A Spanish agency international clients can actually rely on
If you live on the Costa del Sol — or have property, business interests or family here — and something does not add up, you face a practical problem: Spanish investigation is governed by Spanish law, and evidence gathered any other way is worthless. What you need is a local agency that knows the terrain, holds the proper licence, and can explain everything to you in plain English.
Unipol is that agency. Founded in Málaga in 1963, we are the longest-established detective firm in the province, licensed by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior under number RNSP 10.260. For over 60 years we have worked the ground from Málaga to Estepona: the gated communities of Nueva Andalucía, the marinas of Puerto Banús, the Golden Mile, the urbanisations of Elviria and Calahonda where so many of our British and Scandinavian clients live.
English-speaking investigators. Legal reports valid in Spanish courts and prepared to the documentary standard required by UK/US lawyers. Your case is handled in English from first call to final report.
What we investigate for expats and international clients
Matrimonial and relationship investigations
Suspicion of infidelity is painful anywhere, but it is harder still when you are far from home, in a country whose language and legal system you may not fully know. We confirm or dispel suspicions through lawful surveillance in public places, and deliver evidence your Spanish or British divorce lawyer can actually use. We also carry out discreet checks on new partners — a sadly frequent request on the Costa del Sol, where wealth attracts romance fraud.
Asset tracing and financial investigation
Divorce settlements, unpaid debts, business disputes: money in Spain has a way of hiding behind companies, relatives and second homes. We identify real property, vehicles, business interests and lifestyle inconsistent with declared means, documented in a report your lawyer can present in court.
Background checks and due diligence
Before you buy a business, invest with a new partner, hire domestic staff or trust a builder with your life savings, let us verify who you are really dealing with. Company records, litigation history, solvency, reputation on the ground — facts, before you sign.
Tenancy and property fraud
Absentee owners are easy targets. We investigate unauthorised subletting, holiday-rental use of long-term lets, property occupation and misuse of rented homes, producing the evidence Spanish courts require to act.
Need to talk to someone today?
Free, confidential first consultation — in English.
Why the licence matters more than anything else
In Spain, private investigation may only be carried out by detectives authorised by the Ministry of the Interior and entered in the National Registry of Private Security. A report signed by anyone else can be challenged and excluded as evidence — and unlawfully obtained material can even backfire on you. Before instructing any investigator on the Costa del Sol, ask for their licence number and verify it. Ours is RNSP 10.260, and we are happy for you to check.
Every Unipol investigation stays strictly within Law 5/2014 on Private Security: surveillance in public spaces, no interception of communications, no access to private devices. That discipline is precisely what makes our evidence hold up — in Spanish courts for over six decades, and in the files of the international law firms we regularly work with.
How an investigation works
It starts with a free and confidential consultation by phone, WhatsApp or in person at our Málaga office, 45 minutes from Marbella on the AP-7. We listen, tell you frankly whether an investigation is viable, and send you a fixed written quotation — the total cost, agreed before we start, with no hourly surprises. During the investigation you are kept informed, and at the end you receive a full report: dated photographic and video evidence, a detailed chronology, and conclusions. If proceedings follow, the investigating detective can ratify the report before a Spanish judge.
Contact us
Detectives Unipol Group Spain
Calle San Lorenzo 2, 29001 Málaga, Spain
Phone: +34 952 120 120
WhatsApp: +34 952 120 120
Prefer to read in Spanish? Visit la versión en español de esta página.
Frequently asked questions
Are you licensed to work as private detectives in Spain?
Yes. Unipol holds licence RNSP 10.260 issued by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, the only authorisation that allows private investigation in Spain. Founded in Málaga in 1963, we are the longest-established agency in the province. You can verify any licence with the Ministry — we encourage you to do so.
Do your investigators speak English?
Yes. We work daily with British, Irish, Scandinavian and North American clients on the Costa del Sol. Your case is handled in English from the first call to the final report, which can be issued in English as well as Spanish.
Will your report be accepted by a court outside Spain?
Our reports fully comply with Spanish law (Law 5/2014) and are valid evidence in Spanish courts. For proceedings abroad, we prepare them to the documentary standard required by UK and US lawyers. Final admissibility depends on each jurisdiction, which your lawyer can confirm.
How much does a private detective cost in Marbella?
It depends on the hours of surveillance and the resources required. The first consultation is free and confidential, and you receive a fixed written quotation before anything begins — no hidden extras.
Can you investigate someone who only lives part of the year in Spain?
Yes, a very common profile here. We schedule the investigation around the subject's time in Spain and, where needed, coordinate with law firms and agencies abroad.
Discretion, experience and legal validity on the Costa del Sol.
Free first consultation in English. Fixed quotation before we start.