# Look up a Spanish or Basque term

> Find the plain English meaning of the Spanish and Basque words used on forms, official portals and office signs.

- Page: https://autonomo.eus/steps/glossary
- Part: Reference
- For: Everyone
- Last checked: 14 October 2026

Forms, portals and office signs use these words.

## Terms

| Term | Plain English | Where you see it | Guide page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AEAT | The Spanish state tax agency. In Euskadi your taxes go to your Hacienda Foral instead | Forms and websites for the rest of Spain | [Find your Hacienda Foral](https://autonomo.eus/steps/hacienda-foral) |
| Alta | Registration, the start of something | Social Security, Hacienda, padrón |  |
| Arraigo | A residence permit based on your ties to Spain | Oficina de Extranjería | [Change your status from inside Spain](https://autonomo.eus/steps/change-status) |
| Autónomo | A self-employed person, registered with Hacienda and Social Security | Everywhere |  |
| Autorrepercusión | Reverse charge on services you buy from abroad: you add and deduct the VAT yourself | VAT returns | [Work with foreign clients and suppliers](https://autonomo.eus/steps/foreign-clients) |
| Ayuntamiento (*udala*) | The town hall | Padrón, local services | [Register your address at the town hall](https://autonomo.eus/steps/padron) |
| Bak, BakQ | The Basque Government's online ID | Basque online offices | [Get your BakQ](https://autonomo.eus/steps/bakq) |
| Batuz | Bizkaia's tax control system | Hacienda Foral de Bizkaia | [Record your income and expenses](https://autonomo.eus/steps/records) |
| Bizilagun | The Basque Government's service for rental deposits and tenant advice | Renting a flat | [Rent a flat](https://autonomo.eus/steps/rent-a-flat) |
| CAISS | A Social Security service office | Adding family to your healthcare | [Get your health card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/health-card) |
| Canje | Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Spanish one | DGT | [Use or exchange your driving licence](https://autonomo.eus/steps/driving-licence) |
| Centro de salud | Your local public health centre | Health card, doctor's appointments | [Get your health card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/health-card) |
| Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión | The EU citizen registration certificate. It shows your NIE | Policía Nacional | [Register as an EU citizen](https://autonomo.eus/steps/eu-citizen) |
| Certificado digital | An online ID installed on your computer or phone, such as the FNMT certificate | Online offices | [Get your FNMT digital certificate](https://autonomo.eus/steps/fnmt-certificate) |
| Cese de actividad | The autónomo unemployment benefit, paid by your mutua when the business has to stop | Your mutua | [Claim the autónomo unemployment benefit](https://autonomo.eus/steps/cese-actividad) |
| Cita previa | An appointment | Every office | [Find an office](https://autonomo.eus/steps/offices) |
| Cl@ve | The Spanish state's online ID | Social Security, DGT | [Register for Cl@ve](https://autonomo.eus/steps/clave) |
| CNAE | Your activity code for Social Security | Social Security registration | [Choose your activity codes](https://autonomo.eus/steps/activity-codes) |
| Cuenta de pago básica | A basic payment account that banks must offer | Banks | [Open a bank account](https://autonomo.eus/steps/bank-account) |
| Cuota | A fee or payment, such as your monthly Social Security fee | Social Security | [Understand your monthly fee](https://autonomo.eus/steps/monthly-fee) |
| Declaración censal | Registering your activity with Hacienda (modelo 036 or 037) | Hacienda | [Register with your Hacienda Foral](https://autonomo.eus/steps/register-hacienda) |
| Demandante de empleo | A job seeker registered with Lanbide | Lanbide start-up grants | [Check the Lanbide start-up grants first](https://autonomo.eus/steps/lanbide-grants) |
| DGT | The Spanish traffic authority (*Dirección General de Tráfico*) | Driving licences | [Use or exchange your driving licence](https://autonomo.eus/steps/driving-licence) |
| Diputación Foral | The provincial government. It runs the Hacienda Foral | Each territory | [Find your Hacienda Foral](https://autonomo.eus/steps/hacienda-foral) |
| Domiciliación | Direct debit from your bank account | Tax returns, Social Security | [File your quarterly returns](https://autonomo.eus/steps/quarterly-returns) |
| eBizkaia | The online office of the Hacienda Foral de Bizkaia | Tax returns in Bizkaia | [File your quarterly returns](https://autonomo.eus/steps/quarterly-returns) |
| Empadronamiento, padrón (*errolda*) | The town hall register of where you live | Town hall | [Register your address at the town hall](https://autonomo.eus/steps/padron) |
| Euskaltegi | A Basque language school | Basque courses | [Learn Spanish and Basque](https://autonomo.eus/steps/languages) |
| Fianza | The rental deposit | Rental contract, Bizilagun | [Rent a flat](https://autonomo.eus/steps/rent-a-flat) |
| FNMT | The Spanish Royal Mint. It issues a free digital certificate | Online offices | [Get your FNMT digital certificate](https://autonomo.eus/steps/fnmt-certificate) |
| Gestoría | A firm that does your tax and Social Security paperwork for a fee | Choosing help | [Gestoría or do it yourself?](https://autonomo.eus/steps/gestoria) |
| Hacienda Foral | Your provincial tax office. Not the Spanish AEAT | Taxes | [Find your Hacienda Foral](https://autonomo.eus/steps/hacienda-foral) |
| Haurreskola | A public nursery for children aged 0 to 2 | Nursery places | [Enrol your children in school](https://autonomo.eus/steps/school) |
| Hoja padronal | The padrón registration form | Town hall | [Register your address at the town hall](https://autonomo.eus/steps/padron) |
| IAE | Your activity code for Hacienda, and the business activity tax | Hacienda registration | [Choose your activity codes](https://autonomo.eus/steps/activity-codes) |
| Incapacidad temporal (*baja*) | Sick leave, paid by your mutua | Your mutua | [Sick leave and parental leave as an autónomo](https://autonomo.eus/steps/sick-leave) |
| IPREM | The public income index used for benefit floors and ceilings | Benefits | [Claim the autónomo unemployment benefit](https://autonomo.eus/steps/cese-actividad) |
| Import@ss | The Social Security online office | Social Security | [Register with Social Security](https://autonomo.eus/steps/register-social-security) |
| Inversión del sujeto pasivo | Reverse charge: the client accounts for the VAT, not you | Invoices to EU businesses | [Work with foreign clients and suppliers](https://autonomo.eus/steps/foreign-clients) |
| IRPF | Personal income tax | Modelo 130, Renta | [File your quarterly returns](https://autonomo.eus/steps/quarterly-returns) |
| IVA | VAT | Modelo 303, 300, 390 | [File your quarterly returns](https://autonomo.eus/steps/quarterly-returns) |
| Izenpe | The Basque digital ID agency that issues BakQ | BakQ | [Get your BakQ](https://autonomo.eus/steps/bakq) |
| Lanbide | The Basque public employment service | Start-up grants | [Check the Lanbide start-up grants first](https://autonomo.eus/steps/lanbide-grants) |
| LROE | Bizkaia's online record book of income and expenses | Batuz | [Record your income and expenses](https://autonomo.eus/steps/records) |
| MEI | A small extra Social Security charge (0.9% in 2026), the intergenerational equity mechanism | Your monthly fee | [Understand your monthly fee](https://autonomo.eus/steps/monthly-fee) |
| Mercurio | The Government's online filing service for immigration applications and renewals | Permit renewals | [Renew your residence permit as an autónomo](https://autonomo.eus/steps/renew-permit) |
| Modelo | An official form, named by its number | Every Hacienda | [Check your 2026 tax deadlines](https://autonomo.eus/steps/tax-deadlines) |
| Mutua (*mutua colaboradora*) | The body, chosen when you register, that pays your sick leave and the cese de actividad benefit | Social Security | [Sick leave and parental leave as an autónomo](https://autonomo.eus/steps/sick-leave) |
| NIE / TIE | Foreigner ID number / foreigner ID card | Policía Nacional | [Get your TIE card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/tie-card) |
| NUSS | Your Social Security number | Social Security | [Get your Social Security number](https://autonomo.eus/steps/social-security-number) |
| Oficina de Extranjería | The immigration office | Permits | [Find an office](https://autonomo.eus/steps/offices) |
| Osakidetza | The Basque public health service | Health card, health centres | [Get your health card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/health-card) |
| Policía Nacional | The national police. It issues the TIE, the NIE and the EU registration certificate | TIE and NIE appointments | [Get your TIE card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/tie-card) |
| Renta | Your annual income tax return | Hacienda, each spring | [File your annual returns](https://autonomo.eus/steps/annual-returns) |
| RETA | The Social Security scheme for the self-employed | Social Security registration | [Register with Social Security](https://autonomo.eus/steps/register-social-security) |
| Retención | Income tax a Spanish client keeps back from your invoice | Invoices | [Issue your invoices](https://autonomo.eus/steps/invoices) |
| ROI | The EU register of businesses that trade with other EU countries | Hacienda registration | [Register with your Hacienda Foral](https://autonomo.eus/steps/register-hacienda) |
| Sede electrónica | An official online office where you file forms with your digital ID | Every administration |  |
| Software garante | Invoicing software approved for TicketBAI | Invoicing | [Set up TicketBAI invoicing](https://autonomo.eus/steps/ticketbai) |
| Tarifa plana | The reduced flat fee for new autónomos | Social Security | [Understand your monthly fee](https://autonomo.eus/steps/monthly-fee) |
| Tasa | An official fee, often paid with a form such as 790 código 012 | Permits, TIE | [Get your TIE card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/tie-card) |
| TicketBAI | The Basque system that sends every invoice to Hacienda | Invoicing | [Set up TicketBAI invoicing](https://autonomo.eus/steps/ticketbai) |
| TIS | Your Basque health card | Health centre | [Get your health card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/health-card) |
| UGE | The state unit that handles digital nomad and entrepreneur permits online | Permits applied for online | [Apply from abroad as a non-EU citizen](https://autonomo.eus/steps/apply-from-abroad) |
| VIES | The EU system to check a business's EU VAT number | Invoices to EU businesses | [Work with foreign clients and suppliers](https://autonomo.eus/steps/foreign-clients) |
| Volante / certificado | Informal / formal proof of your padrón. The health card needs the certificado | Town hall | [Register your address at the town hall](https://autonomo.eus/steps/padron) |
| ZergaBidea | The online office of the Hacienda Foral de Gipuzkoa | Tax registration and returns in Gipuzkoa | [Register with your Hacienda Foral](https://autonomo.eus/steps/register-hacienda) |
| Zuzenean | The Basque Government's citizen service | Basque Government | [Find an office](https://autonomo.eus/steps/offices) |

## How amounts are written

Spanish portals write money as 88,64 €. This guide writes €88.64.

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Free, independent information. Not an official government website or a gestoría. General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the authority before you act. Report a mistake: a@halawa.io. Source: Autónomo.eus (https://autonomo.eus).