Open a bank account in Spain without residency: non-resident and basic accounts
You do not always need an NIE or Spanish residence status to open a bank account in Spain. There are three main options: a non-resident account, a basic payment account (cuenta de pago básica) for people who qualify under RDL 19/2017, and a standard bank account once you have the required Spanish documentation. Online banks make it easier. This guide explains each option, the documents you may need, and what to do if a bank rejects your application.
Three routes to an account
A non-resident account (cuenta de no residente) can be opened using your passport and a non-residence certificate (certificado de no residencia) — an NIE is not required.
A cuenta de pago básica is a basic payment account that banks must offer to certain eligible consumers, including people legally resident in the EU, asylum seekers and certain people who cannot be removed from the country.
Standard account: once you have the required identification and address details, you can apply for a regular bank account; some online banks and neobanks offer a simpler application process.
Who this applies to
- Newcomers who do not yet have an NIE but already need a bank account in Spain.
- Non-residents who need a Spanish account (e.g. to buy property or pay bills).
- People eligible for a basic payment account, including people legally resident in the EU, asylum seekers and certain people without a residence permit who cannot be removed from Spain.
- Anyone whose application has been rejected by a traditional bank without a clear explanation.
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NAVI will prepare the right complaint.
Your rights
- Eligible consumers have the right to a basic payment account, and a bank may refuse an application only on legally permitted grounds.
- If the bank refuses your application for a basic payment account, it must normally notify you in writing and free of charge, stating the reasons, within 10 business days of receiving the complete application, subject to AML and security-related exceptions.
- You can open a non-resident account with a passport and non-residence certificate (certificado de no residencia) — without a NIE.
- If you believe the refusal is unjustified, you can complain to the bank and then to the Banco de España.
What you need
- A valid passport (and NIE/TIE if you already have it).
- For a non-resident account: the non-residence certificate (certificado de no residencia).
- Depending on the bank, you may also need proof of address, municipal registration (empadronamiento/padrón), employment or other sources of income.
How to open it
- Decide the route: non-resident, basic payment account, or normal account.
- If you are applying for a non-resident account, obtain the certificado de no residencia from police or online.
- Choose a bank — some online banks offer a simpler application process for newcomers.
- Provide the documents and open the account.
- If you qualify and your application for a standard account is rejected, apply for a basic payment account in writing.
- Keep the written refusal, as you may need it when filing a complaint.
Resolved complaints: what the Bank of Spain found
Basic accounts are refused most often not over documents, but because the applicant already has an account. The Bank of Spain resolves customer complaints every year and publishes what it found. Its 2022 report singles out basic payment accounts (cuenta de pago básica): there were many complaints, mostly about a bank refusing to open one. The supervisor recalls that the grounds for refusal are an exhaustive list, and the one most often seen in those files was that the applicant already held another payment account.
What was not obvious. “You already have an account” does not mean any account. A bank can refuse on that ground only if the account is in Spain and is a full one: you can pay from it, transfer money, take cash out, and there is a card. An account in another country does not count. Nor does a stripped-down one you cannot really use. And if the bank holding that account has told you it is closing it, they can no longer refuse you the basic one. Second: if the bank refuses on money-laundering grounds, it must be ready to show the supervisor a real, effective risk rather than cite policy — but there is an exception, since a bank that itself ended the relationship with you on those grounds in the previous two years may refuse. So do not rush to close accounts in advance — first see whether your case actually fits that description. And remember that a written refusal is the bank’s duty, not a favour: it comes free of charge, with the concrete reasons and an explanation of how to complain, within ten business days of the complete application — silence about the reasons is allowed only where the anti-money-laundering law or security grounds require it. A verbal “no” is itself something you can complain about.
Outcome: there is no single sum here — the cost is elsewhere. A refusal stands only if it falls within one of the reasons the law lists. If the bank made its own reason up, that is grounds for a complaint. And the bare fact that you hold an account somewhere decides nothing by itself.
The rule is in force and drawn narrowly: art. 4.1.c of RD-ley 19/2017 is about an account in Spain that lets you do the ordinary things (art. 8.1), and it removes the obstacle itself where that bank has told you it is closing the account. The other ground in the same article is not handing over the documents the bank asked for under the anti-money-laundering rules (Ley 10/2010). The Bank of Spain report is not a judgment but the supervisor’s review of complaints: it shows how the supervisor behaves, not how a court would rule.
Bank of Spain, Conduct of Entities Department · отчёт за 2022 год
The guide above describes the usual route. What is worth checking is not the bank but whether you qualify for the basic account — and whether you already hold another payment account.
Check my situationCommon mistakes
- Assuming that you always need an NIE — a non-resident account may not require one.
- Not realizing that eligible consumers have a legal right to a basic payment account.
- Paying for an expensive non-resident account when you qualify for a basic payment account.
- Accepting a verbal refusal without asking for written confirmation and the reason for the decision.
If the bank refuses
- If a bank refuses your application for a basic payment account, ask for written notice. If the refusal is not based on a legally permitted ground or the bank fails to follow the required notification procedure, file a complaint with its Customer Service Department (SAC) and, if necessary, with the Banco de España.
- Keep the written refusal and supporting documents, as they may serve as evidence in your complaint
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Related guides
Opening-an-account FAQ
Can I open an account without a NIE?
Yes — a non-resident account with your passport and a non-residence certificate (certificado de no residencia).
What is the cuenta de pago básica?
A basic payment account that banks must offer to covered consumers: legal EU residents, asylum seekers and certain non-expellable people, with low or capped fees.
What is the non-residence certificate (certificado de no residencia)?
A police certificate proving you are not a resident — needed to open a non-resident account.
Are online banks easier?
Usually yes — neobanks often open accounts with just a passport or NIE.
A bank refused me — is that legal?
For a basic account, refusal is limited to legal grounds and must normally be notified in writing within 10 business days; an unjustified refusal can be challenged.
Do I need municipal registration (empadronamiento)?
Sometimes — some banks ask for proof of address, others do not.
Where do I complain?
First the bank’s customer service (SAC), then the Banco de España.
Where are the rules?
The basic payment account is regulated (RD-ley 19/2017) — check the current text and the Banco de España.
Official sources
- Banco de España — accounts & complaints
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, art. 3 (right of access to a basic payment account)
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, art. 4 (refusal grounds)
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, art. 5 (written refusal notice)
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, art. 8 (basic-account services)
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, art. 9 (fee cap framework)
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, art. 22 (Banco de España as competent authority)
- BOE — RD-ley 19/2017, DA 2 (extrajudicial complaints)
- BOE — Ley 10/2010, art. 3 (KYC identity check)
- BOE — RD 1155/2024, arts. 205-206 (NIE and resident/non-resident certificates)
Informational guide, not legal or financial advice. Each bank sets its own documents — check the bank, the Banco de España and your case with NAVI.
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Checked by the RightNOW team · Change history
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This guide is general information about Spanish law, not a legal opinion on your case. Rules change and outcomes depend on your own facts and documents — check your situation before you act on it.
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