One-liner: under Spain's Startup Law (Ley 28/2022), the framework for controlled-testing environments where certified startups can get temporary licences to test regulated innovations before full authorisation — legal room to experiment. The general/regulatory counterpart to the sector-specific National Financial Sandbox (fintech).
What you get
- A temporary authorisation to test a regulated innovation in a controlled environment, with supervisor oversight and defined limits — reducing the "you can't launch without a licence you can't get without launching" trap.
- Regulatory learning + a credibility signal; the Startup Law directs public administrations to enable sector sandboxes and licences for empresa-emergente pilots.
Who it's for
- Certified empresas emergentes with a regulated innovation (fintech, insurtech, health, mobility, energy, AI…) that needs to test within, or at the edge of, current regulation.
How to engage
- Get certified as an empresa emergente first (ENISA Startup Certification).
- Enter the relevant sector sandbox — e.g. the National Financial Sandbox (Tesoro/BdE/CNMV/DGSFP), the EU AI regulatory sandbox (being rolled out under the AI Act), or health/mobility sandboxes as they open. The ONE (Oficina Nacional de Emprendimiento) is the Startup-Law information/fast-track point.
- Complement with local real-world testing in the Valencia Urban Sandbox.
Key facts
- Framework for temporary controlled-testing authorisations under the Startup Law. Free; sector-specific in practice (financial sandbox is the mature one; AI sandbox emerging).
Relations
- Governed by: Startup Law (regulation)
- Run by: ONE
- Unlocked by: ENISA Startup Certification
- Partners with: National Financial Sandbox (Program)
- See also: Valencia Urban Sandbox