Spain Tightens Rules for Customer Support: Less Spam and Shorter Waiting Times

Spain is close to adopting a new “Customer Service Law,” promoted by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. The law aims to protect consumer rights and limit abuses by large companies (with revenue over €50 million or more than 250 employees) and providers of essential services.

The key change concerns response times: companies will be required to answer 95% of customer calls within less than 3 minutes. In addition, the processing time for official complaints will be cut in half — from 30 to 15 days. The law also guarantees the right to human interaction, limiting the exclusive use of automated systems (bots).

The legislation introduces a direct ban on spam calls (marketing calls without consent). Contracts concluded as a result of such calls may be declared invalid. Another new rule concerns subscriptions: companies will have to notify customers 15 days before automatic renewal.

An important provision agreed upon with regional parties concerns language rights. In autonomous communities with more than one official language (such as Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Galicia), companies operating there will be required to provide customer service in co-official languages (Catalan, Basque, and Galician) on equal terms with Castilian.

The bill is in the final stages of review in Congress. It is expected that after approval it will come into force at the beginning of 2026, giving companies time to adapt to the new standards.