You have moved to Spain or are planning to do so in the near future, have bought a property or rented one for a long term? Most likely, you will need to open a bank account to manage your finances locally, pay utility bills, fulfil your tax obligations, receive your salary, pay by card and much more.
Spain has many banks that offer accounts both for residents and non-residents. In recent years, online accounts have been gaining popularity – they can be opened without visiting a branch and managed entirely through a banking app. In this article, we explain the procedure for opening a bank account in Spain in 2025, the most popular banks and the required documents.
Resident and non-resident bank accounts in Spain
All major commercial banks in Spain work with both resident and non-resident accounts. If a non-resident account is opened and the holder later obtains a Spanish residence permit, the type of account is changed and, at the same time, the maintenance fees are reduced (or completely cancelled) and the list of available services is expanded.
The banks that open accounts for non-residents include: BBVA, Banco Santander, Banco Sabadell, CaixaBank, Openbank, Revolut, Unicaja, Bankinter and many others. Let’s look more closely at the first three.
BBVA account in 2025
Foreigners who are non-residents can open an account with BBVA as follows:
- Citizens of EU Member States: by presenting their national ID card or passport, as well as the CUE – Certificado de la Unión Europea (certificate confirming registration in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals for citizens of EU Member States or another state in the European Economic Area who intend to reside in Spain for more than three months). To open the account it is necessary to visit any branch in person.
- Citizens of non-EU countries: by presenting a valid foreign passport. To open the account it is necessary to visit any branch in person.
Foreigners who are residents can open an account with BBVA as follows:
- Citizens of EU Member States: by presenting their national ID card or passport, as well as the CUE. The account can be opened in person at any branch, but there is also the option to do so via the website bbva.es or in the BBVA mobile app (in the latter case, you will still need to visit a branch to complete the registration process).
- Citizens of non-EU countries: by presenting the Foreigner Identity Card (residence card) TIE. The account can be opened in person at any branch, or via the website bbva.es or in the BBVA mobile app, without leaving home.
The list of documents also includes the NIE certificate, which, if there is no residence permit, is obtained when purchasing property and confirms that the owner has been assigned an identification number that is also their tax number. In addition to the above, the general requirements include:
- Being of legal age (over 18 years old);
- Not being listed in debtors’ registers.
The types of accounts that can be opened with BBVA in 2025 are:
- Interest-free account opened online: Cuenta Online sin Comisiones (no fees). NIE is required.
- Interest-free account linked to a salary or other income: Cuenta Nómina Sin Comisiones (no fees). It can be opened with either an NIE or a passport.
- Parents who are residents of Spain and hold a TIE card can open an online account for a child aged 0 to 17: Cuenta Online para Menores (no fees).
- Interest-free online account for students: Cuenta Online para Jóvenes Sin Comisiones (no fees). A student visa / student card is required.
- Interest-free online account for working young people: Cuenta Nómina Va Contigo para Jóvenes Sin Comisiones (no fees). A student visa / student card and salary payment into the account are required.
Banco Santander account in 2025
For residents, Banco Santander offers several types of accounts: Cuenta Santander, Cuenta Mini (for children from 0 to 17 years), Cuenta de Pago Básica (for people who are legally on EU territory with refugee or asylum seeker status) and Cuenta Online with salary linkage. Some of these accounts have zero maintenance fees, while others require certain conditions to be met. The common conditions are: having the salary or other income paid into the account, linking utility bills and/or taxes to the account, and active use of bank cards.
If the account is opened online, maintenance is always free. In addition, new clients who agree to have their salary or other income paid into the account are offered a one-time bonus of between €300 and €400.
For non-residents, Banco Santander offers a special account: Cuenta Online para No Residentes, which can be opened with a passport. This account does not require income or expenses to be linked, is opened online with video identification of the applicant and has no maintenance fee. A debit or credit card can be ordered with the account.
The advantages of a non-resident account with Banco Santander include:
- Obtaining a debit or credit card without issuance or maintenance fees. You can receive a physical card if you have a physical address in Spain or use a virtual card.
- Cash withdrawals without commission at Banco Santander ATMs worldwide (over 30,000 machines).
- SEPA transfers free of charge to any bank branch in Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland and Portugal, both online and via Banco Santander ATMs (with the exception of transfers involving currency exchange).
- Foreign residents opening an account at Banco Santander must use their TIE residence card as an identity document, while citizens of other EU Member States must present their passport and CUE. At present, the non-resident account Cuenta Online para No Residentes is available to foreign citizens holding a passport from Germany, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA or Uruguay.
Banco Sabadell account in 2025
For non-residents, Banco Sabadell offers the Key Account – an account designed exclusively for foreign clients who do not have a Spanish residence permit but wish to manage their funds. This account can be opened by any person residing outside Spain. It is necessary to be of legal age, have a valid identity document and not be listed in debtors’ registers.
To open a bank account with Banco Sabadell without a residence permit, the following documents are required:
- For residents of EU Member States: a national identity document or foreign passport.
- For residents of non-EU countries: a valid foreign passport.
- The process of obtaining a Key Account at Banco Sabadell begins with filling in an application form on the bank’s website. Afterwards, a personal manager contacts the applicant to clarify all details, help configure the account according to individual needs, sign the contract and start using the Key Account.
The advantages of the Key Account are:
- Debit and credit cards with no issuance or maintenance fees.
- Transfer and support services in the client’s language, a personal manager and free translation of 10 texts of up to 500 words per year.
- Bank transfers within Spain and the countries of the European Economic Area up to €20,000 free of charge.
- Cash withdrawals with the debit card at Banco Sabadell ATMs without commission. Cash withdrawals from €60 and above at ATMs of the main banks of the EURO 6000 network – Abanca, Ibercaja, Kutxabank, Unicaja Banco, CajaSur, Caixa Ontinyent and Colonya Caixa Pollença – are also commission-free.
For residents of Spain, Banco Sabadell offers the following types of accounts:
- Cuenta Online Sabadell: opened online; DNI or TIE is required as an identity document.
- Cuenta Sabadell: a bank account with flexible conditions, which includes the assignment of a personal manager.
- Cuenta de pago básica: intended for people who are legally in the EU as asylum seekers and do not have an account with any bank.
- Cuenta Sabadell Primera: a children’s account with the option of issuing a free debit card.
How to open a bank account in Spain in 2025
The document requirements may differ depending on the bank and the type of account. Online banks tend to be less demanding, while banks with physical branches tend to be more demanding. As a rule, the following are always requested:
- a valid identity document:
- for residents – TIE;
- for non-residents from EU countries – their national ID document and CUE;
- for non-residents from non-EU countries – a foreign passport;
- a document confirming the address of residence (for example, utility bills, a certificate of registration at the address, etc.);
- a document confirming employment / income (for example, a payslip or employment contract).
Sometimes banks require a document called Certificado de no residente. It can be requested at an Extranjería (immigration office) or police station, as well as at a Spanish consulate in your country. This document confirms that a given person is not a tax resident of Spain.
The first thing to do before opening a bank account in Spain in 2025 is to decide on the type of account: resident or non-resident. This will determine the choice of bank and procedure. However, if your move to Spain is still only at the planning stage, you can choose one of three options:
- Open an account now as a non-resident by presenting your foreign passport.
- Wait until you obtain a residence permit or student visa and open an account as a resident using your TIE.
- Combine both options: first open a non-resident account and then, after obtaining a residence permit and the NIE identification/tax number, convert it into a resident account.
Opening a bank account in Spain in 2025 as a resident
Residents can open an account in most Spanish banks both online and in person at a branch. There are also banks that do not have branches: Openbank (part of the Banco Santander group), Imagin (a neobank belonging to CaixaBank), and international banks such as Wize, Revolut, N26, Nickel and many others. A full list of banks licensed to operate in Spain is published on the Banco de España website. After studying the offers and choosing a specific bank, you need to:
- Visit the nearest branch of the chosen bank in person or go to its website to fill in an account opening application and provide your personal details.
- Submit the required documents in person or electronically. As mentioned above, this will be the residence card and documents confirming your address of residence and source of income.
- Sign the contract and install the bank’s mobile app on your phone to manage accounts, cards and other financial instruments online.
Opening a bank account in Spain in 2025 as a non-resident
To open a bank account in Spain in 2025 as a non-resident, you will need to take the following steps:
- Request a non-resident certificate – Certificado de no residente – from the police (Comisaría de Policía) or the Immigration Office (Extranjería). This procedure takes about a week, and the certificate is valid for three months. You will need to fill in and sign the official application form (EX-15) and pay the fee (form 790-012).
- While the certificate is being issued, study the offers of banks for non-residents.
- Submit an application online and then go to a bank branch to verify your identity with the non-resident certificate, valid passport and any other documents the bank may request.
- Sign the contract and install the bank’s mobile app on your phone to manage accounts, cards and other financial instruments online.
