Money in Spain: the steps, from official sources
What applies everywhere in Spain on money, each with the official page that confirms it, then the regions whose own rules add to it.
Your plan, in your order. Documents, offices, hours and fees for your city, for your passport and visa.
Open the guideAcross Spain
Open a Spanish bank account
A Spanish (euro, IBAN) bank account is what you need for rent, direct-debited utilities, salary, Bizum and everyday card payments; any legal resident of the EU also has a legal right to a low-fee 'cuenta de pago básica'…
Keep up US obligations while living abroad (taxes, FBAR, voting, benefits)
US citizens must generally keep filing US tax returns and report foreign accounts from abroad, can vote absentee through FVAP, and can usually keep receiving US Social Security payments overseas.
Pay government immigration fees (Modelo 790 tasas)
State immigration fees are paid with the self-assessment form Modelo 790: código 012 for police documents such as the NIE, TIE and EU certificate, and código 052 for residence-authorization procedures; you generate the…
Set up Bizum for instant mobile payments
Bizum is Spain’s bank-run mobile payment system that links your phone number to your Spanish bank account so you can send, request and receive money in seconds, pay in some shops and online, and donate, all through your…
Understand Spanish tax residency and the annual Renta declaration
You are a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a calendar year in Spain or if the main base of your economic activities or interests is in Spain; residents file the annual income tax return (Renta /…
Use US cards and move money between the US and Spain
How to pay and withdraw cash in Spain with a US card, what kinds of fees apply, and what official sources say about sending money across borders and carrying large cash amounts.
Send money abroad, receive it from abroad, and declare cash you carry
Transfers in euros inside the SEPA area are cheaper and faster by rule, transfers outside it or in other currencies come with information you are entitled to see before you send, and carrying cash of 10,000 euros or…
Where a region adds its own rules
Andalucía
Aragón
Asturias
Canarias
Cantabria
Castilla y León
Castilla-La Mancha
Cataluña
Community of Madrid
Comunitat Valenciana
Extremadura
Galicia
Illes Balears
La Rioja
Navarra
País Vasco
Región de Murcia
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