If you are buying or developing a property in Spain as an international client — whether from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France or any Arab country — you will probably need an Architect of Record. This service, little known outside the sector, is one of the most requested by foreign investors on the Costa del Sol.
What is an Architect of Record?
An Architect of Record (AOR) is the architect who signs and takes legal responsibility for the construction project before the Spanish authorities. In Spain, all building projects must be signed by a registered architect (a member of the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos) in order to obtain building permits and licences. Foreign architects, designers or developers cannot sign a Spanish planning application directly: they work through, or alongside, a registered Spanish architect.
For an international developer or investor working with a foreign design studio, the AOR is the legal bridge between the foreign architect’s design and the Spanish authorities. Without one, the project cannot be processed.
When do you need an Architect of Record?
You need an AOR when: your architect or design studio is not registered in Spain, when you are a foreign developer building in Spain without a local technical team, when you hire an international interior designer who is not qualified to sign projects in Spain, when you are buying a property that needs structural works, a change of use or a new building permit, or when the main developer is a foreign company that needs local technical representation before the town halls.
What exactly does the Architect of Record do?
The AOR reviews the foreign architect’s design to ensure it complies with Spanish regulations (the CTE building code, local planning rules, accessibility, structural safety), adapts the drawings to the formats required by Spanish town halls, signs the project as the legally responsible author, manages the permits and licences with the town hall and the College of Architects, and can also act as site supervisor (director de obra) during construction.
What the Klic Arquitectos AOR service includes
Review of the design for compliance with Spanish building regulations (the CTE and the local plan, or PGOU); preparation or co-signing of the full technical project (proyecto básico y de ejecución); liaison with the town hall’s planning department throughout the licensing process; coordination with the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Málaga for professional certification; site inspections and direction of works (dirección de obra); and the certificate of completion (certificado final de obra) required for the first-occupation licence.
Architect of Record vs. design architect
The AOR does not replace your design architect: the two work together. Your design architect creates the concept; Klic Arquitectos, as AOR, turns that concept into a Spanish technical project that complies with the regulations, manages the permit process and oversees construction on the ground in Andalusia.
Architect of Record in Málaga and on the Costa del Sol
Klic Arquitectos offers the Architect of Record service across the whole Costa del Sol — Málaga, Marbella, Mijas, Estepona, Benahavís, Sotogrande — for residential, hotel and commercial projects. We work in Spanish, English and Arabic, and have experience working alongside architects and design studios from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the Gulf countries, and with their legal and financial advisers. If you need information about our AOR service, contact us directly.
