Investment approach
The Architect's Project, Visado and Permit: the Order of Steps
Visado is not mandatory for every project, only for the proyecto de ejecución and the final certificate of completion. The order is: basic project, licence, execution project with visado.
Visado is a stamp from the professional colegio (professional association) confirming that the project was signed by a person entitled to sign it and drawn up without formal gaps. The law requires it not for every document, but for the proyecto de ejecución (execution project) of a building and for the final certificate of completion. The usual order is: a basic project for the licence, then the licence itself, then the execution project with visado before work starts.
Which documents are needed and in what order
A building project has two stages. The CTE technical building code calls them the proyecto básico (basic project) and the proyecto de ejecución. The basic project is enough to apply for a licence, but not enough to start construction. The execution project develops the basic one and cannot lower the characteristics declared in it or change the use for which the licence was issued, apart from changes that can be legalised.
- Proyecto básico. Filed together with the licence application (the procedure itself is in the article on getting a licence).
- Licence. A new building needs a prior llicència urbanística (urban planning licence) (art. 187 Llei d'urbanisme, the Catalan Urban Planning Law).
- Proyecto de ejecución. The full project that the building is built from.
- Visado of this project. Mandatory for the execution projects of buildings that the law requires a project for.
- Start of works under the director de obra (site director) and the director de ejecución (works supervisor).
- Certificado final de obra. The final certificate is also subject to mandatory visado.
What the law says about visado
Mandatory visado is established by Real Decreto 1000/2010 only for a list of works. For buildings these are the proyecto de ejecución and the certificado final de obra (art. 2.a and 2.b), the same documents when unauthorised works are legalised (art. 2.c), and a demolition project that does not use explosives (art. 2.d). The basic project is not on this list.
The rules that affect timing: visado must be obtained before the document is filed with the administration, and it cannot be obtained afterwards (art. 6.2). Visado is needed once and from one colegio, even if the project is supplemented by specialist projects (art. 3), and it can be any competent colegio, for example the Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (art. 5). An exception applies to projects under public contracts, where the check is carried out through the client's supervisory body (art. 4).
What visado checks and what it does not
Under the law on professional associations (art. 13 Ley 2/1974), visado checks the identity and professional entitlement of the author and the formal correctness and completeness of the documents. It must state clearly what exactly was checked. It does not touch fees and contract terms, nor does it technically review the author's professional decisions. The colegio bears secondary liability for damage only in the cases named by that same law.
The conclusion for an investor is simple: visado replaces neither the licence nor a check of the architect's decisions. It is one of several controls, and the question "what exactly was checked" needs an answer in the text of the visado.
Who may sign the project and run the works
The law on building regulation (Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación, LOE) defines the roles:
| Role | Who | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Proyectista (designer) | For residential buildings, only an arquitecto (art. 10) | Writes the project |
| Director de obra | For residential buildings, an arquitecto, part of the dirección facultativa (art. 12) | Checks that construction matches the project and the licence |
| Director de ejecución | For residential buildings, an arquitecto técnico (art. 13) | Supervises execution and quality |
The liability of the parties to construction is counted from the date of acceptance: 10 years for structure, 3 years for defects that breach the conditions of habitabilidad (habitability), 1 year for finishes (art. 17 LOE). Ten-year insurance is mandatory for buildings whose main purpose is housing (disposición adicional segunda). More in the article on seguro decenal.
Questions for the architect before signing
- Which stage of the project is enough for an application to this ayuntamiento, and which documents its ordinance asks for.
- At which colegio the visado will be obtained and how long it takes.
- How the execution project relates to the basic one and what can change without a new licence.
- Who is appointed director de obra and director de ejecución.
- When the certificado final de obra is filed and who prepares its documentation.
Who this order does not suit
It does not suit anyone who wants to save money on the project: a residential building cannot do without an architect, and the mandatory documents cannot be issued without visado. It does not suit someone who expects visado to guarantee quality either. A project budget with these costs is easiest to build in the calculator.
Questions and answers
What is the visado of a colegio de arquitectos?
It is a colegio's check of a document: whether it was signed by a specialist entitled to do the work and whether it is formally in order. It does not replace a technical review of the architect's decisions.
Is visado needed to get a licence?
Real Decreto 1000/2010 names the visado of the execution project as mandatory, not that of the basic project. What the ayuntamiento asks for in an application is checked in its ordinance.
Who must sign a residential building project?
For residential buildings the project must be written by an arquitecto (art. 10 LOE), and execution is run by an arquitecto técnico (art. 13).
Can visado be obtained after the document is filed?
No. Where visado is mandatory, it must be in place before the document is filed with the administration (art. 6.2 RD 1000/2010).
