Managing a relative's money and paperwork from Spain

Terms used

• Autorización — The autorización is a signed letter from your relative allowing you to deal with a utility or office on their behalf.
• Poder notarial — The poder notarial is a power of attorney signed before a notary, letting you act for your relative.
• Domiciliación — The domiciliación is a direct debit that pays a bill automatically from a bank account.
• Gestoría — A gestoría is an administrative agent's office that handles paperwork with administrations for a fee.
• DEHú — DEHú is the electronic system through which Spanish administrations send official notices.
• Carpeta Ciudadana — Carpeta Ciudadana is the online folder where a person can see their dealings with public administrations.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is the electronic identification system used to log in to Spanish public services online.
• Voluntades anticipadas — The voluntades anticipadas are an advance directive stating a person's wishes about future medical care.

Key rules

• Credentials: Never log in with your relative's own banking details; get a bank authorisation instead.
• Capacity: A power of attorney can only be signed while your relative can still decide for themselves.
• Paid helpers: Give any gestoría or home-help service a written authorisation before they act.
• Official notices: Many official notices are electronic and need your relative's digital certificate or Cl@ve to open.

Get authorisation first

You have no automatic right to a parent's bank or official accounts, so you need a signed authorisation or a notarial power of attorney. Do not use your relative's online banking login or passwords to act for them. It can breach the bank's terms and data-protection rules.

Which route to use:

• Signed authorisation (autorización): Most utilities and administrations accept it, with copies of both IDs attached.
• Bank authorisation or joint-holder arrangement: Use it if you need to operate the account. The bank decides which document it accepts, so ask it before you start.
• Poder notarial: Signed before a notary, general or specific. Choose it for banking and bigger decisions. It can be written to stay valid if your relative later loses capacity. Ask the notary about that wording.
• Registered representation: For tax and Social Security matters, the representation is registered with the authority.

A power of attorney can only be signed while your relative can understand and decide. If they have already lost that capacity, it is too late. Court-approved support measures are then the route, so see a lawyer. The FAQ below covers this.

The documents list below shows what to prepare.

Set up routines for bills

Pick a fixed day each week or month to review bills and post. Then cut the number of things you have to remember:

• Put utilities, community fees and taxes on direct debit (domiciliación), so nothing is missed.
• Ask suppliers to send e-bills or email notices to you as an extra contact, once your authorisation is accepted.
• Keep a payment log with receipts (see the records section).

Handle post and official notices

Ask a neighbour, friend or paid helper to scan and send you the post. A mailbox service is another option. Correos offers mail forwarding and a Citizen Mailbox for official notifications.

Many official notices arrive electronically, through DEHú or Carpeta Ciudadana. Opening them needs your relative's digital certificate or Cl@ve, so set this up with your relative while they can still do it. Check that someone looks at these notices regularly, because they can carry deadlines.

Use local helpers

Paid help includes a gestoría for paperwork, care-management firms, home-help services and local professional carers. Services and prices vary by area, so ask for a quote. Give any paid helper a written authorisation before they act for your relative.

Keep records

Keep these together, with the passwords stored securely:

• A contact list: doctors, care home, neighbours, gestor, lawyer, bank and emergency contacts.
• A list of accounts, insurance policies and utilities.
• Copies of ID, residence card, health card and pension details.
• Medical records, diagnoses, medication lists and appointment notes.
• An expense and payment log with receipts.
• Copies of every authorisation and power of attorney, and any advance directive (voluntades anticipadas).
• A short record of decisions and who you spoke to.

Documents you need

• Signed authorisation (autorización) from your relative, accepted by most utilities and administrations. It is written by your relative and must be signed by them.

• Copies of your relative's ID and your own ID, attached to each signed authorisation.

• Notarial power of attorney (poder notarial), general or specific, signed before a notary. Choose it for banking or wider matters. It can be written to stay valid if your relative later loses capacity.

• Bank authorisation or joint-holder arrangement, on the bank's own form, if you need to operate the account.

• Written authorisation for any paid helper, such as a gestoría (administrative agent) or home-help service, before they handle post or payments.

• Registered representation with the tax or Social Security authority, if you handle those matters for your relative.

• Your relative's digital certificate or Cl@ve access, needed to open official electronic notices.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my parent's online banking login to pay their bills?

No, using your parent's login details can breach the bank's terms and data-protection rules, even if you mean well. Ask the bank about an authorisation or joint-holder arrangement instead. A notarial power of attorney is the other route.

Who can open my parent's official notifications from Spain's administrations?

Official notices often arrive through the electronic notification system (DEHú) or the Carpeta Ciudadana, and both need your parent's digital certificate or Cl@ve.

What can I do if my parent can no longer sign a power of attorney?

If your parent has already lost capacity, a power of attorney can no longer be granted. Court-approved support measures then apply, such as curatela, guardia de hecho or judicial support. A power of attorney written to stay valid if capacity is lost (poder preventivo) has to be signed earlier, while your parent still has capacity.

Who can scan and send me my parent's post?

A neighbour, friend or paid helper can scan the post for you. A mailbox service or Correos mail forwarding also works. Any paid helper needs your parent's written authorisation.