Opening a bank account
If you plan on staying in Spain for longer than six months, you will probably need a bank account. For foreigners in Spain, there are two types of bank accounts: resident and non-resident accounts
According to Spanish law, to be considered a resident, a person must live in Spain for more than half the year, be based in Spain for professional reasons or have a spouse or child under 18 who are permanent residents.
To open the account the following is required:
* photographic proof of identity (passport or ID card)
* proof of occupation or status (employment contract/payslip, letter from accountant/lawyer, pension or disability payment confirmation, student card).
* NIE number
* confirmation of addres (utility bill, driving licence or council tax bill; issued within the last 3 months)
If you have all the above, you should be able to open an account immediately although it make take a few days for cards & cheque books to come through.
What do the numbers mean on my account?
Your account will always have 20 numbers
XXXX XXXX XX XXXXXXXXXX
* The first four numbers are the Entity (entidad) = The bank with whom the account is held. Always four digits
* The second two numbers are the Branch (sucursal or oficina) = The number of the branch where the account is held. Always four digits
* The next two numbers are the Control Digit (Dígito Control, or D.C.) = An internal bank code. Always two digits
* The final 10 numbers are the account Number (número de cuenta) = The personal account number. Always ten digits
