The Basque Government has created the Registry of Civil Societies of the Basque Country for guilds and brotherhoods

The Basque Government has created the Registry of Civil Societies of the Basque Country to provide legal personality and public registration to guilds, brotherhoods, and mutual societies. Decree 153/2026, of September 22, was published in the general provisions section of issue number 192 of the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on October 7, 2026. The Decree will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

The Registry was created in response to the mandate contained in Article 16 of the Civil Law of the Basque Country, established by Law 5/2015 of June 25; that article establishes the obligation to create a registry for guilds, brotherhoods, and mutual societies. Law 18/2022 of September 28 opened the possibility for civil societies to be inscribed in the Mercantile Registry, but this did not prevent autonomous communities from creating their own registries; this path was reaffirmed by Judgment 7/2019 of January 17, issued by the Constitutional Court.

The regulation promoted by the Department of Governance, Digital Administration and Self-Government was approved by the Council of the Basque Government at its meeting on September 22, 2026, following the report of the Legal Advisory Board of the Basque Country. The text was signed by Minister María Ubarrechena Cid and President Imanol Pradales Gil.

Nature and functioning of the Registry

The Registry is administrative, public, and free of charge, and its effects are purely public: registration is voluntary. It is the sole registry for the entire Basque Autonomous Community and does not generate any fees.

Management is entirely electronic, via standardized forms in the Basque Government’s electronic office. The Registry has a single book and is managed electronically; registrations will be written in both official languages, regardless of the language used to make the request.

Who may be eligible for registration

Civil societies with their headquarters and operations in the Basque Autonomous Community may request registration, specifically:

• Civil societies formed under traditional guild, brotherhood, or mutual society forms, according to Article 16 of Law 5/2015.
• Family societies formed by agreement.
• Other civil societies that do not fall into the previous two categories, provided they meet the same conditions.

Excluded are, among others, entities that must be registered in another registry due to their nature and those that are voluntarily registered in another registry.

Acts to be registered

The Registry will include, among others:

• The creation of a civil society and the transformation of another entity into a civil society.
• Amendments to the statutes or the society contract.
• The appointment, representation, and resignation of administrators.
• Change of society type, merger, dissolution, and liquidation.
• Deregistration from the registry.
• Judicial and administrative resolutions affecting registrable acts.
• Judicial lawsuits filed regarding internal order disputes.

Acts must be formalized by means of a notary public deed, a certificate from the competent body, or a judicial resolution, and applications must be submitted telematically.

Deadlines and guarantees

The Registry has a period of six months to issue and notify the resolution, counted from the day the application is submitted. If no notification is made within that period, the application shall be considered approved by administrative silence.

If formal defects are detected, or if the name coincides with another registered entity, the period will be suspended and a ten-day period will open to correct the defects. Publicity certificates must be issued within a maximum period of fifteen days.

Data and publicity

The publicity of the Registry does not include persons’ addresses, civil status, and other data of a personal nature, in accordance with the data protection regulations. The Registry guarantees that the processing of personal data will comply with said regulations.

The creation of the Registry will provide legal security to traditional associations in the agricultural world that have operated without public registration until now, and will increase certainty in relations with third parties. Since registration is voluntary and free, organizations will be able to have their legal identity recognized without additional cost.

Fuente: Boletín Oficial del País Vasco, n.º 192, 7 de octubre de 2026, Disposiciones Generales, pp. 1/14–14/14 (official reference: 2026/4137).