Which home accounts, leases and registrations to close or keep

Key rules

• Home bank: Tell your home bank you are moving so it does not close or restrict your account.
• Phone and internet: Check the minimum term and exit fees before you cancel.
• Foreign accounts: Spanish tax residents must report foreign accounts over 50,000 euros per category on Modelo 720.
• Notice: Give your home landlord notice in writing and check how long the notice period is.
• Sensitive mail: Do not rely on forwarding for bank and tax mail. Switch to electronic statements.

Notice periods, bank policies and deregistration duties vary by country and contract, so confirm them with your landlord, bank and home authorities before acting.

Keep your home bank account, cancel most other things

Keep your home bank account and card open if you can. Cancel or hand back what you will not use: your home lease, utilities and subscriptions. Notify the authorities that you are leaving. The decision and checklist below cover the details of each step.

Your home lease

Give notice in writing and check the notice period in your contract first. Foreign leases often need one to three months. If you are ending a lease under Spanish rules, the tenant's notice is usually about 30 days, after the first six months. Start early, because a longer notice period than you expect means paying rent for a home you no longer use.

Utilities, phone and subscriptions

• Electricity, gas and water: these can usually be cancelled at short notice, normally with no penalty.
• Phone, internet and TV: these often have a minimum term of 12 months or more and may charge early-termination fees. Read the contract before you cancel. Sometimes it is cheaper to wait until the term ends.
• Gym and some subscriptions: these often need notice and can carry penalties.
• Streaming: cancel at any time.

Ask each company to confirm the cancellation in writing.

Your home bank

Keeping the account is usually wise. You can receive pensions, income or refunds, pay home bills, and have a backup while you set up Spanish banking. Tell your bank you are moving abroad so it does not close or restrict the account. Some banks do this when you stop being a resident, and some charge non-resident fees. Ask your bank what its policy is.

Once you are a Spanish tax resident, you must report foreign accounts on Modelo 720 if they are worth more than 50,000 euros per category. Details of accounts abroad can also be shared between tax authorities.

Registrations to notify

What you must do depends on your country.

• EU countries: most require you to tell the local residents' registry that you are leaving. Also tell the tax and social-security authorities.
• UK: tell HMRC (the P85 form is used to claim non-residence), your local council and your NHS GP.
• US: there is no deregistration. You still file US taxes, so update your address with the IRS and Social Security.
• Other countries: rules vary and can include residency notices, tax-residency changes and voter registration. Ask the relevant offices.

Mail

Mail redirection through your postal service usually lasts a few months to a year, often for a fee. Some services do not forward abroad. Banks and agencies often will only post to your registered address, and bank cards often cannot be forwarded abroad.

Better options:

• Switch bank, tax and pension mail to electronic statements and update your address with each of them.
• Ask a trusted person to collect your mail.
• Use a mail-scanning or virtual-address service.

Choose a helper at home for simple jobs like collecting mail, handing over keys or meeting repair people.

Choosing between options

Should you keep your home bank account and card open after you move?

• Keep the account and card: You still receive a pension, income or refunds, pay home bills, handle home taxes, or want a backup while your Spanish banking starts.

• Close the account: You have no income or bills left at home and your bank would charge non-resident fees or restrict the account anyway.

• Keep it and move your mail to electronic statements: Your bank will only post to your registered address and cannot send statements or cards abroad.

Keep the account if money or bills still pass through it. If you keep it, tell the bank you moved, and report it on Modelo 720 if you become a Spanish tax resident and your accounts abroad exceed 50,000 euros in a category.

Cancel services, redirect mail and choose a home helper

• Sort every contract into cancel, transfer or keep, then cancel streaming and utilities, redirect your mail and decide on a helper: Start 2 to 3 months before you move out; cancel the home lease and phone or internet last, so you still have them until you leave

• Check the notice period and exit charges on each contract: Before you give any notice: a home lease often needs 1 to 3 months' notice, phone, internet and TV contracts often have a minimum term of 12 months or more with early-termination fees, gyms often have notice rules and penalties, utilities usually need short notice with no penalty, and streaming can be cancelled at any time

• Ask your landlord, utility company, phone provider and bank to confirm each cancellation or address change in writing: When you give notice; for mail, set up forwarding with your home postal service, which usually lasts a few months to a year and may cost a fee

• Switch bank, tax and pension mail to electronic statements, or use a trusted person or a mail-scanning service, because official, legal and bank mail and bank cards often cannot be forwarded abroad: Before you leave, and again if letters still arrive at the old address

• Choose a helper for simple tasks like collecting mail, handing over keys or meeting repair people, and arrange a power of attorney (poder) if someone must act legally for you: Before you leave: a power of attorney is needed to sell property, deal with tax authorities, sign contracts or manage bank accounts beyond the bank's own authority; it is usually signed before a notary, may need an apostille and a translation, and banks often want their own forms

Checklist

• Cancel electricity, gas and water with short notice, as these normally carry no penalty.

• Check phone, internet, TV and gym contracts for a minimum term and early-termination fees before you cancel.

• Cancel streaming services, which you can end at any time.

• Tell your local residents' registry, tax office and social-security office that you are leaving, using the rules for your home country.

• Set up mail redirection with your postal service, and expect a fee and a limit of a few months to a year.

What to watch out for

• Early-termination fees on phone and subscriptions: Phone, internet and TV contracts often run for 12 months or more, and gyms and some subscriptions need notice, so cancelling late or early can cost you fees. Read the minimum term and notice rules in each contract, then cancel in writing with enough notice.

• Home lease notice running longer than you expect: A foreign lease can require one to three months of notice, so leaving without notice can mean paying rent after you have gone. Check the notice clause now and send written notice as early as you can.

• Home bank closing or restricting your account: A bank that learns you no longer live in the country may close or restrict your account, or add non-resident fees. Tell the bank about your move before you leave and ask what it needs to keep the account open.

Frequently asked questions

Can my home bank close my account after I move to Spain?

Yes, some banks close or restrict accounts once the holder is no longer resident, and they may charge non-resident fees. Tell your bank about the move before you leave and ask what changes for non-residents.

Do I have to report my home bank account to Spanish tax authorities?

Yes, if you become a Spanish tax resident and your accounts abroad are worth more than 50,000 euros in a category, you report them on Modelo 720, the declaration of assets abroad. Account details may also be shared between countries under tax-information agreements.

Can I forward my bank and tax mail to Spain?

Often no, because official, legal, bank and tax mail and bank cards frequently cannot be forwarded abroad. Switch to electronic statements, or name a trusted person or a mail-scanning service, and update your address with each sender.

What do I need to tell the authorities if I leave the UK or the US?

If you leave the UK, tell HMRC (the P85 form claims non-residence), your local council and your NHS GP. If you are a US citizen, you still file US tax returns, so update the IRS and Social Security with your new address; there is no deregistration.