time a commercial court declares a company or individual insolvent, that decision is published in the RPC and becomes immediately accessible to any third party — creditor, supplier, shareholder, investor — free of charge. However, few people know exactly what this registry contains, how to consult it, or what legal consequences follow from a company appearing in it.
This guide explains what the Public Insolvency Registry is, how to search for a company in the RPC step by step, and how it differs from other sources of corporate information.
What is the Public Insolvency Registry?
The Public Insolvency Registry is the official repository created and maintained by the Ministry of Justice to centralise the formal disclosure of all insolvency proceedings conducted before Spanish commercial courts. Its regulation is found in Art. 198 of the Consolidated Insolvency Law (TRLC, approved by Royal Legislative Decree 1/2020).
The RPC serves a dual function. On the one hand, it ensures that judicial decisions issued in insolvency proceedings take effect against third parties from the moment of publication, without the need for individual notification to each potentially interested party. On the other, it provides a due diligence tool allowing verification of whether any company or individual is subject to insolvency proceedings.
Access to the RPC is public, free of charge, and does not require proof of legitimate interest. It is accessed through the publicidadconcursal.es portal, which the Ministry of Justice integrates with the BOE formal disclosure platform.
The RPC is not a blacklist or a sanctions register. It is an instrument of procedural transparency: its publication does not imply condemnation or a value judgment on the debtor’s future solvency, but certifies the formal status of an ongoing judicial proceeding.
How to search for a company in the RPC
The consultation portal for the RPC is publicidadconcursal.es. The search procedure is straightforward and requires no registration.
Step 1. Access the portal. Navigate to publicidadconcursal.es from any browser. No electronic signature or digital certificate is required to view publications.
Step 2. Locate the publications search. On the home page, select “Búsqueda de publicaciones” (search publications) or go directly to the insolvency resolution search tool.
Step 3. Enter the search criteria. The system allows search by:
- Name or company name of the debtor (partial search available).
- NIF or CIF — the most precise way to identify a debtor without ambiguity.
- Insolvency number — if the court case number is already known.
- NRC (Insolvency Resolution Number) — the unique identifier of each specific publication.
Step 4. Interpret the results. The system returns a list of publications associated with the debtor found. Each entry shows: debtor name, competent commercial court, case number, type of resolution and date. Clicking on each publication provides access to the full text of the resolution as published.
Step 5. Verify the current status. To determine the current stage of the proceedings, review the most recent publication. If the latest entry is a conclusion order, the insolvency has concluded. If the latest publication is the declaration order or an intermediate resolution (composition, liquidation), the proceedings are still open.
If you are a creditor and locate your debtor in the RPC, the court details and case number are the information you need to enter an appearance and file your claim.
What information the RPC contains
The Public Insolvency Registry contains only judicial resolutions of a procedural nature issued by the commercial court in the context of the insolvency. It is not an accounting register or a repository of the debtor’s internal documentation.
The publications you may find in the RPC are:
Insolvency declaration order. The first publication. It identifies the debtor, the court, the case number and the regime applied to the debtor (intervention or suspension of powers). From this date, the insolvency declaration takes effect against third parties.
Appointment of the insolvency administrator. The RPC publishes the identity of the insolvency administrator appointed by the judge, who becomes the formal point of contact for creditors in the proceedings.
Opening of the composition or liquidation phase. When the proceedings move on from the common phase, the judge issues the corresponding order, which is also published in the RPC.
Approval of the composition agreement. If the creditors approve a write-down and/or rescheduling agreement and the judge ratifies it, the resolution is published with the essential terms of the agreement.
Liquidation plan. In insolvencies resolved through liquidation, the plan approved by the judge is published in the RPC, indicating the assets to be liquidated and the order of payments.
Classification resolution. When the insolvency is classified as culpable, the RPC records the classification order, including the identity of the persons declared affected and the sanctions imposed (disqualification, deficit coverage).
Conclusion order. The last publication in the proceedings: it determines that the insolvency has concluded and on what grounds (compliance with the composition, lack of assets, payment of creditors, or other grounds provided under the TRLC).
What the RPC does not contain are the parties’ submissions, the insolvency administrator’s reports, the accounting documentation submitted in the proceedings, or the detailed breakdown of the debtor’s assets and liabilities. To access that information, it is necessary to be a party to the proceedings.
Difference between the RPC and the Companies Registry
The Public Insolvency Registry is frequently confused with the Companies Registry. They are distinct registries with different functions, contents and access arrangements.
| Aspect | Public Insolvency Registry | Companies Registry |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Judicial decisions in insolvency proceedings | Ordinary corporate acts (incorporation, articles, accounts, powers) |
| Access | Free, no registration | Notes and certificates with a fee |
| Legal basis | Art. 198 TRLC | Commercial Code and Companies Registry Regulations |
| Management | Ministry of Justice / BOE | Registrars Association |
| Solvency information | Direct (reflects active insolvency proceedings) | Indirect (annual accounts, changes in management) |
| Scope | National (all commercial courts) | Provincial (Registry where registered address is located) |
In practice, when a court declares a company insolvent, parallel publications are generated: in the RPC (Art. 198 TRLC) and in the Companies Registry (Art. 24 TRLC). Both are mandatory and have different legal effects. Publication in the RPC ensures effectiveness against third parties in the procedural sphere; registration in the Companies Registry produces the commercial disclosure effects specific to that registry.
For a complete due diligence on a debtor or counterparty, it is advisable to consult both registries: the Companies Registry provides information on the corporate structure and filed financial statements; the RPC shows whether there are or have been insolvency proceedings.
When a company is published in the RPC
Publication in the RPC does not occur automatically upon any financial difficulty. It requires an express judicial decision issued in the context of insolvency proceedings. The most relevant publication events are:
Court order declaring insolvency. This is the origin of the entire proceedings. It may be issued at the request of the debtor itself (voluntary insolvency) or a creditor (involuntary insolvency). Once issued, the court clerk orders publication in the RPC, which generally occurs within a few days. This publication triggers the obligation for creditors to file their claims within the deadline set in the order (typically one month from publication).
Publication of the composition agreement. When the composition phase concludes with an agreement approved and ratified by the court, that resolution is published in the RPC. From that publication, the effects of the composition (write-downs, rescheduling) bind ordinary creditors.
Opening of the liquidation phase. If proceedings do not conclude through a composition, the opening of liquidation also generates a publication in the RPC, which activates the liquidation plan and the classification section.
Conclusion order. When the proceedings end — for any of the reasons provided in Arts. 465 et seq. TRLC — the conclusion order is published in the RPC. This publication is significant because it determines that the debtor is no longer formally in insolvency, although the consequences of the proceedings (classification, disqualifications) may persist.
It is important to note that the notification of commencement of negotiations (the so-called pre-insolvency procedure, regulated in Art. 583 TRLC) does not generate publication in the RPC. The pre-insolvency procedure is confidential and does not create formal public disclosure. Only when insolvency is formally declared does the company appear in the registry.
How an insolvency lawyer acts on publication in the RPC
The appearance of a company in the RPC — whether your own or that of a third party with whom you have a commercial or contractual relationship — has immediate legal consequences requiring a coordinated professional response.
When it is your own company that appears in the RPC, the effects are immediate: the debtor’s powers are intervened or suspended, directors must adjust their actions to what the order determines, and creditors begin to file their claims. In this scenario, the insolvency lawyer works on several fronts simultaneously: verifying the declaration order and the intervention regime applied, establishing a communication channel with the appointed insolvency administrator, advising the management body on its obligations and limitations, and evaluating the strategic options available (composition, liquidation, second chance as applicable).
When a supplier, customer or contractual counterparty appears in the RPC, the insolvency lawyer acts to protect the client’s interests: filing the claim in time and form with the insolvency administrator, challenging the list of creditors if the claim has not been correctly recognised or classified, and analysing whether there are real or personal guarantees allowing preferential recovery.
Claim classification is decisive for the level of recovery: claims with special privilege (secured against a specific asset) are paid before ordinary ones; subordinated claims (including those of persons specially related to the debtor) are paid last, if at all.
Raúl Herrera García, insolvency lawyer and BMC Of Counsel (ICAM registration 79,836), advises companies and individuals at all stages of insolvency proceedings: from the preliminary analysis of the insolvency situation to the defence in the classification section, including creditor claim filing and negotiation of compositions or restructuring plans.
Has your company been published in the RPC, or have you found a debtor in the Public Insolvency Registry?
Speak without obligation with Raúl Herrera García, BMC’s specialist insolvency lawyer, ICAM registration 79,836, with experience in insolvency proceedings before Spain’s leading commercial courts.
Request a consultation with Raúl Herrera García
Sources and regulatory references:
- Consolidated Insolvency Law (TRLC) — BOE — Royal Legislative Decree 1/2020, consolidated text
- Public Insolvency Registry — publicidadconcursal.es — official insolvency publications portal
- Art. 198 TRLC — regulation of the Public Insolvency Registry
- CGPJ Judicial Statistics — insolvency proceedings statistics in Spain
