ATA in Spain: what it is, membership and the informe de viabilidad for cuenta propia

ATA (Federación Nacional de Asociaciones de Trabajadores Autónomos) is Spain’s national federation of the self-employed, active since 1995; membership costs €200 a year. Foreign nationals use it mainly for the informe de viabilidad, a business plan assessment for a cuenta propia permit. It is optional, but immigration offices value it; ATA takes about 3 weeks.

Below: what ATA is and what membership gives you, how to order the informe, what it costs and how long it takes, what ATA checks, who else issues such reports and when you can do without one. How the switch to cuenta propia itself works — a year of residence, a reason for the change, the province, the fees — is covered in our guide to modifying a residence permit to self-employed.

What ATA is

ATA is a federation of associations of autónomos — self-employed people who pay into the special social security scheme RETA. It is not a government body or a tax office but a private non-profit organisation: under the Self-Employment Statute (Law 20/2007), such associations are set up without official permission and may not make a profit.

• History. The first association was founded in 1995, and the federation of regional organisations in 2000. Since 2019 ATA has been a member of CEOE, Spain’s main employers’ confederation. Its president is Lorenzo Amor.
• Size. According to ATA itself, it has more than 290,000 fee-paying members and, counting those who have delegated representation to it, almost 850,000 autónomos. Fee-paying members are about 34% of that figure.
• What it does. It lobbies for changes to the rules on contributions, taxes and benefits for the self-employed, advises members, runs training and manages regional business-support projects.
• Where. The head office is in Madrid, calle Diego de León, 50; the free phone line is 900 10 18 16; the federation also has regional organisations, such as ATA Andalucía.

Foreign nationals matter to ATA: by its count, RETA had 3,501,598 autónomos in October 2026, and 8 in 10 new registrations that month were foreign nationals. What an autónomo is and how it differs from an SL is explained in our guide to being an autónomo in Spain.

ATA membership: the fee and what it gives you

The annual fee is €200, as stated on the «Únete a ATA» page (checked 11 November 2026). One fee covers up to 3 autónomos under the same razón social — for three people, that is about €67 each. You can join online and pay by card or Bizum.

• free advice on tax and legal questions;
• courses: sales, marketing, tax, exporting, health and safety, cybersecurity;
• discounts with ATA partners — banks, insurers, car makers, hotels.

Do not confuse the ATA fee with the cuota de autónomos — the monthly social security contribution. Every self-employed person must pay the cuota by law; ATA membership is voluntary and does not replace social security contributions. What an autónomo pays in contributions and taxes is covered in our guide to autónomo taxes and contributions, and how to register in our autónomo registration guide.

The ATA informe de viabilidad: what it is and who needs it

The informe de viabilidad (the ministry calls it an informe de valoración) is a written report by a self-employed workers’ organisation stating that your project is viable: the investment is enough to start, you have the qualifications, and the business has clients. It is attached to an application for a residence permit to work for yourself.

It is not required by law. Article 84 of the Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024) lists the requirements for cuenta propia: meeting the conditions to open the business, qualifications, sufficient investment, no threat to public order, and the fee paid. A report from an organisation is not among them. The Ministry of Inclusion, in its information sheet 14 (Ministry of Inclusion), says that qualifications and investment may «for example» be proved by a report from one of 5 organisations — or by any other admissible evidence.

Who benefits from the informe:

• Digital nomads switching to cuenta propia. This is a modification under the general regime — form EX-26 at the immigration office, fees 790-052 and 790-062. The rule on modifications does not mention the informe, but immigration offices read the business plan in practice, and a report from an organisation is usually attached.
• Start-up visa holders whose project did not take off. The start-up visa itself falls under Law 14/2013 and the UGE; the business plan there is assessed by ENISA, and ATA plays no part (see our guide to the start-up visa business plan). Switching from a start-up visa to cuenta propia, however, is a modification at the immigration office, and the informe helps just as it does for a nomad.
• Graduates of Spanish universities. Moving from study to cuenta propia requires the same Article 84 conditions (Article 190.3 of the Regulation), and the informe is evidence of them.
• People applying from abroad. The initial cuenta propia permit is requested through a consulate; it is granted for 1 year, with a decision within 3 months. ATA’s own page on the informe is written for this application.

Anyone switching to cuenta propia after a year of residence with the right to work gets a permit for 4 years straight away (Article 191.3) — more in our guide to modifying a residence permit to self-employed. How a cuenta propia permit differs from an employment one is covered in our cuenta propia guide.

How to order the informe from ATA

Everything is done online; you do not need to visit an office. You can write from Spain or from abroad, to autonomosinmigrantes@ata.es. ATA itself says it will ask for:

1. a user form (ficha de usuario) and a declaración responsable that the data are true;
2. a business plan — start-up investment, forecast, competitors — and a profit and loss forecast (cuenta de pérdidas y ganancias);
3. invoices, if the investment has already been made;
4. if you need premises — the opening licence or the application for it, and the lease or traspaso contract;
5. if you don’t need premises — preliminary agreements (preacuerdos) with companies or clients who will buy your services;
6. a list of degrees and courses, your CV and vida laboral, a copy of your NIE or passport, and the escritura if you are setting up a company.

ATA’s key test is that the investment fits the business: the plan must describe in detail what you are setting up so that the amount looks proportionate. ATA does not assess your passport, criminal record certificate, medical certificate or fees — the consulate or immigration office checks those. What to put in the business plan and in client letters is covered in our guide to modifying a residence permit to self-employed.

What the ATA informe costs and how long it takes

The figures in practice come from several applicants’ reports in cuenta propia discussion groups; ATA publishes no price list. Confirm the price by email to autonomosinmigrantes@ata.es before you order. Per month, that works out the same as the annual fee: about €16.67 a month.

What ATA asks for in practice

• Letters of intent from companies. Several applicants were asked to replace a letter from an autónomo with one from a company, preferably a Spanish SL.
• Details of the people who signed the letters. Activity codes, social security registration, a website or social media page — to make sure the client is real.

A request for more is not a refusal: the plan is revised and sent again. But if ATA is slow, nothing stops you from approaching another organisation in parallel.

Who else issues the informe: UPTA, CIAE, OPA, UATAE

The ministry names 5 organisations. A report from any of them carries the same weight: the ministry does not rank one above another.

Chambers of commerce (Cámaras de Comercio) are not on this list. The ministry does not say whether an immigration office or consulate will accept a chamber’s report, so it is safer to get the informe from one of the five organisations. Prices and timings for the other organisations also come from applicants’ experience; confirm them with the organisation before ordering.

When you can do without ATA

• You already have strong evidence. Real contracts with Spanish clients, invoices, a track record, a relevant degree. An informe adds little to these, and the immigration office will assess the documents themselves.
• The informe is stuck. In our case «From the digital nomad permit to cuenta propia in Tarragona: approved in 7 days» the report was delayed, the application went in with the business plan alone — and the modification was approved within a week.
• You need speed, not a stamp. The informe speeds things up when there is no business history: in the case «A year on a start-up visa with no activity — and cuenta propia in Tarragona in 8 days» it arrived three days before filing, and the decision came 8 days later.

Bear the reverse in mind too: the informe guarantees nothing. The immigration office or consulate decides, and it may disagree with the organisation’s assessment if the figures do not add up. Provinces differ: some accept a business plan without a report, others expect one by default.

If you are switching to cuenta propia and are not sure whether you need an informe in your province, we can go through it in a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is ATA in Spain?

The Federación Nacional de Asociaciones de Trabajadores Autónomos, Spain’s national federation of self-employed workers, active since 1995. It is a non-profit organisation, not a government body: it defends the interests of autónomos, advises members and issues the informe de viabilidad for a cuenta propia permit.

How much does ATA membership cost?

The annual fee is €200 according to the «Únete a ATA» page on 11 November 2026. One fee covers up to 3 autónomos under the same razón social. It is not the cuota de autónomos paid to social security, which is separate.

How much does an ATA informe de viabilidad cost?

ATA’s website gives no official price. In practice, in 2025–2026 ATA charged about €100, paid as a 6-month membership with no invoice. Confirm the exact amount by email to autonomosinmigrantes@ata.es.

Is an ATA informe mandatory for a cuenta propia permit?

No. Article 84 of the Immigration Regulation does not require it, and the ministry describes the informe as one possible way to prove qualifications and investment. In practice immigration offices value it, so it is usually attached.

How long does an ATA informe take?

ATA says the informe is ready in about 3 weeks once it has a complete set of documents. In practice, in 2025–2026 it took from two days to three weeks, longer in summer.

Which should I choose: ATA, UPTA, CIAE or UATAE?

For the ministry they are equal: all five organisations on information sheet 14, including OPA, issue reports of the same weight. People choose on price, speed and how strict they are about client letters, and if one organisation is slow, they send the plan to another.

Can I order an ATA informe from abroad?

Yes. The informe is handled online, and for advice from outside Spain ATA gives the address autonomosinmigrantes@ata.es. ATA does not check your criminal record certificate or passport: the consulate does that when you apply for the visa.

Key points about ATA in Spain

• ATA is a private non-profit federation of the self-employed, active since 1995; membership is €200 a year.
• For a foreign national, the main use is the informe de viabilidad for a cuenta propia permit: not required by law, but it strengthens the case.
• Order it online via autonomosinmigrantes@ata.es; the official timing is about 3 weeks, and no price is published.
• UPTA, CIAE, OPA and UATAE issue the same kind of report.
• ATA does not decide — the immigration office or consulate does.

Sources

• ATA — ¿Qué es ATA? (history, membership, CEOE)
• ATA — Únete a ATA (annual fee, membership benefits)
• ATA — Emprender siendo extranjero: informe de viabilidad (documents, timing, contact)
• ATA — Consultas destacadas (advice from abroad)
• ATA, 04.11.2026 — Ocho de cada diez nuevos autónomos son extranjeros
• Ministry of Inclusion — information sheet 14, initial self-employment residence and work permit (May 2025)
• Royal Decree 1155/2024 — Immigration Regulation, Articles 83–85, 190, 191
• Royal Decree 557/2011 — former Regulation, Article 105 (repealed 20.05.2025)
• Law 20/2007 — Self-Employment Statute, Articles 19–21