After losing a partner.

I asked this very same question (after a near miss) on another expat forum. No-one actually came up with a definitive answer other than to suggest opening separate accounts and making sure the funds were split, or should the worse happen, withdraw loads of money before telling the bank of the death. I would like to hear of other posters ideas too!!

Steve 

Hi DAF78,

The account is "frozen" until probate has been completed in Spain.  The best way to mitigate any delays is to ensure you have legal Spanish Wills and that significant assets are included.  For example, in the UK we wouldn't include a car in a Will because it automatically goes to the next of kin unless the Will instructs otherwise.  However, in Spain, if a car is bought in one person's name, or even if it's bought in joint names, the surviving spouse has to inherit their deceased partner's share - this happened to a friend of mine last year.  In hindsight, given that her husband was terminally ill for 6 months, they should have transferred ownership to her before he died, but that's the time when most of us probably aren't thinking too clearly.  She was aware that her bank account would be frozen when he passed, so she withdrew €1,000 in cash before she advised the bank of his death.

Another idea occurred to me - I have a Wise account, which I only use for currency transfers.  If I apply for their bank card, that would enable me to transfer money from our UK bank to Wise, from where I can withdraw cash at an ATM in Spain without it having to go into my Spanish bank account.  (I assume people with other online bank accounts, such as Revolut, N26, Monzo, etc. could do the same?)  My husband will need to open a Wise account too, as I believe they don't currently offer joint accounts, but as the fees charged for currency transfer are minimal, that would be a cheaper option than opening a second Spanish bank account, which would result in additional account maintenance fees.

Unfortunately, this is how it works in Spain, so it's good that you're thinking this through in advance.  Like you, I hope it will be many years before it becomes a reality for my husband and me, but thanks for the reminder!

Kind regards,

Kim

Among Spaniards in such case it's common practice to empty such account (leaving only a few pennies) before the bank gets aware of what happened. The legal way is complicated and may need legal assistance for those not familiar with Spanish inheritance procedures. The bank will need a "title" identifying the legal successor. The whole story is too long as to be told here in detail and depends on individual personal circumstances. If the asset is of some 3K, maybe it's better to do nothing and "let go" as costs and fees may be more than that.

When I lost my husband almost 6 years ago I went into my bank branch and spoke to the person with whom I had usually liaised.  He assured me that all bills would be paid as usual and that I could make withdrawals on the joint account as and when I needed to, and that is what happened.   His Estate was not finalised until 11 months later. 

Very similar to you

When my wife passed 7 years ago Bankia froze my wife's half of the joint account leaving my half functional.

As Kimmy said she has a wise account, we both have wise accounts and debit cards, never use our Spanish bank for cash or purchasing goods, always use Wise.  We only have 2 direct debits in Spanish bank, this makes life so much easier in an emergency.  

I also have a Wise account, why are you paying your direct debits from your bank ? Wise do this too.

7 years ago when my wife passed Transferwise was nowhere near as functional as it is today, is was primarily an account for transferring funds around the world, it is only in the last couple of years that they have been doing direct debits or even had a debit card, I have had an account since just after their start up in 2011 but it wouldn't have served the purpose we are discussing here in 2014 when I needed it.

Yes I agree Kenbo, we had wise as well since it opened as it has come a long way.  I’ve asked them to consider joint accounts which they said it’s something they will look into.  However, I’m so use to having my own cash/card now that I think it’s a much better option.  If we had a joint account and lost our  card or it got stolen then both cards  are cancelled, this way we will at least have a back up.  This is another reason why we just keep one Spanish bank card/account as an emergency.  Only 2 DD and one card isn’t that expensive, as I said we don’t use the card.  

Hi I lost my husband last November. I didn’t inform the bank straight away, as I knew they would freeze his half. I started to empty the account and opened an online account with N26. I cancelled all my DD with old bank and started them off with N26. I kept enough in the old account Incase I had forgotten any DD. I had cash in the house to pay for the funeral. Half of the balance of the old account on the day of death is counted when calculating inheritance tax. 
awful as it sounds, if you know your partner is dying, then you need to get the balance right down before they pass away so it reduces the inheritance amount to be taxed. Not the happiest of subjects but inevitable.