madridmanjim writes:
I am a long-time resident (while officially a non-resident). I have never had difficulty opening an account. Passport is basically all that is required. As a non-resident, you will not earn interest (at least I don´t)but you are given a bank card which will give you access to your funds.
There are more details that everyone should know. If you're like me, going in "cold" and not knowing what to do or where to go.... I tried it and this is what I found out:
While in Madrid a couple weeks ago, my ladyfriend and I went to three banks (Caja Madrid, Caixa, Banco de Santander) and they all told me the same thing.
"You cannot open a bank account unless you (I) have a "
Certificado de No Residencia". To get this, you have to go to the police station (called the "
Comistaría General de Documentación) @ Calle General Pardiñas, 90 (metro Diego León) (see the address
HERE and see a photo of the line
HERE both through/from the QDQ.com site) with your passport and a passport photocopy. It takes about 10 days to get your CERFITICADO DE NO RESIDENCIA. And with this and your passport you can open a bank account."
First, I went said police station on a Tuesday... Got there late, knowing it opened at 9am. I arrived at 10:30am. I saw a line outside the police station door about 20 people long and thought, "Oh No... I'll be here awhile." Then, I got to the end of the line and glanced across the street where, waiting impatiently, about 150 other foreigners were curving their way into a long, snakelike line that must have been the length of an "American" football field.
I waited at the end of the line for about 25 minutes and it didn't move. I left and vowed to get up early the next morning and get there long before the 9am opening time. SO I DID. Got up at 5am, took my time getting ready on a rainy Wednesday, took the metro, found my way (it had stopped raining, thank god) and arrived at about 8:30am, thinking I was just fine.
BUY MY GOD!! The line seemed longer than the day before!!! I got in line at 8:30am and made it HALFWAY through the line in just a little more than 2 hours!! I was only wearing a shirt and pullover sweater and it was cloudy and windy, MUCH colder than the day before. I waited for 2 hours, SHIVERING, and had to PEE like crazy!! I just couldn't take it anymore and dragged my butt away from the line in which I had suffered for the previous 2 hours and estimated I would have had to wait for at least one more hour to get in the building... where there was another line.
I went to the nearest café, sat at the bar, almost in tears (really!), ordered TWO café con leches, used the restroom, had some porras with the coffee, and was totally down, totally depressed, thinking I would never be able to get a bank account and establish my "presence" in Spain, something useful/necessary if I wanted to someday in the near future live/work there legally.
I told my story to a few people and BAM! Apparently I told my sob story to the RIGHT person because THAT RIGHT PERSON (sorry, I can't tell you who this person was or how I know this person), took me the next morning, armed with ONLY my passport, to a large Spanish bank where this mystery person introduced me to a friend who worked at the bank, a manager, and that manager allowed me to open a bank account with the bank. Now I have a bank account, internet account access, and only deposited 20€ upfront!
Yes. I was very, VERY,
EXTEMELY fortunate to have told the right person and totally by chance. 99% of the people aren't so lucky and I've never been so lucky before (THAT'S for sure!). And please don't ask me to introduce you to this mystery person for the same favor. I can't do it.
But at least NOW you know what one has to go through to open bank account if you're foreign and don't have a company (or lawyer) to get you the required paperwork for you.
In 1999, I thought it would be simpler to attempt opening an account with a Citibanc and/or Barclays bank, but they both told me the same (they may have changed their rules since): I can NOT open a bank account at these banks UNLESS I can depost something crazy like $5,000 upfront and this has to be the minimum balance at all times in order to keep the account active. BUT, I could have done this with only my passport. Again, maybe they've changed this policy in the last couple of years. I don't know.
Good luck. And good patience. You'll need both.
Saludos, MadridMan