Before you start

NIE
Passport
Padrón certificate, for a resident account
Proof of income or employment, commonly requested

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital account immediately for day-to-day use
Revolut, N26, Wise and the Spanish neobanks open accounts quickly on a passport and NIE, giving you a usable IBAN in days rather than weeks. This covers your first rent payment and utilities while a branch account is arranged.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
2
Insist on a resident account once you have the padrón
Non-resident accounts carry higher fees and require a periodically renewed certificado de no residente. Once registered on the padrón you qualify as resident for banking purposes — bring the certificate and make sure the branch opens the right product.
In personWho: You
3
Compare maintenance fees carefully
Spanish current accounts commonly carry monthly or quarterly maintenance charges, often waived if you direct your salary and a set number of direct debits into the account. The waiver conditions vary a lot between banks and are the single biggest determinant of cost.
In personWho: You
4
Set up domiciliación for your bills
Rent, utilities, phone, taxes and social security all run on direct debit, and many providers price it lower than the alternatives. Your landlord will usually expect rent by standing transfer or direct debit rather than cash.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Budget for a summer electricity bill you have not seen before
Air conditioning in a Sevillian July and August is not optional, and the resulting electricity bills are substantially higher than anything most newcomers have budgeted for. Spanish electricity is also time-of-use priced, so running the air conditioning in the cheap overnight band and pre-cooling the flat makes a real difference to the bill.
OnlineWho: You
6
Understand the Modelo 720 obligation early
Spanish tax residents must declare foreign assets above a threshold in each of three categories — accounts, securities and property. It is an information return rather than a tax, but it has its own deadline and catches newcomers who assume non-Spanish assets are none of Spain's business.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

NIE
Passport
Padrón certificate, for a resident account
Employment contract or proof of income
Spanish mobile number

Things most newcomers don’t know

Summer electricity in Seville is a budget line, not a rounding error.

Keeping a flat habitable through a Sevillian July means running air conditioning for weeks at a time, and Spanish electricity is expensive and time-of-use priced. Bills in July and August can be several times the winter figure. Pre-cooling during the cheap overnight band, and choosing a flat that is not west-facing with no shade, both change the number materially. Newcomers budget for Spanish rent and are then caught by Spanish summer power.

Source: community-reported

The resident/non-resident distinction is a real and recurring cost.

A non-resident account carries higher fees and depends on a certificate that must be renewed; if it lapses, banks can restrict the account. Once you are on the padrón you qualify as resident. Many newcomers open a non-resident account on arrival, never convert it, and pay more for years.

Source: Banco de España

Spanish account fees are real and the waiver conditions are the whole game.

Unlike the UK, Spanish banks charge maintenance fees as a matter of course, typically waived if you domicile your salary and a minimum number of direct debits with them. Two banks with similar headline products can differ by well over a hundred euros a year. Ask what the waiver requires before opening.

Source: community-reported

The Modelo 720 catches people who think foreign assets are none of Spain's business.

Spanish tax residents must report overseas accounts, securities and property above a threshold in each category. The European Court of Justice struck down the original penalty regime as disproportionate and the penalties were revised — but the reporting obligation itself remains fully in force. It is the most common serious compliance failure among new residents.

Source: Agencia Tributaria

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening a non-resident account and never converting it once you are on the padrón.
Not asking what conditions waive the monthly maintenance fee.
Budgeting for Spanish rent without budgeting for a Sevillian summer electricity bill.
Missing the Modelo 720 declaration of foreign assets in your first year as a tax resident.
Transferring large sums at a Spanish bank's retail exchange rate.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.