Opening an account

Jp1 wrote on Thu Jul 27, 2023 10:34am:

Hi can anyone help with telling me whether I can open an account in euros from the uk from one of the major banks that are in Spain 

Thanks John

tebo53 wrote on Thu Jul 27, 2023 10:42am:

When I first opened my Spanish bank account with Sabadell i had to be there in person to sign all the documents etc.

Maybe nowadays you can give Power of attorney to a trusted friend to open one on your behalf.

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Don't forget that the Spanish banks charge a high maintenance fee for non residents. A lot of posters have changed their accounts to Wise Online Banking. 

www.wise.com 

Steve

Jp1 wrote on Thu Jul 27, 2023 10:55am:

Thanks Steve does that mean I can open an account in euros online with say Santander or another bank do you know 

tebo53 wrote on Thu Jul 27, 2023 11:37am:

As I mentioned, I had to attend the chosen bank personally to open my account and to sign documents. 

I personally don't know of any online application procedures for the major banks.

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I understand that some banks charge up to €60 per quarter maintenance fee. 

Steve 

Campoverde53 wrote on Fri Jul 28, 2023 8:23am:

I recently opened an online only account with BBVA and has no fees.  You do have to submit / upload documents online to prove who you are etc

Stevec2x wrote on Fri Jul 28, 2023 11:15am:

Hi 

I recommend that you avoid Spanish banks if at all possible, they charge for anything they can think of, especially using ATMs at another bank.

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You will presumably need to convert GBP to EUR as well?

As t'other Steve has said, wise.com can do everything you might need, and with minimal cost. The only obvious problems are that they will apply a small fee for cash withdrawals over €300 per month, and that they are not a bank - so your deposits there are not covered by the £80k guarantee by the government/taxpayer.

It costs nothing to open an account online, so why not try it?

Cheers

Steve