Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Spain

Yes. For the recognition of a foreign judgment or an arbitral award, Spanish law separates the procedure into two different parts: first, the recognition where the exequatur itself takes place; and, after obtaining it, a second one regarding its enforcement.

For a judgment to be fully enforceable, it is necessary for the Spanish courts to examine whether the requirements established in the internal regulations of the country for enforcement are met, together with those set out in the applicable international conventions.

Regarding the exequatur, the competent court will vary depending on whether it is a judgment or an arbitral award,. Requests for exequatur of a foreign judgment shall be resolved by the First Instance Courts of the domicile of the party against whom recognition or enforcement is sought or, subsidiarily, the place where the enforcement or judgment produces its effects. On the other hand, the exequatur of an arbitral award shall be resolved by the Civil Chamber of the High Court of the Autonomous Community.

Regardless of whether it is a judgment or an arbitral award, enforcement will always be through a First Instance Court.

The exequatur procedure must in any case be initiated with a lawsuit brought by a person with a legitimate interest, with the assistance of a lawyer and an attorney.

2.1 Recognition in general civil matters

The procedure for the recognition of judgments and awards is practically the same. However, there are certain differences.

2.1.1 Foreign judgment recognition

The recognition of judgments handed down by a foreign national court is regulated in Chapter IV Articles 52 -55 of the Law on International Legal Cooperation in Civil Matters:

CAPÍTULO II. Del reconocimiento	CHAPTER II. The recognition
Artículo 44 Reconocimiento	Article 44 Recognition
1.    Cuando el reconocimiento de una resolución extranjera se plantee de forma incidental en un procedimiento judicial, el juez que conozca del mismo deberá pronunciarse respecto a dicho reconocimiento en el seno de cada procedimiento judicial según lo dispuesto en las leyes procesales. La eficacia del reconocimiento incidental quedará limitada a lo resuelto en el proceso principal y no impedirá que se solicite el exequátur de la resolución extranjera.	1.    If the recognition of a foreign judgment is raised incidentally in a judicial proceeding, the judge hearing the judgment shall decide on the recognition in each judicial proceeding in accordance with the procedural laws. The effectiveness of incidental recognition shall be limited to the resolution of the main proceeding and shall not interfere with the seeking of exequatur of the foreign decision.
2.    En virtud del reconocimiento la resolución extranjera podrá producir en España los mismos efectos que en el Estado de origen.	2.    Through recognition, the foreign decision may produce the same effects in Spain as in the state of origin.
3.    Si una resolución contiene una medida que es desconocida en el ordenamiento jurídico español, se adaptará a una medida conocida que tenga efectos equivalentes y persiga una finalidad e intereses similares, si bien tal adaptación no tendrá más efectos que los dispuestos en el Derecho del Estado de origen. Cualquiera de las partes podrá impugnar la adaptación de la medida.	3.    If a judgment contains a measure which is unknown in Spanish law, it shall be adapted to a known measure which has equivalent effects and pursues a similar aim and interests, although such adaptation shall have no effects other than those provided for in the state of origin. The adaptation of the measure may be challenged by either party.
Artículo 46 Causas de denegación del reconocimiento	Article 46 Causes for recognition refusal
1.    Las resoluciones judiciales extranjeras firmes no se reconocerán:	1.    Final foreign judgments shall not be recognised:
(a)    Cuando fueran contrarias al orden público.	(a)    if they are against public order.
(b)    Cuando la resolución se hubiera dictado con manifiesta infracción de los derechos de defensa de cualquiera de las partes. Si la resolución se hubiera dictado en rebeldía, se entiende que concurre una manifiesta infracción de los derechos de defensa si no se entregó al demandado cédula de emplazamiento o documento equivalente de forma regular y con tiempo suficiente para que pudiera defenderse.	(b)    if the decision was rendered in manifest breach of the rights of defence of either party. If the decision was rendered in absentia, it is understood that there is a manifest infringement of the rights of defence if the defendant was not served with a writ of summons or equivalent document in a regular fashion and in sufficient time to enable him to defend himself.
(c)    Cuando la resolución extranjera se hubiere pronunciado sobre una materia respecto a la cual fueren exclusivamente competentes los órganos jurisdiccionales españoles o, respecto a las demás materias, si la competencia del juez de origen no obedeciere a una conexión razonable. Se presumirá la existencia de una conexión razonable con el litigio cuando el órgano jurisdiccional extranjero hubiere basado su competencia judicial internacional en criterios similares a los previstos en la legislación española.	(c)    when the foreign judgment has been pronounced on a matter in which the Spanish courts have exclusive jurisdiction or, on the rest of the matters, if the jurisdiction of the judge of origin does not have a reasonable connection. The existence of a reasonable connection with the dispute shall be presumed when the foreign court has based its international jurisdiction on criteria similar to those provided for in Spanish law.
(d)    Cuando la resolución fuera inconciliable con una resolución dictada en España.	(d)    when the judgment is incompatible with a judgment given in Spain.
(e)    Cuando la resolución fuera inconciliable con una resolución dictada con anterioridad en otro Estado, cuando esta última resolución reuniera las condiciones necesarias para su reconocimiento en España.	(e)    where the judgment is incompatible with an earlier judgment given in another state, when the latter judgment fulfils the conditions necessary for its recognition in Spain.
(f)    Cuando existiera un litigio pendiente en España entre las mismas partes y con el mismo objeto, iniciado con anterioridad al proceso en el extranjero.	(f)    when there is a pending litigation in Spain between the same parties and with the same object, initiated prior to the process in the foreign state.
2.    Las transacciones judiciales extranjeras no se reconocerán cuando fueran contrarias al orden público.	2.    Foreign judicial transactions shall not be recognised when they are contrary to public order.
CAPÍTULO IV. Del procedimiento judicial de exequatur	CHAPTER IV. Exequatur judicial procedure
Artículo 52 Competencia	Article 52 Jurisdiction
1.    La competencia para conocer de las solicitudes de exequátur corresponde a los Juzgados de Primera Instancia del domicilio de la parte frente a la que se solicita el reconocimiento o ejecución, o de la persona a quien se refieren los efectos de la resolución judicial extranjera. Subsidiariamente, la competencia territorial se determinará por el lugar de ejecución o por el lugar en el que la resolución deba producir sus efectos, siendo competente, en último caso, el Juzgado de Primera Instancia ante el cual se interponga la demanda de exequátur;	1.    Jurisdiction to hear applications for exequatur shall be conferred to the First Instance Courts of the domicile of the party against whom recognition or enforcement is sought, or of the person to whom the effects of the foreign judgment refer. Alternatively, territorial jurisdiction shall be determined by the place of enforcement or by the place where the judgment should produce its effects, in the latter case being the jurisdiction of the First Instance Court before which the application for exequatur is lodged;
2.    La competencia de los Juzgados de lo Mercantil para conocer de las solicitudes de exequátur de resoluciones judiciales extranjeras que versen sobre materias de su competencia se determinará con arreglo a los criterios establecidos en el apartado 1.	2.    The jurisdiction of commercial courts to hear applications for exequatur of foreign judgments concerning matters within their jurisdiction shall be determined in accordance with the criteria laid down in paragraph 1.
3.    Si la parte contra la que se insta el exequátur estuviera sometida a proceso concursal en España y la resolución extranjera tuviese por objeto algunas de las materias competencia del juez del concurso, la competencia para conocer de la solicitud de exequátur corresponderá al juez del concurso y se sustanciará por los trámites del incidente concursal.	3.    If the party against whom the exequatur is sought is subject to bankruptcy proceedings in Spain and the foreign decision has as its object some of the matters within the competence of the judge of the bankruptcy, the competence to hear the application for exequatur will correspond to the judge of the bankruptcy and will be substantiated by the proceedings of the bankruptcy incident.
4.    El órgano jurisdiccional español controlará de oficio la competencia objetiva para conocer de estos procesos.	4.    The Spanish court shall ex officio control the objective jurisdiction to hear these proceedings.
Artículo 54 Proceso	Article 54 Procedure
1.    El proceso de exequátur, en el que las partes deberán estar representadas por procurador y asistidas de letrado, se iniciará mediante demanda a instancia de cualquier persona que acredite un interés legítimo. La demanda de exequátur y la solicitud de ejecución podrán acumularse en el mismo escrito. No obstante, no se procederá a la ejecución hasta que se haya dictado resolución decretando el exequátur;	1.    The exequatur procedure, where the parties must be assisted by a barrister and a legal representative, will be commenced by a lawsuit brought by any person with a legitimate interest. The exequatur lawsuit and the enforcement request may be combined in the same document, but the enforcement will not take place until a decision declaring the exequatur has been issued.
2.    La demanda y documentos presentados serán examinados por el secretario judicial, que dictará decreto admitiendo la misma y dando traslado de ella a la parte demandada para que se oponga en el plazo de treinta días. El demandado podrá acompañar a su escrito de oposición los documentos, entre otros, que permitan impugnar la autenticidad de la resolución extranjera, la corrección del emplazamiento al demandado, la firmeza y fuerza ejecutiva de la resolución extranjera;	2.    The lawsuit and the submitted documents will be examined by the court clerk who will issue a decree admitting it for processing and will forward it to the defendant, so he can oppose it within 30 days. The defendant may submit to his opposition any document that could challenge the authenticity of the foreign decision, the proper summons of the defendant, the finality and the enforceability of the foreign decision.
3.    El secretario judicial, no obstante, en el caso de que apreciase la falta de subsanación de un defecto procesal o de una posible causa de inadmisión, con arreglo a las leyes procesales españolas, procederá a dar cuenta al órgano jurisdiccional para que resuelva en plazo de diez días sobre la admisión en los casos en que estime falta de jurisdicción o de competencia o cuando la demanda adoleciese de defectos formales o la documentación fuese incompleta y no se hubiesen subsanado por el actor en el plazo de cinco días concedido para ello por el secretario judicial;	3.    In the event that the court clerk finds that a procedural defect has not been remedied or that there is a possible ground for inadmissibility, in accordance with Spanish law, he will report to the court for a resolution of the admission within ten days. This applies to cases where it deems to be a lack of jurisdiction or competence; when the lawsuit has formal defects or, when the attached documents are incomplete, and the plaintiff has not remedied the defect within the five-day period granted by the court clerk.
4.    Formalizada la oposición o transcurrido el plazo para ello sin que la misma se haya formalizado, el órgano jurisdiccional resolverá por medio de auto lo que proceda en el plazo de diez días;	4.    When the opposition has been formalised or the time limit for it has elapsed without having been formalised, the court shall give its decision by Order within ten days.
5.    El Ministerio Fiscal intervendrá siempre en estos procesos, a cuyo efecto se le dará traslado de todas las actuaciones.	5.    The Public Prosecutor’s Office will always be involved in these processes; therefore, it will be notified of all the proceedings.

2.1.2 Arbitral awards

Recognition of arbitral awards is regulated in Article 8.6 of the Arbitration Law, in line with the dispositions of Judiciary Organic Law and the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958, and the International Legal Cooperation Law articles mentioned above.

Artículo 8 Tribunales competentes para las funciones de apoyo y control del arbitraje

Article 8 Enforceability Arbitral competent courts for the functions of support and control of arbitration

6. Para el reconocimiento de laudos o resoluciones arbitrales extranjeros será competente la Sala de lo Civil y de lo Penal del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunidad Autónoma del domicilio o lugar de residencia de la parte frente a la que se solicita el reconocimiento o del domicilio o lugar de residencia de la persona a quien se refieren los efectos de aquellos, determinándose subsidiariamente la competencia territorial por el lugar de ejecución o donde aquellos laudos o resoluciones arbitrales deban producir sus efectos.Para la ejecución de laudos o resoluciones arbitrales extranjeros será competente el Juzgado de Primera Instancia con arreglo a los mismos criterios.

6. For the recognition of foreign arbitral awards or decisions, the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Autonomous Community of the domicile or place of residence of the party against whom the recognition is sought, or of the domicile or place of residence of the person to whom the effects of the former refer, shall be competent, and the territorial competence shall be determined subsidiarily by the place of execution or where those awards or resolutions should produce their effects.For the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards or decisions, the First Instance Court shall be competent according to the same criteria.

2.2 Enforcement in general civil matters

Article 50 of Chapter III of the Law on International Legal Cooperation in Civil Matters and Article 523 of Chapters I and II of the Spanish Civil Procedural Law govern the enforcement of foreign judgments:

CAPÍTULO III. De la ejecución	CHAPTER III. Enforceability
Artículo 50 Ejecución	Article 50 Enforceability
7.    Las resoluciones judiciales extranjeras que tengan fuerza ejecutiva en el Estado de origen serán ejecutables en España una vez se haya obtenido el exequátur de acuerdo con lo previsto en este título.	7.    Foreign judgments which are enforceable in the state of origin shall be enforceable in Spain once the exequatur has been obtained in accordance with the provisions of this Title.
8.    El procedimiento de ejecución en España de las resoluciones extranjeras se regirá por las disposiciones de la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, incluyendo la caducidad de la acción ejecutiva.	8.    The procedure for the enforcement in Spain of foreign judgments shall be governed by the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, including the expiration of the executive action.
9.    Podrá solicitarse la ejecución parcial de una resolución.	9.    Partial enforcement of a decision may be also be requested.
LEY DE ENJUICIAMIENTO CIVIL	CIVIL PROCEDURAL LAW
CAPÍTULO II. De los títulos ejecutivos extranjeros	CHAPTER II. Foreign enforceable titles
Artículo 523 Fuerza ejecutiva en España. Ley aplicable al procedimiento	Article 523 Enforcement in Spain. The Law applicable to the procedure
1.    Para que las sentencias firmes y demás títulos ejecutivos extranjeros lleven aparejada ejecución en España se estará a lo dispuesto en los Tratados internacionesles y a las disposiciones legales sobre cooperación jurídica internacional.	1.    To ensure that final judgments and other foreign enforceable titles are enforced in Spain, the provisions of international treaties and legal dispositions on international legal cooperation shall apply.
2.    En todo caso, la ejecución de sentencias y títulos ejecutivos extranjeros se llevará a cabo en España conforme a las disposiciones de la presente Ley, salvo que se dispusiere otra cosa en los Tratados internacionales vigentes en España	2.    In any case, the enforcement of foreign judgments and executive titles shall be performed in Spain in accordance with the provisions of this Law, unless otherwise provided in the international treaties in force in Spain.

2.3 Special civil matters

Special provisions will be applied for certain civil law matters such as, insolvency proceedings. Chapter III of the Insolvency Law will be applicable for the recognition of the insolvency proceedings in Articles 220 to 226.

2.4 Arbitral awards

The recognition and enforcement of judgments handed down by a foreign arbitral court are governed by the Law on International Legal Cooperation in Civil Matters in conjunction with the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958.

In certain respects, the International Legal Cooperation Law is incomplete, so it is necessary to refer to the Arbitration Law or the Judiciary Organic Law. This occurs, for example, when it is necessary to determine who is competent to hear the exequatur procedure.

In this case, there are discrepancies not only regarding jurisdiction but also with regard to the procedure itself. On the one hand, Articles 46 and 8 of the Arbitration Law consider the Civil Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Autonomous Community competent for the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.

In line with this, Article 73. 1. c) of the Judiciary Organic Law attributes jurisdiction to the Civil Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Autonomous Community unless another court or tribunal is competent to hear the case in accordance with the Treaties or the Rules of the European Union.

On the contrary, Article 52 of the Law on International Legal Cooperation attributes jurisdiction to the Courts of First Instance of the domicile of the party against whom recognition or enforcement is sought.

For the exequatur of an arbitral award, it is more convenient to attribute jurisdiction to the Civil Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Autonomous Community, as established by the Judiciary Organic Law, since it is more consistent with the Arbitration Law.

In addition, concerning the procedure for applying for exequatur, the International Legal Cooperation Law allows application for recognition and enforcement in the same document, given that the same court is competent to resolve both issues.

However, given that the Arbitration Law and the Judiciary Organic Law attribute the competence to hear the exequatur to the Civil Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Autonomous Community and, for the enforcement of the award, the competence is attributed to the First Instance Court, it is more advisable to do it separately. First, recognise the award and, once the exequatur has been obtained, request enforcement through a separate writ before the First Instance Court.

Spain does not use a common law model. Recognition and Enforcement of foreign judgments are regulated by codes and statutes, namely the Law on International Legal Cooperation in Civil Matters in conjunction with Spanish Civil Procedural Law and the Arbitration Law, and judges must apply the law to the specific case they are dealing with. Judgments pronounced are guidelines on particular cases that are not themselves the general rule. Therefore, depending on the nature of the matter at hand, there are different judgments dealing with specific aspects of the matter.

No. Article 46 sets out the requirements for a final foreign judgment to be enforceable in Spain. It must first pass the exequatur procedure and then be enforceable in accordance with domestic law.

However, this enforceability does not imply a review of the merits of the case which is regulated by Article 48 of the Law on International Legal Cooperation:

Artículo 48 Prohibición de revisión del fondo	Article 48 Prohibition of revision of the merits
En ningún caso la resolución extranjera podrá ser objeto de una revisión en cuanto al fondo. En particular, no podrá denegarse el reconocimiento por el hecho de que el órgano judicial extranjero haya aplicado un ordenamiento distinto al que habría correspondido según las reglas del Derecho Internacional privado español.	Under no circumstances may the foreign decision be reviewed as to its substance. Recognition may not be refused on the ground that the foreign court has applied a system different from that which would have been applicable under the rules of Spanish private international law.

However, Article 49 provides for the possibility of recognising foreign judgments in part, i.e. where the judgment is given on different claims and it is impossible to recognise all the claims, recognition may be granted partially.

On the other hand, although the merits of the case cannot be reviewed, Spanish law confers the possibility that the judgment may be modified by the Spanish courts, on condition that it has been recognised in the main or in an incidental way in accordance with domestic rules. Article 45 provides for this, obviously without prejudice to the possibility of a new claim being brought in a declaratory procedure before the Spanish courts.

The typical timeframe for the proceedings to grant recognition is two to six months. For enforcement, the timeframe may vary from one year to 18 months, depending on the workload and location of the court.

Yes. Apart from the opposition to the claim provided for in the exequatur recognition procedure, Articles 54. 5) and 55 of the International Legal Cooperation Law provide that the defendant may challenge the exequatur.

During the process of exequatur of a foreign judgment, the defendant may lodge an appeal before the Provincial Court and an extraordinary appeal for a procedural infraction or appeal in cassation before the Supreme Court.

The process runs as follows:

• In the first place, after the filing of the claim, the writ and documents presented together with it will be examined by the court clerk, who will issue a decree admitting it and transferring it to the defendant to challenge it within 30 days. The defendant may attach to his statement of opposition the documents, among others, that allow the authenticity of the foreign decision to be challenged, the correctness of the summons to the defendant, and the foreign judgment being final and enforceable.
• If the clerk of the court finds that a procedural defect has not been remedied or that a possible cause of inadmissibility has not been established, the matter will be passed on to the judge, who shall issue a decision in the ten following days. This may also occur when the court deems there is a lack of jurisdiction or competence, the claim has formal defects, or the documentation is incomplete and has not been rectified by the plaintiff within the five-day period granted for this purpose.
• In the second place, once the opposition has been formalised or the period for doing so has elapsed without formalisation, the court will grant the exequatur or dismiss it.
• Finally, in the event that any of the parties does not agree with the decision, it may file an appeal before the competent court in each case.

If the exequatur attempts to recognise an arbitral award, Spanish Law does not give the defendant the possibility to appeal the resolution granting the exequatur.