Verified on 30 October 2026. Should any information have changed, notify me and I shall update it with the date of the amendment.
Si tienes menos de 18 años y quieres vender tus dibujos, no hay una sola norma que lo explique: intervienen el Código Civil, la legislación laboral, la Seguridad Social, Hacienda y las normas de cada plataforma. Esta guía reúne lo que he podido confirmar en fuentes oficiales, señala lo que no está claro y propone preguntas para un asesor. Es información, no asesoramiento jurídico ni fiscal, y no sustituye a un profesional.
The Civil Code
- Age of majority. Article 240 states: "Adulthood begins on completing eighteen years of age."
- Representation. Children who are not emancipated are under their parents' parental authority (Article 154). Article 162 states: "Parents who hold parental authority have legal representation of their non-emancipated minor children." It makes three exceptions: acts relating to personality rights that the child can exercise alone according to their maturity; those where there is a conflict of interest between parents and child; and those relating to assets excluded from the parents' administration. It adds: "To enter into contracts that oblige the child to perform personal services, the child's prior consent is required if they have sufficient judgement."
- Capacity to contract. Article 1263, in its wording in force since 3 September 2021, states: "Non-emancipated minors may enter into those contracts that the law permits them to perform themselves or with the assistance of their representatives, and those relating to goods and services of everyday life appropriate to their age in accordance with social customs."
The 2021 reform reversed the wording of this article: it used to list who could not give consent, and now it says which contracts minors can enter into. What the law still does not say is whether selling your own drawings falls within those "goods and services of everyday life appropriate to their age". It is an open question, not an answer.
Labour legislation
Article 6 of the Workers' Statute prohibits the admission to work of persons under sixteen years of age, and the performance of overtime by those under eighteen. It also limits night work for those under eighteen and permits the participation of those under sixteen in public performances only in exceptional cases, with written authorisation for specific acts.
Law 20/2007, on the Statute of Self-Employed Work, states in Article 9: "Minors under sixteen years of age may not carry out self-employed work or professional activity, not even for their relatives." For the provision of services in public performances, it refers to Article 6.4 of the Workers' Statute.
Royal Decree 607/2026, which comes into force on 25 May 2027, repeats this in its Article 11: "admission to work of persons under sixteen is prohibited, as is work on one's own account or self-employed work". It is in a chapter on artists in the performing, audiovisual and musical arts, with exceptions for that field.
So anyone under 16 cannot carry out self-employed work or professional activity. The sources I reviewed do not say whether occasionally selling your own drawings is "self-employed work" or "professional activity" in that sense. For 16- and 17-year-olds, the cited law sets no equivalent prohibition.
Social Security
According to the official information of the General Treasury of Social Security (Importass), standard registration in the self-employed scheme is for people who habitually carry out an economic activity on their own account and are 18 or over. The only exception I found lowers the age to 16 for a worker-member of a worker cooperative.
El artículo 305 de la Ley General de la Seguridad Social incluye en el régimen de autónomos a las personas físicas mayores de 18 años que realizan de forma habitual, personal, directa y por cuenta propia, fuera del ámbito de dirección y organización de otra persona, una actividad económica o profesional a título lucrativo, den o no ocupación a trabajadores. La Ley 20/2007 (artículo 1.1) lo formula de manera parecida. Ninguno de los dos artículos define la habitualidad con una cifra de ingresos.
El alta de un autónomo individual menor de 18 años no está admitida en la información oficial consultada. No he localizado otros requisitos para vender por cuenta propia siendo menor, ni una resolución oficial sobre si la venta ocasional de obras de arte exige el alta.
Tax authority
The Tax Agency's Practical Income Tax Manual 2025 (page updated on 17 March 2026) sets the obligation to file a return by the amount and type of income. If you have not been registered as self-employed, you do not have to file when all your income is employment income, investment income, or income from economic activities and capital gains, with or without withholding, and totals no more than 1,000 euros a year, with capital losses below 500 euros. Exempt income does not count, and the limits are not increased for joint filing.
There are other thresholds by type of income, for example 22,000 euros for employment income in general. Anyone who has been registered as self-employed at any time during the year must always file, whatever the amount.
The Agency does not say which type of income the occasional sale of drawings by a minor falls under, and the applicable threshold depends on that. Nor have I found how a minor registers an economic activity, or whether they can do so without a representative.
Cambios a los 14, 16 y 18 años
Esta tabla reúne las edades que aparecen en las fuentes de esta guía. No es un esquema completo: cada norma tiene sus condiciones.
| Age | Qué cambia, según las fuentes revisadas | Fuente |
|---|---|---|
| Menos de 14 años | El tratamiento de tus datos personales basado en el consentimiento solo es lícito si consta el de quien ejerce la patria potestad o la tutela | Ley Orgánica 3/2018, art. 7 |
| 14 years | Puedes consentir por ti mismo el tratamiento de tus datos personales, salvo que la ley exija la asistencia de tus representantes para el acto en cuyo contexto se recaba | Ley Orgánica 3/2018, art. 7 |
| Menos de 16 años | No puedes ejecutar trabajo autónomo ni actividad profesional; no se admite el trabajo, salvo excepciones para espectáculos públicos | Ley 20/2007, art. 9; Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 6 |
| 16 y 17 años | Si vives de forma independiente con consentimiento de tus padres o tutores, tienes plena capacidad para ceder derechos de explotación de tu obra; la Seguridad Social no admite el alta ordinaria como autónomo individual por debajo de los 18 años | LPI, art. 44; Importass |
| 18 years | La mayor edad empieza a los dieciocho años cumplidos; es la edad del alta ordinaria de autónomo y de la titularidad de una cuenta en Etsy | Código Civil, art. 240; Importass; Etsy |
Antes de los 18 años, los padres con patria potestad tienen la representación legal de sus hijos menores no emancipados y estos solo pueden celebrar por sí mismos los contratos que la ley permite y los de la vida corriente propios de su edad (artículos 162 y 1263 del Código Civil).
Casos según la situación
- Venta directa. Si vendes un dibujo original a un conocido, la ley que he revisado no dice si es una actividad regulada. Habla con tus padres o tutores y con un asesor.
- Encargos. Si aceptas un encargo, lo habitual es que lo hagan tus representantes contigo. Lo explica Primer encargo de ilustración.
- Plataformas y cuentas de cobro. Etsy exige que la cuenta y los datos financieros estén a nombre de un adulto; Patreon pide 18 años o permiso para una página de creador. Más en Cómo publicar un webcómic sin depender de una plataforma.
- Datos personales. Qué datos se publican y qué consentimiento hace falta, en Publicar tu obra en redes siendo menor de edad. Si ya ha ocurrido un incidente, Acoso, suplantación y cuentas falsas en redes.
- Facturación. El alta ordinaria de autónomo es desde los 18 años. Para cuando la cumplas, Cómo facturar la venta de una obra de arte en España: IVA y retención.
Contratos firmados antes de cumplir 18 años
No he localizado una fuente oficial que diga qué ocurre con un contrato firmado siendo menor cuando cumples 18 años: si sigue vigente, si puedes anularlo o si tienes que ratificarlo. Si has firmado uno, consulta a un asesor antes de actuar.
Spain's Intellectual Property Law and authors who are minors
Article 44 of the Intellectual Property Law states: "Authors under eighteen years of age and over sixteen, who live independently with the consent of their parents or guardians or with the authorisation of the person or institution in charge of them, have full capacity to assign exploitation rights."
This refers to assigning the exploitation rights in a work, for example to a publisher, not to selling copies or original drawings. It also requires the author to be 16 or 17 and to live independently with consent. It says nothing about under-16s. For the publishing contract, see Publishing contract for a comic: mandatory clauses and the author's rights.
Platforms
Etsy. According to its minors policy, updated on 20 November 2020, the account holder must be 18. Children under 13 are excluded. Those aged 13 to 17 can sell only with the permission and direct supervision of a parent or guardian, who is the account holder. Financial details and Etsy Payments must be in the adult's name.
I have not found the minimum age for selling or being paid on Redbubble, Gumroad, PayPal or Stripe. For webcomic publishing platforms, see How to publish a webcomic without relying on a platform.
My reading
The sources confirm four facts: parents with parental authority have legal representation of their minor children, who can themselves enter only into the contracts the law allows and those concerning everyday matters appropriate to their age; anyone under 16 cannot carry out self-employed work or professional activity; official Social Security information does not allow an individual self-employed registration below 18; and at least one major platform, Etsy, only allows selling through an adult's account.
They do not confirm what you most want to know: whether you can sell the odd drawing without it being a regulated economic activity. The answer depends on your case, your age, how much you sell and how often, and in whose name the sale is made.
Questions to take to an adviser
These questions are mine, not the sources'.
- If I sell a few drawings a year, is that an economic activity? From what amount, or how often?
- In whose name should the sale be made: the minor's or their representative's?
- What tax obligations do I have, if any, and who has to meet them? What type of income is what I sell, and which threshold applies?
- What happens to the money I am paid: is it mine, or do my parents manage it?
- Does my situation change when I turn 16 or 18?
Until you have answers, talk to your parents or guardians before taking payment. Keep a record of what you sell, to whom and for how much: it will help with any procedure.
Points requiring clarification
- Whether selling your own drawings falls within the "goods and services of everyday life" of Article 1263.
- Whether the occasional sale of your own drawings is "self-employed work", "professional activity" or "economic activity" within the meaning of the rules cited.
- Which type of income that sale is for personal income tax (IRPF) purposes.
- The requirements for census registration and for a minor's representation before the tax authority.
- Any other way for a minor to sell on their own account, apart from using an adult's account.
- The minimum age for selling or being paid on Redbubble, Gumroad, PayPal and Stripe.
Itineraries
I am starting my practice
Before selling, show your work, enter competitions and fairs where you are allowed to, and keep your originals. Selling can wait until you have talked it over with an adult and an adviser.
I am going to sell or exhibit
Si vas a vender o exponer con menos de 18 años, hazlo con un adulto responsable y con la información de un asesor. Cuando cumplas 18 años, consulta Cómo facturar la venta de una obra de arte en España: IVA y retención.
An open conversation
This guide brings together rules and leaves questions open where the sources do not answer. If you work in employment or tax advice, or for a platform, and can clarify any point, you can write to me.
Sources
- Civil Code (BOE), arts. 154, 162, 240 and 1263.
- Workers' Statute (BOE), art. 6.
- Intellectual Property Law (BOE), art. 44.
- Law 20/2007, Statute of Self-Employed Work (BOE), art. 9.
- Royal Decree 607/2026 (BOE), art. 11.
- Social Security (Importass), registration as a self-employed worker.
- Tax Agency, 2025 Income Tax Practical Manual, obligation to file.
- Etsy, minors policy.