To check whether a company is authorised to install, maintain or repair an industrial safety installation in Catalonia, use the public RASIC search on Canal Empresa or scan the QR code on the company’s RASIC certificate. Finding a similar name is not enough: confirm the legal company name and identifying details, check that its authorisation is current, and make sure the registered field covers the work you intend to commission.
This check is useful before accepting a quotation, commissioning legalisation work or relying on a certificate from an unfamiliar contractor. RASIC identifies industrial safety agents, including installation and maintenance companies. It does not prove that a specific electrical, gas, thermal or fire protection installation has been registered or legalised.
What RASIC is and what it can tell you
RASIC stands for Registre d’Agents de la Seguretat Industrial de Catalunya, or Catalonia’s Register of Industrial Safety Agents. It falls under the Generalitat body responsible for industrial safety and is managed by the Oficina de Gestió Empresarial, commonly referred to as the OGE or Business Management Office. Its purpose is to hold information about industrial safety agents for administrative control and promotion activities. The register includes inspection bodies and companies that install, maintain, repair or operate installations and products governed by industrial safety regulations. [2]
The register covers businesses operating in fields such as low-voltage electricity, gas, thermal installations, fire protection, industrial refrigeration, pressure equipment, petroleum products and lifting equipment. Registration should not be treated as a blanket authorisation for every technical job. The relevant registered field or regulatory category must correspond to the installation and scope of work being commissioned. [3]
The Catalan framework also provides procedures for installation, maintenance and repair companies to start activities, amend their registered details or activities, and cease trading. Starting an activity is handled through the applicable procedure and responsible declaration. Forms and administrative arrangements may change, so businesses should check the current Canal Empresa procedure rather than rely on an old form or saved instructions. [6] [7]
How to carry out a RASIC check before appointing a contractor
Begin by asking the contractor for its full legal name and tax identification number, known locally as the NIF. You can also request its RASIC number or QR certificate. A trading name displayed on a website, quotation or vehicle may differ from the registered legal entity, so it is not sufficient on its own to establish who will contract with you, issue invoices and sign technical certificates.
The official RASIC company search accepts words such as a company name or address, and results can be ordered using fields including municipality and postcode. This is helpful when checking contractors in Barcelona and its surrounding municipalities, but several businesses may have similar names. Compare the result carefully with the legal and contact details shown on the quotation or contract. [5]
- Open the official RASIC company search on the Generalitat’s Canal Empresa website.
- Search using the full legal name; if the result is unclear, try the address or municipality.
- Compare the legal name, NIF and address with the contractor’s quotation or proposed contract.
- Check whether the authorisation is shown as current.
- Review the listed activities or fields and confirm that they cover the proposed work, such as low-voltage electricity, gas, thermal systems or fire protection where applicable to_M
How the RASIC QR certificate works
Registered companies can obtain a RASIC certificate containing a QR code linked to their authorisation details. Scanning it opens a public verification service through which you can see whether the authorisation is recorded as current. The verification is free, public and does not require an account, registration or digital certificate. [1]
A live QR check is more useful than treating an old paper or PDF certificate as the sole evidence, because it provides access to the status linked to the code. Nevertheless, a working QR code is not the end of the review. Confirm that the displayed entity is the business named in your documents and that its authorised field is relevant to the installation concerned. RASIC status does not make a company suitable for every regulated activity. [1]
A representative of a registered company can generate its certificate and QR code through the private area of Canal Empresa. Before sharing it with clients, the company should review its legal name, address, representation and registered activities. If those details or activities have changed, it should use the relevant official amendment procedure. The location of online services and procedural requirements can evolve, so consult Canal Empresa for the current route. [1] [6]
RASIC, RITSIC and the Registro Integrado Industrial compared
RASIC and RITSIC are not interchangeable. Under Catalonia’s Industrial Safety Act, RASIC concerns industrial safety agents, while RITSIC—the Registre d’Instal·lacions Tècniques de Seguretat Industrial de Catalunya—concerns technical installations governed by the relevant regulations. In practical terms, RASIC helps you verify the party carrying out regulated work; RITSIC records the installation itself. [2] [8]
For example, a contractor may have the appropriate RASIC status for a particular field while the installation in a Barcelona shop has not yet completed the documentation or registration required for that installation. Depending on its type, use, capacity and the proposed works, the file may require a design project or technical report, an installation certificate, technical direction, an inspection by an authorised inspection body, a declaration by the owner, or other regulatory documents. There is no universal document list for every installation.
The Registro Integrado Industrial, or RII, is the nationwide Integrated Industrial Register. It brings together industrial information from Spain’s autonomous communities, including information originating from RASIC. It can help when checking an operator established in another autonomous community. If the company’s place of establishment or operating arrangements make its registration position unclear, check the RII and seek confirmation from the OGE. [4]
- RASIC identifies companies, professionals and other industrial safety agents.
- The RASIC QR certificate provides quick access to the status linked to that agent.
- RITSIC identifies registered technical installations in Catalonia.
- RII consolidates industrial information from different autonomous communities.
What to do if the company is missing, and what else to request
A company’s absence from one search does not automatically prove that it is operating unlawfully. You may have searched for a trading name rather than its legal name, entered incomplete information, encountered recently amended details, or be dealing with an operator established elsewhere in Spain. Repeat the search with the exact legal name and NIF, ask for its certificate, and consult the RII or contact the OGE if the position remains unclear. [4] [5]
If the company appears but its details do not match, or the required authorisation is not shown as current, ask for a documented explanation before appointing it or accepting a signed certificate. Retain the quotation, contract, invoices, technical certificates and a record of your check with the installation file. A positive RASIC result is useful evidence, but it does not replace appropriate contractual and technical due diligence.
The documents needed beyond the RASIC check depend on the relevant regulation and the characteristics of the work. Before commissioning the job, establish who will prepare any required design or technical report, who will execute and certify the installation, whether an inspection body must intervene, and who will handle the installation’s registration where applicable. A competent engineer or other technician should not automatically be treated as synonymous with an authorised installation company: their functions may be different.
- The legal name, NIF and contact details of the contracting company.
- A RASIC number or QR certificate, where available.
- A precise description of the work and the regulatory field involved.
- A project, technical report, installation certificate or inspection record only where required for the particular case.
- Evidence of RITSIC registration or the relevant installation documentation where applicable.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RASIC check free, and do I need a digital certificate?
The public company search and QR verification are free and do not require registration or a digital certificate. Identified access to the private area is used for company functions such as generating its RASIC certificate and QR code.
Does the RASIC QR code replace the installation certificate?
No. The QR code allows you to check the status of the industrial safety agent registered in RASIC. It does not replace an installation certificate, project, technical report, inspection or RITSIC registration when any of these are required.
What should I do if the quotation and RASIC show different names?
Ask for the legal name and NIF of the entity that will contract, invoice and sign certificates. The name on the quotation may be only a trading brand, but the relationship between the names should be clear and documented. If the details still cannot be reconciled, request clarification and consult the OGE before proceeding.
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