How to start in porn in Spain
None of the questions you are asking yourself is a stupid one, and almost none of them gets answered online without somebody trying to sell you something. Here is everything worth knowing before a first shoot in Spain.
The one thing that is never negotiable: 18 years old and an original document
In Spain, filming explicit sexual content with anyone under 18 is a serious offence under article 189 of the Criminal Code, and no consent and no parental permission changes that. This is why any serious production company will ask for your original DNI or passport on the day of the shoot, and will keep a copy of it.
It is not distrust towards you: it is what the platforms that publish the content require, and what legally protects whoever is filming. A production company that does not ask for your document is not doing you a favour. It is telling you that it does not ask the others either.
If someone offers to film you without seeing your document, or suggests starting before you turn 18, the right answer is no, and the conversation ends there.
Decide what you accept before anyone asks you
The most important conversation happens before the shoot, not during it. If you arrive on set without having decided, you will decide in a hurry, with people watching and with the feeling that you are letting everyone down. That is exactly the moment when people agree to things they did not want.
Sit down one afternoon and write your list. It does not have to be final, or consistent, or justified to anybody: it is yours, and it will change over time. These are the questions to answer:
- Which practices you accept and which you do not, one by one.
- Who with: solo scenes only, with women, with men, in a group.
- Whether your face can be shown, or only your body.
- Where it can be published: paid platforms, open social media, DVD, which territories.
- Whether you will travel to another city, and who pays for the trip.
- Your minimum rate, by type of scene.
That list goes in writing into the contract with the production company, and whatever is not on the list does not get filmed. Changing your mind during the shoot is yours too: consent can be withdrawn at any moment, and a serious production stops the camera without arguing about it.
The money: how you actually get paid
You are paid per scene, not per hour, and the amount is agreed in writing before the shoot. A figure someone says out loud is worth nothing unless it is in the contract, together with the content, the place and the date.
Most models work as self-employed and invoice the production company. That means registering with Hacienda and with the self-employed scheme, and it means the amount you agree on is not the amount that lands in your account: VAT is added on top of the base, which you later hand over to the tax office, and an IRPF withholding may be deducted, which the production company pays to Hacienda in your name.
The usual withholding for professional activities is 15 %, and 7 % during the year you register and the two following ones, but the exact heading you register under is for a gestor to decide by looking at your case. It costs little and saves you surprises on your first tax return.
- Always ask whether the agreed amount is gross or net, and get the answer in writing.
- Travel and accommodation are agreed separately from the fee, never “included” without a figure.
- Extra scenes, photos and content for social media are paid separately. If they were not agreed, they do not get filmed.
- Being paid in cash with no invoice leaves you with proof of nothing the day something goes wrong.
STI tests
Almost every production asks for recent tests, less than fourteen days old, and you should be able to see the tests of everyone else on the shoot, just as recent. It is a mutual requirement, not a formality imposed on you alone.
The usual panel is HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and chlamydia and gonorrhoea in urine and in the throat. The throat swab has to be asked for explicitly: it is not always done by default, and it is the one most often forgotten.
In the public health system the tests are free and anonymous:
- Valencia: CIPS, appointments by phone on 900 70 20 20.
- Barcelona: Drassanes Exprés, appointments online at vhc.cat/pacientsdrassanes. Slots open at 19.00, Monday to Friday.
- Madrid: Centro Sandoval, calle Sandoval 7, no appointment needed.
If you cannot get an appointment in time, private laboratories run the full panel for a little over a hundred euros, with results in under a week. Ask for the throat swab there too, as it is not always included.
Your image, and for how long
The contract does not only say what you film: it says who can use it, where, and for how long. It is the part almost nobody reads and the one that weighs most five years later. A “worldwide, perpetual, any medium” assignment is a common phrase in this industry, and it means exactly what it says.
In Spain the right to your own image is protected by Ley Orgánica 1/1982. Consent to use your image has to be express, and its article 2.3 allows you to revoke it, although whoever revokes must compensate the damage that causes. It is not a delete button, but it is not a closed door either: if one day you want out, there is a legal route, and it is worth knowing that before signing rather than after.
Working under a stage name different from your legal one is normal and complicates nothing: you sign with your real name and you work under the other one.
Where shoots are found
There are three routes, and it is worth knowing all three before choosing.
Writing directly to production companies works, but you negotiate alone, without knowing what is normally paid or what those people are like on a set. Working on your own as a creator gives you full control and no intermediary, in exchange for the whole commercial side being yours. And there are talent agencies, which receive the briefs, filter who gets them, negotiate the terms and take a commission on the booking.
Whichever route you take, one rule never fails: nobody serious charges you to work. Not to “join the agency”, not for a portfolio, not for a casting, not for training. Money moves from the production towards you, never the other way round.
A paid casting, a “registration fee” or a portfolio you have to pay for up front are the three signals that come up in almost every scam in this industry.
Starting with no experience
You do not need experience, a professional portfolio or a cover-model body. There is constant demand for new faces, and a good share of the models working in Spain today started with a phone and a few photos taken by a window.
What does matter is arriving informed, with your limits written down and the habit of deciding nothing in a hurry. That shows from the first email, and it completely changes how you are treated.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need previous experience to start?
No. Most production companies are constantly looking for new faces, and many prefer working with someone without experience. What is asked of you is to be of age, to have your original document and to know what you accept and what you do not.
Do I have to register as self-employed?
If you are going to invoice regularly, yes: registration with Hacienda and with the self-employed scheme. A gestor sorts it out in one appointment and tells you which heading you should register under in your case.
Can I work under a stage name?
Yes, and it is the norm. The contract is signed with your legal name, and the content is published under whichever stage name you choose.
Can I change my mind after filming?
During the shoot you can stop at any moment, without explaining yourself. Afterwards, the content is assigned according to what you signed, although Ley Orgánica 1/1982 allows you to revoke consent over your image by compensating the damage caused. That is why the part of the contract dealing with uses and time limits is the one to read most carefully.
How much does a scene pay in Spain?
It depends on the type of scene, the production company, the rights you assign and whether there is travel involved. There are no published rates in this industry, which is why it is better to set your minimum before the first conversation than to improvise on the spot.