Hiring photo and video in Barcelona from abroad: a guide for international companies

Booking a photographer or videographer in Barcelona from another country is simpler than it looks, as long as a few practical points are clear from the start: the currency, how VAT is handled, how payment works and what information the agency needs. Barcelona hosts a large number of international conferences, trade shows, incentives and company meetings, and the teams organising them are often based outside Spain.

This guide explains how the process works when you book photo and video in Barcelona from abroad, so you can get a clear quote and avoid surprises with the invoice.

A note on tax: what follows is general information, not tax advice. VAT rules depend on your company’s situation, so please confirm the details with your accountant or finance team.

Quotes in euros

Our quotes are in euros (EUR) and state clearly what is included: hours of coverage, number of photographers and videographers, editing, delivery times, formats and the usage licence. As a reference, a full day of corporate event photography in Barcelona starts at €900 + VAT, including the edited gallery.

If your finance team needs the amount in another currency for internal approval, use the exchange rate on the day. The invoice itself will be issued in euros.

VAT: EU companies, non-EU companies and reverse charge

This is usually the question that takes the longest internally, so here is the general picture.

Companies in Spain

Invoices include Spanish VAT (IVA) in the usual way.

Companies in another EU country

If your company is established in another EU member state and has a valid intra-community VAT number, the general rule for business-to-business services is that VAT is accounted for in the customer’s country. In practice, this means the invoice is usually issued without Spanish VAT, with a note that the reverse charge applies, and your company accounts for the VAT in its own return.

For this to work, we need your VAT number exactly as it is registered. We check it in the EU’s VIES system before issuing the invoice. If the number is not valid in VIES, we may have to charge Spanish VAT.

Companies outside the EU

For companies established outside the EU (for example in the UK, Switzerland, the US or Asia), the VAT treatment depends on the type of service and where it is used. We confirm it in the quote for your specific case, and your accountant should confirm it on your side.

When an agency books on your behalf

If an events agency, a PR agency or a local subsidiary is booking for you, agree early which entity will be invoiced. The VAT treatment depends on that entity, not on the brand whose event it is.

Payment by bank transfer

Payment is made by bank transfer in euros. Payment terms are stated in the quote.

A couple of practical tips:

• Within the EU, a SEPA transfer in euros is the simplest option.
• From outside the EU, make sure the transfer is sent in euros and that bank charges are covered on your side, so the invoice is paid in full.
• If your company works with purchase orders, send us the PO number before the event so it appears on the invoice. Invoices without the right PO number are a frequent cause of payment delays.
• If you need to register us as a supplier in your system, tell us early. Supplier onboarding sometimes takes longer than the booking itself.

What to send us

To prepare a fixed quote and a correct invoice, we need two kinds of information.

About the event

1. Date, times and venue (for example Fira Barcelona, CCIB, a hotel or your offices).
2. Programme or run of show, even if provisional.
3. Approximate number of attendees and whether there are parallel rooms.
4. What you need: photography, video, content for social media, portraits.
5. What the images are for: website, LinkedIn, press, internal communications, advertising.
6. Delivery times: whether you need a selection on the same day.
7. Accreditation or access requirements, especially at trade shows and congresses.

About your company

1. Legal company name and registered address.
2. VAT number or tax ID.
3. Purchase order number, if you use them.
4. Billing contact and contact on the day, with a mobile number.

With that, we can usually send you a fixed quote within 24-48 hours.

Time zones and communication

Barcelona is on Central European Time (CET, UTC+1), and on Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) in summer. In practice:

• With teams in the UK, Ireland and Portugal, the difference is one hour.
• With teams in the Americas, Barcelona mornings overlap with the start of the working day on the US East Coast.
• With teams in Asia, the best window is usually the Barcelona morning.

We work mostly by email, plus a video call for the briefing a few days before the event. You do not need to travel for a site visit: with the run of show, a floor plan and the list of key people, we can prepare the coverage remotely.

English-speaking crew

At an international event, the crew needs to talk to your team, your speakers and the event agency without friction. For these projects we assign photographers and videographers who work comfortably in English. That covers the briefing, on-site coordination and practical details such as file names and captions in English if you need them for press.

Noomadik is an agency with a team of photographers, videographers and content creators in Barcelona, working since 2010. That lets us put together the right team for each event, from a single photographer at a client dinner to several people across parallel rooms, with a single point of contact for you.

Delivery

Everything is delivered through a private online link, organised by moments of the event (arrivals, plenary, sessions, networking, evening). There is nothing to ship and your team can access it from anywhere.

• Full gallery: usually within 5-7 working days.
• Same-day selection: if you want to post on LinkedIn or send photos to the press during the event, we plan it in advance.
• Formats: high resolution for print and an optimised version for web and social media.

In short

• Ask for the quote in euros with everything included.
• Send your legal name, address and VAT number before the invoice is issued.
• Agree which entity is invoiced if an agency books for you.
• Pay by bank transfer in euros and include the PO number if you use one.
• Confirm the VAT treatment with your accountant.

For more on budgets, see our guide on how much a corporate event photographer costs in Barcelona. If your event is during a major trade show, our MWC Barcelona photographer guide covers accreditation and daily deliveries.

To see our work, visit our corporate event photography in Barcelona page, or send us your event details and we will come back with a fixed quote in euros.