Three requirements for opening a bank account in Spain

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Published on 2023-08-10 at 09:40
Spain is one of the preferred destinations among expats who want to spend extended periods of time in another country and improve their quality of life. But living and working in a place that is not your homeland is not as easy as it may seem. Even opening a bank account can be a cumbersome and tedious process if you don't know how to go about it. Here, we'll show you the documentation you need and introduce you to CaixaBank, one of Spain's leading financial institutions, which offers you HolaBank, a value proposition tailored to expats, making your life easier than ever.

The climate, cuisine and lifestyle are the main attraction for many expats looking to live and work in a place like Spain. The Iberian Peninsula is becoming the top choice, especially among European and North American citizens who want to improve their quality of life.

According to official data, the number of foreigners in Spain increased by 180,000 in 2022, with Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia being the cities experiencing the greatest increase in population.

But settling, adjusting, and working in a place that is not your own can be difficult. Even the basic step of opening a bank account can be a cumbersome and tedious process if you don't know how to go about it.

Here are some tips and recommendations that you can't pass up if you want to open an account in Spain in a straightforward and easy way.

What are the requirements?

  • In general, you have to be over 18 years old.
  • It is also best to have a good credit history with financial solvency and regular income.

To open your account in Spain, you will need to show...

  • Passport or ID card from your country
  • A certificate verifying non-resident status. To get one, you can go in person or online to the Spanish police department and pay the corresponding fees.
  • In most cases, it will also be necessary to present proof of monthly income, references from your bank in your country of residence, and perhaps a payslip, employment contract or your last income tax return.

If you are looking for a bank with experience in dealing with non-resident customers, CaixaBank is here to help you.

Discover the bank created for expats, making it easier for you to open your account in Spain

Although there are dozens of banks in Spain and digital advances are becoming the norm, today we want to tell you about one bank that has a programme aimed exclusively at international customers. This is CaixaBank, voted Best Bank in Spain in the "World's Best Bank" awards presented each year by the US magazine Global Finance. CaixaBank offers you HolaBank, a value proposition geared towards the international community, offering financial products and services adapted to your needs.

These include the HolaBank account, which, thanks to an online onboarding service that takes just five simple steps, allows you to open your Spanish bank account as a non-resident, no matter where you are. The process is 100% secure, and your account will be ready within 48 hours.

You will also get credit cards with no issuing or maintenance fees, cheque deposits, free transfers, and a range of services at the best possible conditions, which you can consult on our  HolaBank website.

Not to mention that with your HolaBank account, you will have access to a Club that will make your arrival and stay in Spain much easier. You will have access to services that can help you with administrative tasks such as arranging utilities or processing your foreigner's ID card, simultaneous interpretation and text translation in 5 languages, with a total of 20 services that you can enjoy every day. Also, for your convenience, we can process your residence certificate so you don't have to do it on your own – we'll take care of everything for you.

HolaBank has more than 500 multilingual managers specialised in international customers, an online manager service, 300 branches for the international community and CaixaBankNow, its remote banking service in more than 22 languages to let you carry out your transactions from anywhere in the world.

In other words, if you are looking to open an account in Spain with a bank that understands the needs of expats, we would without a doubt recommend HolaBank.

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