Banking as a student, au pair or short-stay resident

Key rules

• Simplest setup: Keep your home account and add a fintech account for local spending.
• Spanish IBAN: Rent, utilities and payroll may need a Spanish IBAN, so add an online bank or a student or non-resident account.
• No fixed address: A basic payment account is available if you have no fixed address.
• Bank discretion: Each bank and branch decides which substitute documents it accepts.

The simplest setup for a short stay

A fintech or multicurrency account such as Wise or Revolut covers everyday spending in Spain, and for many short stays that is enough.

You only need something more when you need a Spanish IBAN.

When you need a Spanish IBAN

You have two routes:

• An online bank that accepts a NIE and a passport once you are in Spain. ING and Openbank are examples. This is often the quickest.
• A Spanish account with a student or non-resident offer. Santander has a student product. BBVA, CaixaBank, Sabadell and Bankinter also offer accounts to people with a NIE.

Conditions vary by bank and branch. Some banks ask for proof of residence status or a minimum length of stay, so ask before you book a visit.

Limits of fintech accounts

• They have transfer or spending caps.
• Not all of them give you a Spanish IBAN.
• Some utilities and tax payments by direct debit can be refused when the account has a foreign IBAN.

If a landlord or employer insists on a Spanish IBAN, a fintech account alone does not work.

No fixed address

Ask a bank for a basic payment account. You have the right to one if you are legally resident in the EU, including with no fixed address, and it lets you hold money, receive payments and pay by card. Its total annual fee is capped at €3, and people in a vulnerable situation pay nothing; If a bank won't open your account, what are your options? covers how to claim it.

Documents banks tend to accept

Banks usually ask for your passport, your NIE, a student enrolment letter or visa, and an address. Each bank decides for itself. If one branch says no, try another branch or another bank.

If you are an EU citizen, a UK citizen or a non-EU student

If you are an EU citizen, you can open a Spanish account with your passport or national ID card and an NIE or proof of address, depending on the bank. If you are a UK citizen with Withdrawal Agreement rights, show your Withdrawal Agreement TIE with your passport. A non-EU student brings the passport, the NIE or TIE, and the student visa or enrolment letter.

If you have no NIE yet

Apply with form EX-15 at a police station or Oficina de Extranjería in Spain, or at the Spanish consulate if you are still abroad, and give the reason, such as studying or opening a bank account. Pay €9.84 in 2026 with modelo 790 código 012 and bring the stamped receipt to the appointment. A student with a long-stay visa normally gets the NIE together with the TIE and does not need EX-15. Getting your NIE covers the application.

What a document issued abroad needs depends on the country that issued it; What documents a Spanish bank asks for to open an account lists the three cases.

Choosing

Start with the cheapest option that covers your needs. Add a Spanish account only when a rent contract, a utility or a payroll needs one.

Documents you need

• Passport, valid and in your name.

• NIE assignment certificate, the paper certificate with your NIE number, if you do not yet have the physical card. Some banks open an account with this and your passport alone.

• Proof of your residence process: the resolution granting residency or the appointment proof for fingerprinting (the resguardo), if your TIE card has not arrived.

• Student enrolment letter or visa, to show why you are in Spain and for how long.

• Au pair: your agreement with the host family, to show why you are in Spain and where you live.

• Proof of address: a rental contract, a utility bill or the appointment proof for your padrón registration (your town hall residence registration).