A burofax is an urgent service from Correos, the Spanish postal operator, for sending a document with proof of what was sent. A registered letter (carta certificada) proves sending and delivery; a burofax also certifies the content. With an acknowledgement of receipt, it proves when and by whom it was received, or why it could not be delivered.
In practice
You book it at a Correos office or online, uploading the document. Correos prints it, puts it in an envelope and hands it over against the recipient's signature. The certified copy of the content, the proof of delivery and the acknowledgement of receipt are options you choose when booking: ask for them then, because they are what gives you the proof.
If the recipient is out, Correos says it makes two delivery attempts and, if both fail, leaves a notice so the recipient can collect it from the post office within a maximum of 30 days.
What if they refuse it or never collect it? Courts usually give weight to a burofax that was correctly addressed. The Barcelona Provincial Court, applying a Supreme Court judgment of 22 June 2022, treats the requirement as met "cuando la comunicación ha sido correctamente dirigida y puesta a disposición del destinatario, aun cuando éste no la haya recogido" (when the communication was correctly addressed and made available to the recipient, even if they did not collect it). If it comes back as "unknown" or "wrong address", it normally fails. We go through each case in burofax refused or not collected.
In a community of owners (comunidad de propietarios), the address that counts is the address in Spain the owner gave the secretary or, if they gave none, their flat or premises in the building. Keep the document in which each owner gave their address: it is what turns an uncollected burofax into useful proof.
A non-qualified certified email, like the one we build, does not replace a burofax and is not a fehaciente notification. It can go alongside it as a second channel when the recipient uses that email address.
What the law says
None of these laws names the burofax. They ask for a method that leaves a record, and the burofax is the most common way to get one by post:
- Article 10.2 of Organic Law 1/2025. To prove a MASC attempt, any document will do that shows the other party received the invitation, on what date, and could access its full content.
- Article 9.1.h of the Horizontal Property Act (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal). The address for notices is given "por cualquier medio que permita tener constancia de su recepción" (by any means that leaves a record of receipt); failing that, the flat or premises counts.
- Article 264.4 of the Civil Procedure Act. The proof of the attempt to negotiate is filed with the claim.
Common mistakes
- Sending it to an address that is not the designated one. If it comes back as "unknown", it proves nothing.
- Not asking for certified content. Without it, you prove something arrived, not what it said.
- Counting deadlines from the sending date. What counts is the delivery date, or the date it was made available, shown on the receipt.
Sources
- Correos: Registered letter or burofax? How to choose and Online burofax: what it is and how it works (in Spanish).
- Barcelona Provincial Court, Section 14, order 348/2026, applying the Supreme Court judgment of 22 June 2022 (ECLI:ES:TS:2022:2462).
- Organic Law 1/2025, art. 10.
- Law 49/1960, Horizontal Property Act, art. 9.
- Civil Procedure Act, art. 264.