# U.S. Tax Return checks - deposit in U.S. bank or Spanish bank?



## Frank bcn (Nov 25, 2013)

Hi guys, I've been searching for an answer. I already asked my bank in the U.S. and they told me that that they do not know (I have Wells Fargo). They also said to bring the checks into the WF branch office for further help. 

I have my state check and my federal check, both with my address here in Spain. I am going to the U.S. this summer for vacation. Should/Can I deposit my checks here in my Spanish bank? or Can I deposit them in my WF account in the U.S.?

Thanks,


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Frank bcn said:


> Hi guys, I've been searching for an answer. I already asked my bank in the U.S. and they told me that that they do not know (I have Wells Fargo). They also said to bring the checks into the WF branch office for further help.
> 
> I have my state check and my federal check, both with my address here in Spain. I am going to the U.S. this summer for vacation. Should/Can I deposit my checks here in my Spanish bank? or Can I deposit them in my WF account in the U.S.?
> 
> Thanks,


Hi Frank. I would think the people to ask where they can deposit your cheques is the government (the ones issuing your cheques), not your bank. If you're going to be spending the money in the US, perhaps it's better to deposit them in the US, so you don't lose on the exchange rate. Or if it's for just a short vacation, perhaps it's not worth the hassle of changing the deposit routine you already have set up (I think you're saying that you currently have them being deposited into your Spanish account).


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## ptjd (May 27, 2015)

Frank, if you have a WF account just deposit them there when you visit or have a relative deposit it for you. You can always wire transfer it to your Spanish bank after that. I use USAA and have transferred quite a bit to my Banco Popular account in the last 2 months as we are closing on a property in Malaga in July.
For next year just have the Government direct deposit it instead of issuing a check. For me its about $45 fixed to transfer up to $200,000 so not worth it if I'm sending less than a few thousand at a time. It took both transfers about a day and a half each time to post at Popular.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

ptjd said:


> Frank, if you have a WF account just deposit them there when you visit or have a relative deposit it for you. You can always wire transfer it to your Spanish bank after that. I use USAA and have transferred quite a bit to my Banco Popular account in the last 2 months as we are closing on a property in Malaga in July.
> For next year just have the Government direct deposit it instead of issuing a check. For me its about $45 fixed to transfer up to $200,000 so not worth it if I'm sending less than a few thousand at a time. It took both transfers about a day and a half each time to post at Popular.


USAA charges $45 for any international transfer? That's good to know!

If you're looking to take out a smaller amount and want to avoid the fee, Bankia's ATMs allow you to withdraw up to 1,000 per transaction. 

I love USAA. They're the easiest bank to work with from overseas.


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## ptjd (May 27, 2015)

Yeah, USAA does not have a Foreign transaction fee for most ATM withdraws.
For wire transfer its $20 that USAA charges and then NYC Bank Mellon charges $25 to USAA so its $45 total, I've wired $113K, $85K and $3500 and all 3 transactions were $45 each.
I don't like to use ATM's for mid-size withdraws as you get 20's and occasionally $50's, I've been to Spanish banks with 500€-700€ in 10's and twenty's to exchange it to 100's and 500€ bills and they can't do it. I end up carrying a wad of cash.


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## Frank bcn (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Next year, I will definitely do a direct deposit. I will try to deposit the checks in my Wells Fargo account, since I will be back in the states for summer vacation. Then, try to wire the money to my Santander account.

My check have my Barcelona address and my Wells Fargo account probably still has my U.S. address. Do you think I will encounter any problems? Probably not.

Thanks!


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Frank bcn said:


> Thanks for the advice, everyone. Next year, I will definitely do a direct deposit. I will try to deposit the checks in my Wells Fargo account, since I will be back in the states for summer vacation. Then, try to wire the money to my Santander account.
> 
> My check have my Barcelona address and my Wells Fargo account probably still has my U.S. address. Do you think I will encounter any problems? Probably not.
> 
> Thanks!


I'd give them a call or e-mail them just to make sure. It's exponentially easier to cash an American check in an American bank than here.


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## ptjd (May 27, 2015)

Also, not sure about WF but with USAA I am able to just take a picture of the check with my Iphone or Ipad and deposit electronically via the USAA App. Have never tried it overseas but it should not matter.
And yes, you can manually deposit a check even if the address is different, in fact most checks other than government do not list addresses anyway.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

ptjd said:


> Also, not sure about WF but with USAA I am able to just take a picture of the check with my Iphone or Ipad and deposit electronically via the USAA App. Have never tried it overseas but it should not matter.
> And yes, you can manually deposit a check even if the address is different, in fact most checks other than government do not list addresses anyway.


It works very well here.


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