Spanish bank account

Joanie53 wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:24am:

Hi , We need to open a Spanish bank account as I’m told we will need 3 months bank statements showing our pension income when we apply for residency and also for utility bills when we purchase our property . Can you firstly confirm that I need statements in Spanish bank for residency and need t...

 

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...o have pensions paid into it , we do have accounts with TransferWise and Starling and I’m not sure if these are ok . Secondly can you recommend a decent bank that will be able to help us we need some help in English as our Spanish is still a bit dodgy 🙁

We’d appreciate any guidance thanks 

Joanie53 wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:24am:

Hi , We need to open a Spanish bank account as I’m told we will need 3 months bank statements showing our pension income when we apply for residency and also for utility bills when we purchase our property . Can you firstly confirm that I need statements in Spanish bank for residency and need t...

 

Read more...

...o have pensions paid into it , we do have accounts with TransferWise and Starling and I’m not sure if these are ok . Secondly can you recommend a decent bank that will be able to help us we need some help in English as our Spanish is still a bit dodgy 🙁

We’d appreciate any guidance thanks 

dinnerout wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 12:45pm:

You can open a Spanish bank account in person at the branch with a Passport and an NIE (there was a post from someone this week who said they'd done it with Passport only). I also understand that an NIE number is now issued automatically with a successful TIE (Residency) application. 

When I moved to Spain permanently 5 years ago I opened an account with Sabadell. They have English speakers in branches which is very helpful when it comes to problem resolution. A lot of people choose alternative banks because their fees are lower, but run into problems when they find they can't...

 

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... access an English speaker in branch.

Their App is terrific, very secure, in English and very easy to use. I would recommend Sabadell for your needs, perhaps later when you have some Spanish you might swap, but I find them really excellent and even now with reasonable Spanish I would definitely not swap. 

And yes, you will need to show regular payments into your account to satisfy your TIE application. Funds held "in suspension" might be taken into account but personally I doubt it. Check out Jim's Guides. Use the 3 blue bars at the top and look for them in the drop down menu.

Good luck,  Steve

Kimmy11 wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:07pm:

Hi Joanie,

I agree with dinnerout and the other advantage of Sabadell over most spanish banks is that they have the widest network of ATMs.

 

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Kind regards, 

Kim

Joanie53 wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:12pm:

Thanks Steve that’s really helpful we’ve already got our NIE number so that’s no problem ,what are the monthly costs if you don’t mind me asking ,we would only have basic items going through the bank, utilities and pensions being paid in .

thanks Joan 

dinnerout wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:21pm:

I think the costs vary (only slightly) as I have seen different amounts quoted on the forums. My banking is a little unusual, (sorry too much to explain) but I've heard it said that if you pay more than 700€ in monthly *AND ARE RESIDENT IN SPAIN the banking is free.

I do not always pay more than 700  monthly into that account for reasons I don't wish to post here and my charges are 30 quarterly, 120 annual, and I am Resident....

 

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* I believe NON RESIDENTS who pay more than 700 in monthly may be charged, because they are not resident in Spain but there's been a lot of debate about this on the Forums in the past. Opinions on fees at Sabadell seem to vary.

I hope this helps somewhat!

Kind regards, Steve

Joanie53 wrote on Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:12pm:

Thanks Steve that’s really helpful we’ve already got our NIE number so that’s no problem ,what are the monthly costs if you don’t mind me asking ,we would only have basic items going through the bank, utilities and pensions being paid in .

thanks Joan