Opening A Bank Account..
 

which Spanish Bank would you recommend to open and account with?

i do not live in Spain yet, nor have a property yet. still living in the UK but would like to open an account before i move to Spain

i had a look at a thread from 2009. some members say its easy to do, others say it was hard? can i open an account online? like you can here in the UK? i don't fancy taking a trip to Spain just to open an account in person

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

Hi Icon,

Welcome from one newbie to another. In response to your question about bank accounts, it is quite simple to do - unlike UK banks who are absolutely paranoid about money laundering. It depends where you want to live in Spain whether you go for a local or national bank. I lived in the Costa del Sol region for a couple of years and found that the Sol Bank was brilliant, and you can use the online facility anywhere in the world to do almost anything, and in English.
see:https://www.solbank.com/en/PAGINA_IN...INE/index.html

Now living at the other 'end' of Spain, I have found Bancaja and highly recommend it: https://www.bancaja.es/

By visiting the websites, you will be guided as to how to open an account as a non-resident. If my memory serves me correctly, I did not need an NIE for Solbank as my passport details sufficed. I think I used my NIE for opening Bancaja. Good luck.

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

Hi MetalMike

Thanks for replying. i have just spent a few minutes applying with Sol Bank. i am waiting for someone to get in touch as i type :)

however this will sound silly i actually cant find the place where you apply for Bancaja maybe i'm blind

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

Hi again Icon,

I agree its a bit difficult to locate, but go into Bancaja link, click English (top right) Go to 'personal banking' left hand menu, then go to bottom of page to 'contact us from this website'

To make it a bit easier for you here is the direct link:
http://bancaja.es/ING/perfiles/banca/contacto.aspx

Hope it helps.

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

I was told, to open a bank account you now need:

passport,

NIE number,

annual income cetificate,

p.60

a copy of a work contract,

and a copy of your "ultima nomina" (payslip).


but you might be able to do a non-resident account easier ?

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

ahh your a star, thank you Mike,

i will be looking to get a non resident account as i have no fixed address in Spain just yet. having a quick look, Sol asks for "Certificate of Fiscal Residence"

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

Just a thought, Santander is now quite big in UK - I think it took over the interests of the old Abbey National perhaps they will have a system to link their UK and EU mainland operations. Why not take a look at Barclays and Lloyds, they have branches over here although they will be separate entities, they may also have some kind of mutual or dual trading agreement. Banks are banks and if they think they can help divert your money, they will surely have a scheme in place - or am I being just a bit cynical here!

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

Why the rush to open a bank account in Spain, especially before you even come here?

Take your time, your passport and credit cards are all you need to start with. It may be all you ever need if you don’t like it.

You’re not likely to buy into a falling market, and if you need a proper rental contract for any reason, your passport is quite sufficient. And if you feel inclined to open a Spanish bank account, your passport is again all you need.

Give it a year or so, have a good look around, and then worry about the various aspects of Spanish bureaucracy that will drive you crazy if you take them seriously.

As to which bank to open your account with, they’re all pretty much the same, the bigger ones, like Santander have a global presence anyway, and are massive in the UK.

Re: Opening A Bank Account..
 

If you have a Halifax UK account why not open a Banco Halifax account, you can then transfer money free of charge between the accounts although they are both independent of each, you can also apply for a banco account at a Halifx branch.

When we were looking for a Spanish account we found Santander charge for interbank transfers and they to operate as independent companies.