# "Swallow" help, please



## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Looking at buying a house in Spain for holidays, and I am visiting Spain at the beginning of April. I am hoping, depending on the situation then, to get an NIE number and open a bank account. I THINK I know what I'm doing re: the NIE application, but could anyone give me any help/advice re: opening a bank account, please?


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Also I keep reading that if you stay for more than 3 months you need to apply for residency. Does this mean staying 3 months in one trip? If you stay the 163 days in odd weeks/fortnights do you still need residency?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

vix2000 said:


> Also I keep reading that if you stay for more than 3 months you need to apply for residency. Does this mean staying 3 months in one trip? If you stay the 163 days in odd weeks/fortnights do you still need residency?


Yes, if you stay or plan to stay 3 months or 90+ days in one trip you are required to register as resident as an EU citizen.

Brexit will have no effect on your ability to get a NIE, nor buy property.

However, if there's a no deal stituation on 29/3 then you'll need to apply for a 3rd country citizen resident visa in order to spend more than 90 days at a time in the Schengen zone.

Of course I'm assuming by your comment about the 'situation' that you're British!


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## ElaineG (Jun 4, 2015)

Vix. This might help the NIE application It was provided by someone who works with the police. 

TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE POLICE FOR NIE, E.U. Citizen registration, etc.

As you go through you will find links to the application forms and the payment, at any bank, form 

.• GO TO https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpplus/ 

• PROVINCES AVAILABLE: CHOOSE the province where your are living/ staying 

• SECTIONS AVAILABLE IN PROVINCE: OPEN PAGE AND SELECT SECTION REQUIRED

e.g. “policía certificado de residente o no residente” (that includes NIE application) 


• ENTER THE DETAILS OF APPLICANT. if you have an NIE show that, if not then show your passport number 

• CHOOSE NATIONAL POLICE STATION FOR APPOINTMENT: The one that covers the area where you are living - staying 

• CHOOSE APPOINTMENT, AND THEN CONFIRM

• You must PRINT A COPY OF THE APPOINTMENT, And take it with you to the police station

You can find info here in english about completing the EX15

http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consul...- NIE 2018 - TRANSLATED NIE FORM 2018 - GUIDE


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

vix2000 said:


> Looking at buying a house in Spain for holidays, and I am visiting Spain at the beginning of April. I am hoping, depending on the situation then, to get an NIE number and open a bank account. I THINK I know what I'm doing re: the NIE application, but could anyone give me any help/advice re: opening a bank account, please?


Just go to your chosen bank and ask to open a non-resident account. They are obliged to make digital copies of your passport and evidence that you reside/pay tax in the UK, so take P60s, pay slips, utility bills etc. They do vary in what they ask for: some want a "certificate of non-residence", which you get from the same place that issues your NIE. Others just want a passport or NIE. This variation is not only between banks but between branches of the same bank! Be prepared to pay bank charges.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

ElaineG said:


> • CHOOSE NATIONAL POLICE STATION FOR APPOINTMENT: The one that covers the area where you are living - staying
> 
> • CHOOSE APPOINTMENT, AND THEN CONFIRM
> 
> • You must PRINT A COPY OF THE APPOINTMENT, And take it with you to the police station


As I mentioned elsewhere, some provinces don't have online appointments. You just have to turn up and wait. This includes Cadiz.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

vix2000 said:


> Also I keep reading that if you stay for more than 3 months you need to apply for residency. Does this mean staying 3 months in one trip? If you stay the 163 days in odd weeks/fortnights do you still need residency?


No, if you come for shorter visits and your main residence is clearly in the UK, there is no need to apply for residency.

At some stage in the post-Brexit future there may be a requirement for visas, but right now, who knows...


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Thank you thats all very informative. I doubt I will be lucky enough to be able to stay 3 months in one trip so I should be OK. Any recommendations for banks, or are they pretty much the same?


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## ElaineG (Jun 4, 2015)

Re bank. Make sure you ask about all the charges a bank might charge. The manager can amend the list and amount, so 
negotiate 

Do not think the rules will be the same as in any other country. They are not !


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Thank you, I was going to try Santander as I am with them here, but I'll do a bit of research.


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## Juan C (Sep 4, 2017)

Very often banks with the same name but in different countries are not the same bank. I am pretty sure that even if they are the terms of service are very unlikely to be even similar !


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

vix2000 said:


> Thank you thats all very informative. I doubt I will be lucky enough to be able to stay 3 months in one trip so I should be OK. Any recommendations for banks, or are they pretty much the same?


Santander Spain and uk are separate companies.

However they do have some benefits.

But opening account first. I opened a basic 123 account in January that has no charges as long as you pay in a set amount each month and have a couple of direct debits. BUT the manager who opened my account waived that as I explained that I would keep a minimum sum in the account and once we had purchased the flat I would put the direct debits. This account pays no interest. 

All I needed were my last P60, passport and something with my home address on. Nothing else. I have however recieved at home a form to state that I am non resident. 

The plus points of having a uk santander account and a Spanish one are. 
1.Put money in your uk account and you can draw this out for free at any santander Spain branch or cash machine in euros for no charge and at a good rate. 
2.The app for your phone is the same and mine has just updated to show both accounts and is now in English. 
3. Most of the santander branches have someone who speaks good English. At least that's what the manager told me. Especially in the big cities and along the costas.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Talking of swallows (martins and swifts) our summer visitors haven't arrived yet and they are normally here on St Patrick's day. Has anybody else seen any?


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Barriej said:


> Santander Spain and uk are separate companies.
> 
> However they do have some benefits.
> 
> ...


Thank you BarrieJ, thats interesting. I'll look into that. I have the 123 account here.


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## Chancerz (Feb 12, 2017)

When I opened an account with Caixa Bank they said it was only possible if i purchased something like one of their insurance policies or medical cover. Basically they wanted to sell me something and tie me in as a customer before they would let me open an account. These practices are illegal in the UK. This sales technique may have been exclusive to the branch i was using which i don't know. In the end my estate agent had a word with the lady in the bank and she opened the account for me without having to "buy" anything. 

If this is common practice in Spanish banks, they may find themselves in trouble in a few years time like the UK banks did and have to pay back the money!


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## Monkey104 (Aug 24, 2014)

We opened our account with Caixa bank in Valencia last year. There were no such tie ins and the salesperson, with impeccable English, could not have been more helpful.
We actually went back the following week to buy insurance for our property.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Chancerz said:


> When I opened an account with Caixa Bank they said it was only possible if i purchased something like one of their insurance policies or medical cover. Basically they wanted to sell me something and tie me in as a customer before they would let me open an account. These practices are illegal in the UK. This sales technique may have been exclusive to the branch i was using which i don't know. In the end my estate agent had a word with the lady in the bank and she opened the account for me without having to "buy" anything.
> 
> If this is common practice in Spanish banks, they may find themselves in trouble in a few years time like the UK banks did and have to pay back the money!


I believe that it is also technically illegal in Spain also, but thety get around it on a technicality.

I took a loan with Bankia in which I "had to" sign up to a payment protection insurance, but the insurance contract had no permanency nor cancellation charge, so as soon as I got the cash from the loan, I cancelled the insurance before I ever paid a premium.

Obviously, you need the check the contracts of the "add ons" carefully before following this strategy.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> Talking of swallows (martins and swifts) our summer visitors haven't arrived yet and they are normally here on St Patrick's day. Has anybody else seen any?


Our housemartins arrived a month ago, and swallows within the last couple of weeks. Mind you we are very close to one of the main migration routes (Strait of Gibraltar). Haven't seen swifts yet.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Our housemartins arrived a month ago, and swallows within the last couple of weeks. Mind you we are very close to one of the main migration routes (Strait of Gibraltar). Haven't seen swifts yet.


I was wondering if the unseasonable warm weather confused them, but the last day or two have been quite chilly. If they want to do any house-building when they arrive, they will have difficulty since the lack of rain means that there is little mud to be had.


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## Monkey104 (Aug 24, 2014)

We noticed a nest on our property in Valencia. Does that mean when we get there in April it may be occupied?


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## emlyn (Oct 26, 2012)

Yes , they arrived a few days ago.


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## emlyn (Oct 26, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> Talking of swallows (martins and swifts) our summer visitors haven't arrived yet and they are normally here on St Patrick's day. Has anybody else seen any?


Yes they arrived a few days ago in Nerja.


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Hopefully we'll be able to open an account at the beginning of April while we are in Spain. Will it be shorts weather then? Not been in April before!!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

vix2000 said:


> Hopefully we'll be able to open an account at the beginning of April while we are in Spain. Will it be shorts weather then? Not been in April before!!!


Hard to say.

On Sunday I was in shorts & a vest top in 28º burning my shoulders on my terrace.

Since Monday we've been lucky to get above 16º & we're back in jeans, jumpers, boots, warm coats & carrying brollies!

The 28º was the unusual event though.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

vix2000 said:


> Hopefully we'll be able to open an account at the beginning of April while we are in Spain. Will it be shorts weather then? Not been in April before!!!


 I'm sure you're not coming this way, but we're having very bright and unusually warm days, but the nights and mornings are very cold with ice on the car at times.
AEMET, the meteorological office, has said that they hope they are wrong but the spring will probably be very warm and dry after a very warm and dry winter. Great for tourists but terrible for fires, agriculture and pollution!!


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## DonMarco (Nov 20, 2016)

Barriej said:


> Santander Spain and uk are separate companies.
> 
> However they do have some benefits.
> 
> ...


Just in case we're still talking Bank accounts............I've got a Santander 123 as well but with quite different conditions.

In every three month period three different D/D have to go through. Plus 5 debit card and one credit card payments. If these conditions are not met there is a monthly charge of 6€.

There is also a monthly charge of 3€ for a the maestro and a credit cards.

In return I get 30€ anual interest (taxed at 19%) if the account balance remains above 1000€. Plus a bonus of between 1 and 2 % on the amount of utilities bills if paid by D/D.

Confused?????

B.T.W. two years ago the anual interest was 380€ if the balance remained above 15000€.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

DonMarco said:


> Just in case we're still talking Bank accounts............I've got a Santander 123 as well but with quite different conditions.
> 
> In every three month period three different D/D have to go through. Plus 5 debit card and one credit card payments. If these conditions are not met there is a monthly charge of 6€.
> 
> ...


It is confusing. When I opened ours as a non resident account it's a 'basic' 123 which is different to the resident version and of course there is the standard 123 which pays interest. But as we have been discussing each branch manager is able to vary the terms.


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## DonMarco (Nov 20, 2016)

Barriej said:


> It is confusing. When I opened ours as a non resident account it's a 'basic' 123 which is different to the resident version and of course there is the standard 123 which pays interest. But as we have been discussing each branch manager is able to vary the terms.


Mine is Non-resident as well.


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Thanks for all the advice. What will I need to take if I already have a UK 123 account? Will the UK account be irrelevant?


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

vix2000 said:


> Thanks for all the advice. What will I need to take if I already have a UK 123 account? Will the UK account be irrelevant?


Nope. Different companies. Same name.

I took.

P60 which gives them the proof that you are non resident and pay tax somewhere else (but I had a form the other week asking me to confirm this) Sent it back while I was in Barcelona on a job.

Bank statement with your address on it (be careful if its a joint account and you are applying for single person one) as this causes issues ( i had both and withdrew the joint account one)

Your passport, as they will take all of the details from this.

I also supplied my UK photo driving licence. As proof of uk address (my P60 also had this as well)

If you have an NIE you should also let them have this (it isn't needed but it didn't hurt)

AND I took copies of all these as well.

Ive had dealings with Spanish paperwork before so its always better to take far too much than you believe you need.

They then opened the account there and then, took me outside to the cash machine and showed me how to use this, i then deposited €200 (which you can do without a card) and i was set to go.
The bank manager even helped me setup the app on my phone.

When we go back sunday next week to collect our keys to the flat. On monday I will go and pick up my debit card. This can be activated from the app on my phone. But I will do it when I get the pin code and card from the branch.

Oh and they will send all paperwork and correspondence to your Uk address. Do not give them a spanish address as this confuses the system (i mentioned that we could use the father in laws address and I got looked at)

For my money it was an easier and more pleasant experience than I have had from any British bank.


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Thanks, I will sort all these out to take. Apart from the managers having different opening conditions are the normal account running charges the same?


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

vix2000 said:


> Thanks, I will sort all these out to take. Apart from the managers having different opening conditions are the normal account running charges the same?


Don't really know yet. I have an amount i agreed to deposit and as yet no outgoings. so Ive had no charges yet.

But even if its €6 a month as advertised its not bad, i can live with that.


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

Thats what I was thinking, it may be a while before I have dd's and regular transactions but would rather open an account while I'm there then I'm covered. 6 euros a month is fine


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## xXEsPaNyoLAkoXx (Jan 24, 2019)

vix2000 said:


> Looking at buying a house in Spain for holidays, and I am visiting Spain at the beginning of April. I am hoping, depending on the situation then, to get an NIE number and open a bank account. I THINK I know what I'm doing re: the NIE application, but could anyone give me any help/advice re: opening a bank account, please?


TransferWise has a Borderless Account that enabled non-resident to have an account. You can open an account online. Read this article it might help you.
https://saveontransfers.com/transferwise-review/
https://transferwise.com/us/blog/opening-a-bank-account-in-spain


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

xXEsPaNyoLAkoXx said:


> TransferWise has a Borderless Account that enabled non-resident to have an account. You can open an account online. Read this article it might help you.
> https://saveontransfers.com/transferwise-review/
> https://transferwise.com/us/blog/opening-a-bank-account-in-spain


You can't use these to pay bills like IBI (council tax) on Spanish property though, at least not in Cadiz province. The account has to have an ES IBAN (i.e. based in Spain).


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> You can't use these to pay bills like IBI (council tax) on Spanish property though, at least not in Cadiz province. The account has to have an ES IBAN (i.e. based in Spain).


You are correct, it may have been possible a few years ago. But both Santander and our Lawyer informed us we needed a Spanish bank account for the utilities as well. 

I had planned to just open a Euro account here in the UK. If you only need an account for withdrawing cash then a borderless account would work (although I expect the charges for this might be high)


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## vix2000 (Jan 20, 2019)

I have a revolut account which is multi currency which would be used for general spending but would need a spanish account for bill paying


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## xXEsPaNyoLAkoXx (Jan 24, 2019)

vix2000 said:


> I have a revolut account which is multi currency which would be used for general spending but would need a spanish account for bill paying



Sounds great if you have revolut account. You can open a spanish account on Santander.


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