Why your bank asks where your money came from

Key rules

• Reply window: Banks usually set their own window to answer, commonly 10 to 30 days, so reply promptly and ask in writing for more time if needed.
• No fixed trigger: No single amount triggers a question; banks use private, risk-based limits.
• Cash: Cash deposits of 10,000 EUR or more are reported systematically.
• Complaints: The Banco de España handles conduct complaints but cannot review a suspicious-activity report.

Why the bank asks

Spanish anti-money-laundering law requires banks to know who you are, what the account is for and where your money comes from. If you do not cooperate, the bank must refuse the transfer or end the relationship. So a question is routine. Prepared, prompt answers are what keep your account open.

What usually triggers a question

There is no single amount that sets it off. Banks use their own internal limits, and these are not public. These are the common triggers:

• A large or unusual amount for your profile.
• A recently opened account.
• Money from, or passing through, high-risk or tax-haven countries.
• Transfers from third parties.
• Round sums, or frequent transfers just under a threshold.
• Cash deposits of 10,000 EUR or more, which are reported automatically.
• Being a politically exposed person.
• Stated income that does not match your activity.

How fast you need to answer

The law sets no fixed deadline for you. The bank sets its own window in the request. It is commonly 10 to 30 days, and sometimes only a few days when a transfer is waiting. Reply promptly. If you cannot collect everything in time, ask in writing for more time before the date passes.

Missing the date can lead to a held or returned transfer, blocked operations or a restricted account. In serious cases the bank can close the account and report you to SEPBLAC, Spain's financial intelligence unit.

Get ready before you transfer

Gather independent documents that trace the money from its origin to your account. The evidence pack and the document pack below list what each type of source needs. If you want fewer surprises, the decision below helps you choose between sending proof early and waiting to be asked.

Ask your branch or gestor exactly which documents the bank wants. Keep copies of everything you send.

If the bank holds your transfer

The bank may hold or return a transfer while it completes its checks. It may also have to freeze funds if SEPBLAC, a court or another authority orders it. By law the bank cannot tell you whether it has reported you, so it may give only general reasons. Do not be alarmed by vague answers. Send what is asked and keep the reference.

Do not split money into smaller transfers to avoid questions. It looks like evasion and makes things worse.

If you disagree with the bank

Complain first to the bank's customer service department (SAC). If it does not answer within one month, or rejects your complaint, you can go to the Banco de España's claims department. It reviews how the bank treated you, but it cannot review a suspicious-activity report. Court action is also possible.

Choosing between options

Should you send proof of where your money came from before the bank asks?

• Send proof ahead of the transfer: Your transfer is large for your usual income, comes through a new account, comes from a third party, or comes from or via a high-risk or tax-haven country.

• Wait and answer if the bank asks: Your transfer fits your usual income and activity, comes from your own established account, and matches none of the usual triggers.

If your transfer matches any usual trigger, such as a large amount for your profile, a recently opened account, a third party, a high-risk country, or a mismatch between your stated income and your activity, send proof ahead. Otherwise wait, and reply promptly when the bank asks.

Gathering and sending source-of-funds records

• Gather the full chain of evidence for each source of funds: statements for the last 3 to 6 months, payslips, tax returns, your ID and a short written note explaining the purpose of the money: before you send anything

• Match each source to its issuer: employer for payslips and contract, your bank for statements, the tax authority for returns, the notary or solicitor for a sale deed and settlement statement, the executor or notary for inheritance papers, the broker for investment statements, a regulated exchange for crypto records: while you gather

• Check which papers need a translation or certified copy: English documents, and often French, German or Portuguese, are accepted as plain copies, other languages usually need a translation, and a sworn translation (traductor jurado) or apostille is mostly for deeds, wills and court papers: before you pay for any translation

• Expect fewer questions when your income is clearly documented and the money comes from a regulated bank, and more requests for large round sums, cash, third-party transfers, crypto or high-risk countries: when deciding how much to prepare

• Give the Spanish bank a core set: the main origin document plus the statement showing the funds, and use a payment reference that describes the purpose: in advance, or soon after the transfer arrives

• Keep the rest of the chain ready to send if the Spanish bank follows up, and keep copies of everything you send: after the transfer is sent

• Ask your Spanish bank, through your branch or gestor, exactly which documents it needs, and ask for a written reference: as soon as it queries a transfer

• If the bank holds or returns the transfer, send the documents it asked for and keep the reference. If nothing moves, complain in writing to the bank's customer service department (SAC), which has one month to reply. Then you can take it to the Banco de España, which reviews conduct but not the bank's anti-money-laundering decision. The bank cannot tell you whether it reported you: if the transfer is held, returned or refused

• If you miss the bank's reply window, reply straight away with the core set and ask in writing for more time. Banks usually allow 10 to 30 days, and missing it can mean a returned transfer or a restricted account: after the window has passed or when it is about to

Evidence pack for source-of-funds questions

Evidence pack by source of funds

• For any source: documents from independent third parties that trace the money from its origin to your account. Each one should show the amount, the date, your name as account holder and the link to the next step. A statement you write yourself is normally not enough for a large sum.

• Savings or employment income: recent payslips and an employment contract or employer letter (both from your employer), several months of bank statements showing salary and savings building up (from your bank), and income tax returns with assessment notices (from the tax authority).

• Savings or income if you are self-employed: invoices, accounts and tax filings, often prepared by your accountant.

• Sale of a property abroad: the signed sale deed or contract (from the notary or the parties), the completion or settlement statement (from the solicitor, conveyancer or notary), a letter from that solicitor or notary confirming the sale and the net proceeds, and the bank statement showing the proceeds arriving.

• Property sale, to show the net amount: proof that you owned the property and the mortgage redemption statement, if the bank asks for them.

• Inheritance: the will, the grant of probate or an equivalent court or notary document, the estate accounts or distribution statement (from the executor, solicitor or notary), and the bank statement showing the payment. In Spain this is the notary's deed accepting and allocating the inheritance (escritura de aceptación y adjudicación de herencia) plus the inheritance tax filing.

• Gift: a signed gift letter or notarised gift deed stating the amount and your relationship to the donor, a copy of the donor's ID, and statements proving the donor's own source of funds. The bank may also ask for the gift tax filing.

• Crypto proceeds: statements from a regulated exchange showing purchases, trades and withdrawals to your bank account, proof of the original deposits of regular money, proof that you own the wallet address, tax records of your gains (including the Spanish income tax return and, for crypto held abroad, the crypto-held-abroad declaration), and the bank statement showing the exchange's payout. Papers from unregulated platforms are often rejected.

Checklist

• Read the bank's request and note the reply date it gives you.

• Tell the bank what the account is for and where the money comes from. Spanish anti-money-laundering law requires banks to ask this of every customer.

• Send the documents the bank asks for as soon as you have them, rather than waiting for the last day. A bank that cannot finish its checks must refuse or end the relationship.

Check the reply date in your bank's own request, because each bank sets its own.

What to watch out for

• Missing the bank's reply date: If you miss the date, the bank can hold or return your transfer, block operations or restrict your account. In serious cases it can close the account and report you to SEPBLAC, Spain's financial intelligence unit. Answer the request as soon as you receive it, and ask for more time in writing if you need it.

• Incomplete answers: If you do not give the documents the bank asks for, it must refuse your transfer or end the relationship. It cannot just let it go. Send everything it requested in one reply, with a short explanation of where the money came from and what the account is for.

• Splitting money into smaller transfers: Round sums, frequent transfers just under a limit, and cash deposits of 10,000 EUR or more all draw attention. Cash deposits at that level are reported systematically. Send one transfer for the full amount where you can, and keep the paperwork for it ready.

What if my transfer is held for checks?

Answer the bank quickly, with documents, and keep a paper trail. A held transfer is usually settled by the paperwork you send, so speed matters.

What to do first

1. Contact the bank through your branch or your gestor. Ask exactly which documents it needs.
2. Send proof of where the money came from. Depending on the case, that could be:
   • a payslip
   • a sale contract
   • a tax return
   • an inheritance deed
   • statements from the sending account
3. Add proof of your relationship to the sender if the money came from someone else.
4. Keep copies of everything you send, and ask for a written reference for your case.

How long it takes

No legal maximum applies to these holds. A query usually takes a few days to a few weeks, depending mostly on how fast you supply documents. Complex cases can take longer. Funds can also be frozen if a court or public authority orders it.

The bank cannot tell you whether it has reported anything to the anti-money-laundering authority (SEPBLAC), so do not expect an answer if you ask.

If nothing moves

1. Complain to the bank. Send a written or online complaint to its customer service department (SAC) or its customer ombudsman. The bank has one month to reply, or 15 business days if the complaint is about a payment service.
2. Go to the Banco de España. If you get no reply, or the reply does not help, file a complaint with its claims department. You can do this online with a digital certificate or by post. Attach the bank's reply and your documents.

The Banco de España issues a non-binding report. It cannot review the bank's anti-money-laundering decision itself, but it can review how the bank treated you and how clearly it communicated.

Your source-of-funds document pack

A step-by-step document pack for anyone sending a large sum to a Spanish account. Answer four questions about your situation, then get the records to gather, what to attach to each transfer and the gaps to close first.

Answer four questions first

Your answers decide which records you need. Write them down before you gather anything.

1. Where is the money coming from? Name the country and the bank that will send it.
2. Are you planning to sell a home to fund the move? Yes or no.
3. Do you own property abroad? Yes or no.
4. How strong is your proof of income? Strong means recent payslips and tax returns that match the money. Weak means irregular income, cash, or no tax return.

Step 1: Gather the records, in this order

Have the full set in hand before you send anything. Work down the list and stop at the sources that apply to you.

1. Photo ID. Always needed.
2. A short written explanation of purpose. Two or three sentences: who is sending, who receives, why, and where the money came from. Always needed.
3. Statements for the last 3 to 6 months from the account the money leaves. Always needed. They must show the funds building up or sitting there.
4. The main origin document for your source of funds:

• Savings from work: payslips and tax returns.
• Sale of a home: the sale deed.
• Inheritance: the inheritance papers.

5. Payslips and tax returns if you answered "weak" on income. They are your back-up for anything the statements alone do not explain.

Step 2: Adjust for your answers

• Planned home sale: the sale deed does not exist yet. Do not send the whole sum until you have it. If you must move money earlier, send only what your income records already explain, and send the sale proceeds once the deed is signed.
• Property abroad: keep the deed or ownership proof together with the pack. If money comes from renting or selling that property, add the rental income records or the sale deed.
• Weak income evidence: this is the most common gap. Collect every payslip and tax return you can before sending. Do not rely on statements alone.
• Origin country: ask your Spanish bank whether documents issued abroad need a translation, and whether the sending country changes the list.

Step 3: What to attach to each transfer

Banks usually receive the papers only on request. For a large transfer, though, give the Spanish bank a core set in advance or soon after the money arrives:

• the main origin document (step 1, item 4), and
• the statement showing the funds (step 1, item 3).

Keep everything else ready. Send it if the Spanish bank follows up.

Your sending bank may ask for its own documents too. Always put a payment reference on the transfer that describes its purpose, for example "Transfer of personal savings to own Spanish account".

Step 4: Close the gaps before you send

Tick each line before you press send.

• Every statement covers 3 to 6 months and is recent.
• The main origin document matches the amount you are sending.
• Names on the documents match your ID and the account names.
• The purpose note is written and the payment reference is ready.
• You have asked both banks what else they want.
• For a planned home sale, the deed is signed before the sale money moves.

A gap you find now takes a day to fix. A gap you find after the money lands can leave the funds held while the bank asks questions.

Banks set their own document requests, so confirm the exact list with your sending bank and your Spanish bank before you transfer.

Frequently asked questions

Can my bank tell me why it is holding my transfer?

Not always, because the bank is not allowed to tell you if it has reported your activity as suspicious. It may give you only general reasons. Answer every request it sends you and keep asking, in writing, which documents it needs.

Where can I complain if my bank freezes my account over a money-laundering query?

Start with your bank's customer service department (the SAC). If it does not answer within one month, or rejects your complaint, send it to the Banco de España's claims department. That office handles how the bank treated you, but it cannot review a suspicious-activity report. Going to court is also possible.

Is there a set amount that makes a bank ask about my money?

No, there is no single official amount, because each bank uses its own internal limits. A smaller transfer can still prompt questions if it does not fit your usual income and activity.