Non Resident Bank Accounts

[ramblagirl]

Having heard a report on the radio yesterday about non-resident bank accounts I went into the Cajamar in Albox to day for clarification as I have two friends with this type of account and who only visit Spain for short periods. I was told that if you have one of these accounts you now need a certificate confirming that you are not a resident of Spain but do have a bank account here. If they were here on a visit this would have to be done in Almeria (I didn't go into detail on this). Since they are in the UK she said it must be done through the Spanish Embassy or you could get a financial advisor or a solicitor to do it for you via the Embassy. This then has to be sent to the Bank who then process it in Almeria at a cost of about 6 euros. This apparently became official in May. It does need to be done quickly as she said they will be freezing the accounts of those who don't comply. I must re-iterate that I only asked in Cajamar, I do not know if other banks are doing the same.

[digifidd]

Thanks for the info, we'll check it out with our bank when we are over. Alternatively, I may give them a call to ask about this.

I would have thought that existing account holders would have been sent a form in the post to fill in if it was required. May be I'm being optimistic.

Do you know if this form has a particular number or name?

[ramblagirl]

I have no idea what the form is called. I had never heard of any of this before. I was just worried for my friend who has standing orders for his house. I also got the impression that this was urgent and they would freeze the account if they didn't get it sorted quickly. As I said before I only spoke to Cajamar what the others are doing I don't know,

[sterling]

Hi All,
I am with Banco Santander and have telephoned and asked about this situation because I have seen a lot of forums reporting 'frozen accts' and people being thrown into custody:confused: This is what i have been told:
If you are a non resident and have a non resident account, the declaration that you sign every 2 years is still in force and still valid. However, if you stay in spain longer that 30 days you must to change your account to a resident one and need to get a residencia certificate. This does not mean you have to live in Spain to be a resident (I know!!!) The authorites are now clamping down. Hence all the fuss :) and panic by some people.
Hope this helps clarify a few things

[robhoey]

As someone living in Spain for the past 6 months we have complied with almost all the rules, regulations and red tape in order to make everything we do above board. However, we have been told to-day that bank accounts are going to be frozen, in fact letters are being sent out from various banks giving people who are not "residents" (ie do not have residencias) informing them they have 60 days to get registered - failing that bank accounts will be frozen. Getting a residencia would not be a problem, normally, EXCEPT the earliest available appointments to get these are now NOVEMBER - which by my reckoning is more than 60 days away!!! If this is all true then where does it leave people who have their assets in these banks. No money - no food, no petrol, no being able to pay standing orders, not paying standing orders means no water, no electricity (were we fortunate enough to have a meter - but that's another story!!!) Both my husband and I are desparately worried and extremely frightened that this sort of thing can happen. The days which we thought would be happy and peaceful are rapidly turning into a nightmare.

Anyone who can throw any light on how we "weather this storm" would be gratefully received.

Dee Hoey

[ramblagirl]

Dee if you go and talk to your bank I'm sure it can be sorted in the interim as Cajamar told me there was some sort of form from the police(I think) which you can get on which you declare that at the moment you are non-resident. Maybe your solicitor could help.

[robhoey]

Many thanks ramblagirl for taking the bother to reply.

I must admit both my husband and myself had been extremely worried about the news that was breaking concerning bank accounts. However, we had decided that the best way to handle this was to go to our bank - which we did. Our Bank Manager informed us that as our bank account(s) had been opened with an NIE number as proof of identification etc. and not merely a passport - we would be fine.

We were both very relieved as we hadn't relished the idea of a lumpy mattress when we withdrew our money !!! :)

Thanks again

Dee

[ramblagirl]

Do you know Dee I find by far the best way to solve a problem is to face it head on and go and ask the relevant people. So many of my friends sit and worry about all sorts of things but refuse to go and tackle the problem at source, usually because of the language barrier. I'm so glad you got sorted out and will have a relaxing weekend. Job done eh!

[mikeyboy]

Now just relax and have a happy birthday Dee!!!!

[ramblagirl]

A quick update.Two friends of mine found out yesterday that their mobile phones had been cut off because their direct debit had not been paid. Cajamar had frozen their bank account with no prior notice whatsoever. They could do nothing yesterday as they were in Almeria getting their residents certificates. They visited the local branch in Oria today and sorted it out, fortunately they have solar power and spring water otherwise there would have been a lot more problems.

[El Gordo]

Being worried about all these posts i went into my bank (LaCaixa) yesterday and asked my position on this subject. The answer i got was that as i was an EU citizen there was no problem and there was no chance of any of my non-resident accounts being frozen.

[Omega]

Enquired today when we went into Cajamar in Arboleas. He has given us a form to fill in and we have to take this to a police station in Almeria. He said once this has been stamped or signed by Almeria police we should have no problems

[digifidd]

Sounds like the usual Spanish botch job! Some doing it, some not - no consistency or agreement. When I have spoken to Banco de Andalucia, I'll let you know who they agree with!!!

[digifidd]

Just to let you know, I finally heard back from the Foreign Office. They have said that the Spanish police no longer issue certificates of non residency. The FCO said that a letter from the Inland Revenue confirming non residency is usually sufficient for local Spanish banks.

[Soxxey]

I've just returned from Spain as my bank account (Cajama) was frozen sometime late July.

It seems that ALL accounts are being frozen (not necessarily with written notification). Certainly I didn't get any letter informing me of this and only accidentally found out when I tried to log on to the internet.

I was informed by my bank that I needed to complete a form (provided by the bank) and take it to the local police station (Antequera) to obtain a certificate. This will take 24 hours although, as I was flying back to the UK the following day, they were able to get it processed immediately. You will require a copy of your passport. They will stamp the form and then you have to take it to any bank to pay tax (6.75 Euros). You then return to the police station and they will then provide the Certificate which in turn you take back to your bank. It is quite a paper hassle exercise.

This seemingly is the new legislation and will have to be done every 2 years - although I gather that once you have done the first time, the next time can be done directly through the bank.

I would strongly urge anyone who is non-resident to sort this out. I was lucky that I did it now as the Electricity is on Direct Debit and due to be paid in September. If the account is frozen nothing will get paid and it could have quite serious consequences - insurances etc... Hope this Helps.

[digifidd]

Well Soxxey, from what you are saying, the Spanish authorities are on a revenue drive.

Typically, get more money from foreigners! God, I'm sick of Spain - money for old rope!

[Omega]

Soxxey
Just to make sure I have the right form. At the top of form did it say Extranjeros? Only asking cause when I try to translate the word it comes up with 'it’s not applicable to foreigners' very confusing!! Just don't want to go down with wrong form. Also as we have a joint account does that mean 2 forms?

[Soxxey]

Omega

Yes you have the correct form. I imagine that this certifcate will release both bank accounts but you may need to confirm with your bank. Am presuming that if they only gave one form then that is all that is needed.

Best of luck!

[Omega]

Thanks Soxxey on to it straight away.