What is professional indemnity insurance in Spain?

There’s a particular moment that most professionals experience sooner or later. It usually arrives quietly, perhaps between emails, or while reviewing a contract that suddenly feels heavier than it did yesterday. It’s the realisation that your work doesn’t just carry value, it carries responsibility. And in Spain, where regulations, client expectations and professional standards intersect in sometimes unexpected ways, that responsibility can have legal and financial consequences.

This is where Professional indemnity insurance enters the conversation: as a practical framework for understanding risk, accountability and peace of mind. This is especially true for the self-employed (autónomos) and independent professionals navigating the Spanish system.
So, what is professional indemnity insurance, and how does it actually work in Spain? Who typically needs it? And how does it fit into broader self-employed insurance solutions? Let’s dive in and clarify…

Understanding professional indemnity insurance

At its core, professional indemnity insurance exists to protect professionals against claims made by clients who believe they’ve suffered a financial loss due to an error, omission, negligence or breach of professional duty.

This type of insurance doesn’t deal with physical accidents or damaged property. Instead, it operates in the more abstract (and often more stressful) territory of advice, services and decisions.

If you’re a consultant, architect, lawyer, IT specialist, designer, translator, healthcare professional or financial adviser, your product isn’t something you can hold in your hand. It’s expertise. And expertise, by its nature, can be challenged.

Professional indemnity insurance covers:
•    Legal defence costs
•    Compensation claims
•    Claims arising from professional mistakes or alleged failures
•    Losses caused by incorrect advice or incomplete services

Importantly, it often covers alleged errors — not just proven ones. That distinction matters more than many people realise.

How this insurance works in the Spanish context

Spain has its own professional landscape, shaped by civil law, sector-specific regulations and professional colleges (colegios profesionales). While professional indemnity insurance in Spain isn’t legally mandatory for every profession, it is compulsory for some and strongly recommended for many others.

For example, lawyers and architects are typically required to hold professional liability coverage, medical professionals usually need it, whether employed or self-employed, and consultants and freelancers working with international clients often find it contractually required.

Spain’s legal system allows clients to claim compensation for economic damages caused by professional negligence. Even when a claim lacks merit, the cost of defending yourself can be substantial.

That’s why Professional indemnity insurance isn’t about assuming you’ll make mistakes. It’s about recognising that disputes can arise even when you’ve acted in good faith.

Why the self-employed (autónomos) should pay special attention

Spain has one of Europe’s most vibrant self-employed communities. Autónomos range from traditional tradespeople to digital nomads serving clients across borders. And while autonomy brings flexibility, it also concentrates risk squarely on the individual.

If you’re self-employed:
•    You are personally responsible for your professional actions
•    Claims can affect both business and personal finances
•    Even a single dispute can disrupt income, focus and reputation

Unlike larger companies, autónomos rarely have legal departments or cash reserves designed to absorb prolonged disputes. Professional indemnity insurance acts as a buffer,  not just financially, but psychologically.

What professional indemnity insurance does not cover

It’s equally important to understand what this insurance isn’t designed to do. Professional indemnity insurance generally does not cover physical injuries or property damage (that’s public liability insurance), employee-related claims, intentional wrongdoing or fraud, or general business risks unrelated to professional advice or services.

For this reason, many self-employed professionals in Spain opt for bundled solutions in which one insurer will offer a group of policies to cover all your eventualities, rather than selecting your own isolated policies and running the risk of overlooking a cover, which might later be required.

Professional indemnity vs public liability insurance

These two are often confused, especially by those new to freelancing in Spain.

Public liability insurance covers accidents - someone slips in your office, equipment causes damage, or a third party is physically injured.

Professional indemnity insurance covers consequences of your work itself - advice, designs, calculations, reports or professional opinions.

Many professionals need both. And increasingly, insurers in Spain are structuring autónomo insurance policies to reflect this reality.

Caser’s approach to insurance for autónomos

Caser Seguros has been operating in Spain for decades, which gives it a certain institutional memory of how professionals actually work — not just how they’re described in policy documents. We understand the real challenges of being self-employed, especially when you are building a life in a new country.

That’s why we offer Self-Employed Health Insurance specifically tailored for expat professionals who want to run a business in a new country, while keeping both their health and that of their loved ones fully protected.

With our Self-Employed Health Insurance, you can benefit from:

•    Tax deductions: Up to €500/year deductible from your IRPF for you and your close relatives.
•    No waiting lists: Fast access to medical tests, consultations, surgery and hospitalization.
•    Comprehensive coverage: Emergency assistance on trips abroad and 24/7 emergency service.

Moreover, it’s based on three different plans designed to adapt to different lifestyles, needs, and budgets: 

•    Médica PRO: The smartest choice if speed matters most, with direct access to specialists and diagnostic tests, without waiting lists. 
•    Integral PRO: Full coverage including surgery, and hospitalization, with flexible co-payment options to fit your budget. 
•    Prestigio PRO: The same as Integral, but with reimbursement up to 90% if you choose a specialist outside our network, anywhere in the world.

Each plan comes with distinct advantages depending on your professional situation and lifestyle. If you’d like to see how this coverage could work for you, you can calculate your quote in just one minute using our online quote generator.

When is professional indemnity insurance required?

Sometimes the answer is simple: when the law says so. Other times, it’s more subtle.

You may need professional indemnity insurance in Spain if:

•    Your profession is regulated and requires it by law
•    A client contract explicitly demands it
•    You work with public administrations
•    You serve international clients accustomed to this coverage
•    You want protection against unexpected claims

Professional colleges often provide guidance on minimum coverage levels. For authoritative legal references, the official Spanish government legal database (BOE) offers public access to relevant regulations and professional requirements via boe.es, a useful non-commercial resource.

Choosing the right level of coverage

One of the most common mistakes is underestimating potential claims. The value of a claim isn’t always tied to your fees. A relatively small consultancy project can trigger significant downstream losses for a client,  at least, that’s how claims are often framed.

Factors to consider:

•    Nature of your profession
•    Size and type of clients
•    Contractual obligations
•    International exposure
•    Turnover and revenue structure

Caser’s online tools, including their insurance calculator, allow professionals to estimate appropriate coverage levels based on real working conditions. The insurance tarificador is designed to provide clarity rather than pressure — a rare and welcome thing in insurance.

Why this insurance is more relevant than ever

Remote work, cross-border services and digital platforms have blurred traditional professional boundaries. A designer in Valencia might work for a company in Berlin. A consultant in Madrid might advise clients in London or New York.

Different expectations collide. Different legal cultures intersect.

In this environment, professional indemnity insurance isn’t just a defensive tool. It’s part of being professionally credible, a signal that you understand your responsibilities and take them seriously.

Insurance discussions often rely on fear. What could go wrong. What might happen. Who might sue you.

A better starting point is clarity.

Professional indemnity insurance in Spain is about understanding how responsibility works in a professional context, especially for autónomos who carry that responsibility personally. It’s about recognising that even competent, ethical professionals can face disputes, and that preparation is not pessimism.

Caser’s seguro de autónomo doesn’t promise a world without problems. What it offers is structure: a way to face professional life in Spain with fewer unknowns and more confidence. And sometimes, that quiet confidence is exactly what allows professionals to focus on what they do best, doing the work itself.