Bar & Restaurant Insurance in Spain
↓ Jump to Frequently Asked QuestionsCover for bars, cafés, restaurants, chiringuitos and takeaways — the liability your licence sets, the kitchen, the stock, the terrace and the staff. Arranged and claimed in English.
Get a Free Bar & Restaurant Quote →Answered by Turner Insurance Specialists — exclusive Generali agents in Spain since 2007, based in Javea (Alicante). Talk to a real adviser in English: 966 461 625.
Spanish Insurance Law: Bars, Cafés & Restaurants — Key Facts, Limits & Exclusions
Hospitality is one of the few sectors where the paperwork decides the insurance before you do. Here is what the law, your licence and your convenio actually require, with the sources named.
There is no single law — but your licence does the work
Spain has no blanket statute obliging every business to hold public liability insurance (responsabilidad civil). Hospitality is different in practice, because the obligation arrives through the licence rather than through a general rule. Regional public-entertainment and licensed-premises legislation makes an in-force RC policy a condition of operating, and town halls ask for the certificate when they grant or renew the licencia de apertura. Spain also keeps a searchable list of every compulsory insurance line — the Registro de Seguros Obligatorios, run by the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros — and we are happy to check your exact activity against it.
The minimum scales with your authorised capacity
Regional rules set the minimum sum insured by how many people the premises are authorised to hold. In the Comunitat Valenciana, under Ley 14/2010 and Decreto 143/2015, the scale runs from €300,000 for premises with a capacity up to 50 people to €2.5 million above 1,000. Other autonomous communities set their own figures, so a bar in Málaga and a bar in Alicante can face different minimums for the same trade. Two practical consequences:
- The authorised capacity on your licence, not the number of chairs you put out, is what sets the band.
- If you extend, add a terrace or change the licensed activity, the required minimum can move — tell us, and we move the policy with it.
Staff: two separate obligations
Employing anyone creates two distinct duties, and they are commonly confused:
- RC patronal (employers' liability) — a module on the business policy, covering claims by an injured employee. The number that matters is the sub-límite por víctima: a policy can advertise a large overall limit while capping each injured worker much lower. Check it. Generali's patronal per-victim sub-limit runs up to €450,000.
- The convenio colectivo policy — most provincial hospitality collective agreements oblige the employer to hold a separate accident and death benefit policy for staff. It is a labour-law obligation, not an insurance one, and an RC policy does not satisfy it. See our page on convenio colectivo (CLA) insurance.
Workplace prevention duties themselves sit under Ley 31/1995 de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales — insurance responds to claims, it does not discharge the prevention duty.
Food and drink you serve
Claims from a customer who becomes ill after eating fall under RC de productos (product liability), which is a distinct module from the RC de explotación that covers the slip on your wet floor. A hospitality policy should carry both. Keep your temperature records and supplier invoices: in a food claim they are the evidence that decides it.
Standard exclusions
- Fines and administrative sanctions — a health-inspection or noise fine is not insurable in Spain, on any policy.
- Activity outside the licence — live music, dancing, later hours or a capacity you are not authorised for.
- Deliberate acts, and damage you were already aware of when the policy started.
- Wear, tear and gradual deterioration — including a slow leak or corroding pipework.
- Stock deterioration unless the refrigeration breakdown or power-failure extension is taken.
- Undeclared alterations — a new kitchen line or extraction system the insurer has not been told about.
Under Ley 50/1980, Article 10, what you declare at inception matters: an inaccurate declaration of activity, capacity or turnover can reduce a settlement proportionally. Declare the trade you actually do.
Bar & Restaurant Insurance in Spain
Bar and restaurant insurance in Spain — seguro de hostelería — is a combined commercial policy built around three exposures a general business policy handles lightly: people on your premises, a working kitchen, and the takings you lose while the doors are shut. As authorised exclusive Generali agents we build it from the Generali commercial range around your licence, your capacity and your kitchen, issue the certificate your town hall or landlord asks for, and handle any claim in English from first notification to settlement.
Key Points
- Public liability (RC de explotación) sized to your authorised capacity, not guessed
- Product liability (RC de productos) for the food and drink you serve
- Employers' liability (RC patronal) — with the per-victim sub-limit checked
- Fire, including the kitchen and extraction ducting
- Contents, kitchen equipment, cold rooms and tenant's improvements
- Stock, with optional refrigeration-breakdown cover
- Glass — shopfront, doors, mirrors and display cabinets
- Theft and robbery, including takings held on the premises
- Loss of takings while you are closed after an insured loss
- Legal defence (defensa jurídica) and 24-hour emergency assistance
What a Hospitality Policy Covers
- Public liability — injury or damage to customers, delivery drivers and passers-by arising from the business, inside and immediately outside the premises.
- Product liability — illness or injury caused by food and drink you have served.
- Employers' liability — claims brought by your own staff after an accident at work, alongside (not instead of) Social Security.
- Fire, explosion, lightning and smoke — the classic hospitality loss, and usually the largest.
- Water damage — escape of water from your own installations, and damage caused to the flat or unit below.
- Contents and equipment — kitchen line, extraction, refrigeration, furniture, till systems and sound equipment.
- Tenant's improvements (obras de reforma) — the fit-out you paid for in premises you do not own. Most bars need this and many policies miss it.
- Stock — food, drink and consumables at cost.
- Glass (lunas) — shopfront, internal glazing, mirrors and chilled display cabinets.
- Theft, robbery and vandalism — including cash in the till and in the safe, with a separate limit.
- Loss of takings (pérdida de beneficios) — a daily or monthly sum while an insured loss keeps you closed.
- Legal defence and judicial bonds — the insurer funds the lawyers and posts court bonds where required.
- 24-hour emergency assistance — a plumber, glazier or locksmith out of hours.
The Terrace, and Why It Is Declared
The terrace is the single most common gap we find on hospitality policies bought elsewhere. A table on the public pavement sits outside the four walls the policy describes, and the municipal ocupación de vía pública permit is a separate authorisation with its own conditions — usually including proof of liability cover. Three things to get right:
- Declare the terrace area and the number of covers, so the liability section reaches beyond the threshold.
- Insure the furniture and awnings themselves if you want them covered against storm and theft — open-air property is normally excluded unless specifically added.
- Match the limit to the combined capacity. Adding 40 terrace covers can push you into the next regional band, and the licence, not the policy, decides which band applies.
The same logic applies to a beach chiringuito, a market stall or a food truck: tell us where the customers actually stand, and the cover follows them. If you employ a kitchen and floor team, ask us about group health cover for your employees as well.
Optional Extras
- Refrigeration breakdown and stock deterioration — cover for spoiled stock after a freezer, cold-room or power failure.
- Machinery breakdown (avería de maquinaria) — the kitchen line, extraction motors, dishwashers and coffee machines.
- Higher liability limits — to meet the band your capacity or landlord requires.
- Terrace furniture, awnings and heaters — property kept in the open air.
- Cash extension — larger limits for takings on the premises and in transit to the bank.
- Cyber cover for card terminals, booking and till systems — see cyber risk insurance in Spain.
- Convenio colectivo policy for the staff benefits your collective agreement mandates — see convenio (CLA) insurance.
- Collective accident cover for a larger team — see collective accident insurance.
- Owner's own protection — if you are the autónomo behind the bar, income protection matters as much as the building does.
How to Get a Quote
- Call or email us — ring 966 461 625 or email info@turnerinsurance.es. Our English-speaking team is available Monday to Friday, 09:30–15:00.
- Have the licence to hand — the authorised capacity, the licensed activity, the floor area, whether there is a terrace, and whether you own or rent. These four facts set most of the premium.
- We set out the cover levels — as authorised Generali agents we present the options that match your licence band, your kitchen and your staff, and explain what each one leaves out. No pressure, no obligation.
- Your policy is set up — we arrange everything and send your certificate and English-language documents promptly, including the certificate your town hall or landlord needs.
Bar & Restaurant Cover Levels
| Cover level | What is included | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Liability only | RC de explotación plus product liability, sized to your licence band, with legal defence | Fully furnished lets where the landlord insures the premises |
| Standard hospitality | Liability plus fire, water damage, contents, stock, glass, theft and cash, and 24-hour assistance | Most bars, cafés and small restaurants |
| Full restaurant package | Everything above plus refrigeration breakdown, machinery breakdown, loss of takings, employers' liability and higher limits | Working kitchens, staffed sites and larger capacities |
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Approximate Bar & Restaurant Insurance Pricing
Annual premiums for licensed hospitality premises in Spain, rented or owned:
- Capacity up to ~50
- Public and product liability
- Contents, stock and glass
- Theft and cash cover
- Legal defence included
- Higher liability band
- Kitchen and extraction fire
- Refrigerated stock option
- Loss of takings
- Employers' liability
- Capacity 300+ or several sites
- Liability to €2.5m and above
- Machinery breakdown
- Extended loss of takings
- Cyber for booking and POS
Prices shown are typical Spanish market starting points and depend on capacity, floor area, kitchen equipment, staff numbers, location and claims history. Contact us for a free personalised quote. Late-licence venues, live music and nightclubs are rated individually.
Frequently Asked Questions — Bar & Restaurant Insurance in Spain
The questions we are asked most often by British, Irish and other international owners running licensed premises on the Costa Blanca, the Costa del Sol and the islands.
More questions? Contact us for free English-speaking advice — or call 966 461 625.
Sources & References
This page references the following official Spanish regulatory and legal sources. These are the authoritative bodies and laws governing insurance products in Spain:
- Dirección General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones (DGS) — Spanish insurance regulator. Confirms registration of insurance intermediaries (Andrew Turner: Registry C0467B54657010) and authorises all insurance products distributed in Spain.
- Ley 50/1980 — Ley de Contrato de Seguro (BOE) — Spanish Insurance Contract Law. Governs disclosure at inception (Art. 10), claim notification deadlines and renewal and cancellation rights (Art. 22).
- Ley 31/1995 de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (BOE) — the employer's workplace prevention duties, which sit alongside employers' liability insurance rather than being replaced by it.
- Registro de Seguros Obligatorios — the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros register of every compulsory insurance line in Spain, searchable by activity.
- Ley 14/2010 and Decreto 143/2015 (Comunitat Valenciana) — the public-entertainment and licensed-premises rules that set minimum liability sums by authorised capacity in the Valencian Community. Other autonomous communities set their own figures; confirm your region with us.
Insure Your Bar or Restaurant in Spain
AUTHORISED GENERALI AGENTS · ENGLISH POLICIES · CERTIFICATES FOR YOUR LICENCE
See also our commercial & office insurance page, shop & retail insurance, hotel & tourist accommodation insurance and the autónomo insurance package if you run the business yourself.
Cancellation rights. Annual contracts auto-renew under Ley 50/1980 Article 22. Cancellation requires at least one month's written notice before renewal.