This paper explores the link between outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and exports using Spain's flows to the top-50 recipient countries over the period 1995–2019. Methodologically, it addresses two often forgotten features of spatial data (heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence) by combining a heterogeneous panel approach with the treatment of cross-sectional dependence. Indeed, when addressing cross-sectional dependence, it removes one of its two components (spatial dependence) so that comparing raw and spatially filtered data yields relevant conclusions. Findings show that OFDI has a significant positive effect on exports in the long term, but it is exclusively due to spatial dependence.