Electrical certificate (boletín, CIE) in Seville, Spain within 48 hours

What the boletín is and why everyone in Spain asks for it

The boletín eléctrico is the popular name for the electrical installation certificate (CIE, certificado de instalación eléctrica). It is the signature of a registered installer company saying: this installation has been checked and meets the Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation (REBT). For installations that do not need an engineer’s project, it comes with a technical design report (memoria técnica de diseño, MTD). It is registered with the Junta de Andalucía, the regional government, and it is the paper the distributor asks for before connecting or extending a supply.

In practical terms: without a boletín you cannot connect the electricity in a new home, you cannot increase the power beyond what your installation allows and, if the installation is more than 20 years old, you may not be able to put the contract in your own name. Expat forums are full of people who discovered this on day one.

Electrical certificate in Spain: who is who

Understanding the players saves a lot of frustration:

• The registered installer company (empresa instaladora habilitada). Inspects the installation, signs the CIE and files it with the Junta. That is what we do.
• The Junta de Andalucía. Its industry department keeps the register of installations. It is the closest thing to notifying building control in the UK.
• The distributor (distribuidora). Owns the meter and the network. In Seville it is e-distribución, and it is the one that actually requires the boletín.
• Your supplier (comercializadora). Endesa, Iberdrola, Naturgy, Octopus or any other. It sends the bill and passes your request to the distributor, but it does not certify anything.

British buyers often look for the Spanish equivalent of an EICR. The boletín is the nearest thing, with one difference: it is only signed when the installation complies, and the utility will not connect you without it.

When you need a boletín

• New connection in a home or premises that has never had a supply, or that has been disconnected for a long time.
• Power increase above the maximum power stated on your current boletín, the most frequent case. We explain it fully in increase your contracted power.
• Change of account holder when the installation is more than 20 years old, for example when buying or renting an old flat.
• Switching from single-phase to three-phase, for aerothermal heat pumps, large loads or faster charging.
• Renovations and extensions that modify the installation: new circuits, an electric kitchen, a full rewire.
• EV charging point, which is always certified.
• Installations without paperwork that were never legalised, such as premises or self-built villas.

What we check before signing the boletín

Signing a boletín means answering for the installation, so we never do it without checking:

1. Supply cable from the meter (derivación individual) and main switch, which must match the power you are going to contract.
2. Fuse board, with 30 mA RCDs on every circuit and a breaker per circuit rated for the cable size. If yours is old, see fuse board replacement.
3. Earthing, measured with an earth tester, and a protective conductor all the way to the sockets.
4. Insulation of the circuits, measured with an insulation tester.
5. Number and size of circuits, according to the electrification level of the home.
6. Special areas, such as bathrooms, terraces and patios, with suitable fittings and IP ratings.

If everything is fine, we issue the certificate. If something fails, we tell you in writing with its price, and we do not sign until it has been corrected. A boletín signed without an inspection does not make your home any safer: it just hides the problem. When the problems are widespread, the honest answer may be to rewire the apartment.

How we process your boletín

1. You tell us what you need it for: new connection, power increase, change of account holder or renovation. With the power you want and a photo of your fuse board we can give you first guidance.
2. Inspection visit with measurements.
3. Upgrades, if needed, with a fixed quote before we start.
4. Issue of the CIE and the MTD and electronic filing with the Industry Delegation of the Junta de Andalucía in Seville. With a compliant installation, in about 48 hours from the inspection.
5. Handover of the documents so you can present them to your supplier or, if you prefer, we help you with the application to the distributor.

Guide prices for a boletín in Seville

Published price guides put the regional fees for the procedure at around 30 to 40 euros. You can see our other rates on the prices page.

Examples in Seville

• Rentals in Triana and the old town. Many flats and traditional courtyard houses have gone decades without anyone touching the installation. When a new tenant wants to put the electricity in their name, the distributor asks for a new boletín and the typical defects appear: old supply cables, damp patios and sockets without earth. More on Triana.
• Purchases in Nervión and Los Remedios. 1960s and 1970s blocks with installations designed for 3 kW. The buyer wants more power for the air conditioning and the induction hob, and for that needs a boletín showing the new power, almost always after changing the fuse board and checking the earthing. More on Nervión and Los Remedios.
• New homes in Sevilla Este, Dos Hermanas or Mairena del Aljarafe. They come with the developer’s certificate. A boletín is needed again when the owner adds an EV charger in the garage, extends circuits or switches to three-phase for the aerothermal system. If you are adding a charger, see home EV charger installation.
• Shops and commercial premises. Before opening a business the installation of the premises has to be certified, and depending on the activity it may also need an engineer’s project and an inspection by an authorised control body. See shops and offices.

Regulations behind the installation certificate

• Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation (REBT), Royal Decree 842/2002.
• ITC-BT-04: documentation and commissioning. It sets which installations need a project signed by a qualified engineer and which are documented with a technical design report.
• ITC-BT-05: checks and inspections. Some installations need initial and periodic inspections by an authorised control body (OCA), such as premises open to the public every 5 years.
• Royal Decree 1955/2000: distribution activities and supply connections, which is why the distributor asks for the certificate.
• Andalusian Decree 59/2005: the procedure for commissioning installations with the Junta.
• Royal Decree 560/2010: abolished the individual electrician’s licence. Registration belongs to the installer company and is recorded in the industrial register.

For reports, expert opinions and certificates other than the boletín, see certificates and reports. All installation jobs are under electrical installations.

What you can prepare

1. The previous boletín, if you have it, even if it has expired: it tells us the maximum power that was certified.
2. A recent electricity bill, with the CUPS (the supply point code starting with ES) and the contracted power (potencia contratada).
3. Photos of the open fuse board and of the meter plate.
4. Exactly what you need it for: a new connection is not the same as an increase from 4.6 to 6.9 kW or a change of account holder.
5. Access to the meter room, if you live in a flat, so we can check the supply cable.