Keeping financial independence once you are settled in Spain

Terms used

• Cuenta conjunta — A cuenta conjunta is a bank account with two or more holders who are all party to the contract.
• Titulares — Titulares are the account holders, who are party to the bank contract and have both rights and liability.
• Autorizado — An autorizado is a person allowed to operate an account with limited powers, without being a holder or owner.
• CIRBE — The CIRBE is the Bank of Spain's register of loans and credit risks, which you can request free of charge.
• ASNEF-Equifax — ASNEF-Equifax is a private list that records unpaid debts.
• BADEXCUG — BADEXCUG is a private list that records unpaid debts.

Key rules

• Own account: You can open an account and get a debit card in your own name without your partner.
• No income: A bank generally cannot refuse a basic payment account only because you have no income.
• Joint debt: Joint account holders are normally each liable to the bank for the whole of any overdraft or debt on the account.
• Autorizado: An authorised person cannot close the account, change the contract or add holders, and the holder can withdraw the access at any time.
• Credit history: Your foreign credit record does not carry over, so you build a new one by paying on time.

Start with an account in your own name

You can open an account and get a debit card in your own name without your partner. You do not need to be the earner. The documents and steps are in the checklist below.

Banks must offer a basic payment account to legal residents, and they generally cannot refuse you only because you have no income. A basic account has a capped fee, so ask how it works. Some branches hesitate, especially if you have no Spanish address yet. If one does, try another branch or an online bank, which is often easier.

The bank may ask where your money comes from. Bring a bank statement, or a document showing the funds are yours.

Build a credit history from zero

Spain has no single national credit score. Your foreign credit record does not carry over. If you have no accounts or contracts, you appear in no records. That means no bad history, but no good history either.

Banks use their own scoring. They look at income, a payroll paid into their account, and how long you have been a customer. To build a record:

• Hold an account with regular direct debits and pay them on time.
• Use a credit card responsibly.
• Take a mobile phone contract in your own name and pay it on time.
• Consider a small loan later, repaid on schedule.

Lists of unpaid debts exist, such as ASNEF-Equifax and BADEXCUG. Staying off them matters more than anything else. The Bank of Spain's CIRBE register shows the loans and credit risks held in your name. You can request your own record free of charge, so check it from time to time.

Joint accounts: what you get and what you risk

A cuenta conjunta has two or more titulares. Each one is a party to the contract, with rights over the account and responsibility for it.

• Indistinct ("o"): any one holder can withdraw, pay or give instructions alone. This is the usual setup.
• Mancomunada ("y"): all holders must sign together.

Towards the bank, you are normally each liable for the whole of any overdraft or debt, not just your half. Your partner's overdraft can be claimed from you.

Between you and your partner, the balance is presumed to be owned in equal shares. A holder who can prove they alone paid the money in can recover it. With an indistinct account, either of you can take the whole balance, but taking more than your share can create a duty to repay the other. Ownership between spouses can also depend on your matrimonial regime. Ask a lawyer or notary if this matters for your savings.

Autorizado access is not the same as being a holder

An autorizado can use the account only within the powers the holder gave. They cannot close the account, change the contract or add holders, and they own nothing in it. The holder can revoke the access at any time. It ends if the holder dies.

So being an autorizado on your partner's account gives you access, but not security. Ask the bank for its own authorisation form and read exactly what it lets you do.

Keep your own footing

Do these things even if your partner handles most of the money:

• Keep one account and card only in your name, with money in it.
• Pay a few regular bills from it.
• Ask to be a named party on the lease and utility contracts, or at least keep copies of them.
• Check the debts and contracts held in your partner's name that you are asked to guarantee or co-sign.

The warning below lists the main traps.

Documents you need

• Your passport, as proof of identity for opening an account in your own name.

• Your NIE (the foreigner ID number), or in some cases your residence card. Banks normally ask for one of them.

• Proof of your address in Spain: a rental contract, an empadronamiento certificate (proof you are registered at your town hall) or a utility bill.

• Proof of where your money comes from, if the bank asks for it under anti-money-laundering rules. Some banks also ask for the partner's documents.

• The bank's own authorisation form, if you want to give or receive autorizado access on an account. The powers depend on that form.

Checklist

• Ask two or three banks, including one online bank, for their document list for a personal account in your name.

• Gather your passport, your NIE and proof of address before you go.

• Ask for a basic payment account if a branch hesitates because you have no income.

• Open the account in your own name and ask for your own debit card.

• Set up a regular direct debit or payment from your account, and pay on time to start a credit history.

Money traps that leave a non-earning partner exposed

• Accounts only in the earner's name: If every account is in one name, the other partner has no money of their own, no card and no right to see balances. The bank cannot tell a spouse who is not a holder anything without consent, except under a court order, a tax request or an inheritance. Open an account and debit card in your own name. You normally need a passport, your NIE (foreigner ID number) and proof of address, such as a rental contract or empadronamiento certificate.

• No card or access of your own: Without your own card or access, you depend on the earner for every payment. Being an authorised user on someone else's account does not give you your own account or its information rights. Ask for a card in your own name on an account you hold. If you share an account, make sure you are a named holder, not just someone with a card.

• No credit history: Spain has no single credit score, and your foreign record does not carry over. If you have no accounts or contracts, you appear in no records. That means no bad history but no good history either, and banks may be cautious. Build a record in your own name: an account with regular direct debits, a card used responsibly, or a phone contract, all paid on time. You can ask the Bank of Spain for your own file of loans for free.

• Unknown debts and contracts: You may not know what debts exist. Debts one spouse takes on alone for the household or their business can fall on shared property under the default regime in most of Spain, so shared assets can be seized. Under separate property, each spouse answers for their own debts, except ordinary household needs. Unmarried partners are not liable unless they co-signed. Find out which property regime applies to you and ask for a list of loans, cards and contracts. Do not co-sign or become a joint holder without knowing each holder can be pursued for the whole debt.

• Lease and utilities in one name: Only the contract holder can change, cancel or complain about utilities. If you are not on the lease, a spouse living in the home has some rights to continue it if the tenant leaves, separates or dies. An unmarried partner has weaker rights and no direct claim against the landlord. Registering your address may need the tenant's consent. Ask to be added to the lease or get written authorisation for utilities. Check your region's rules for unmarried couples.

Frequently asked questions

Can a bank refuse my account because I have no income?

Generally no, a bank cannot refuse a basic payment account just because you have no income. Legal residents in the EU have a right to one, and non-EU residents have the same right. The bank may still ask where your money comes from, and some branches are reluctant, so an online bank can be easier.

Do I have a credit score in Spain if I have no accounts or contracts?

No, you have no score and no negative record, but you also have no positive history. Spain has no single national credit score, and your foreign record does not carry over. Banks use their own scoring, so they may be cautious at first.

How can I build a credit history in Spain from nothing?

Hold your own account with regular direct debits and pay everything on time. A credit card used responsibly, a mobile phone contract or a small loan also create a record. You can ask the Bank of Spain, free of charge, for the loans registered in your name.

Can an authorised person on my account close it or add holders?

No, an autorizado (authorised person) cannot close the account, change the contract or add holders. They only have the powers the holder gave them, and the holder can cancel them at any time. They also have no ownership of the money, and the authorisation ends if the holder dies.

Who owns the money in a joint account between partners?

The balance is presumed to be owned in equal shares between holders. If one partner can prove they alone paid in the funds, they can recover them. If one holder takes more than their share, they may have to reimburse the others, and your matrimonial regime also matters.