# Open a bank account > How to open a basic payment account at a Spanish bank, what it costs, and what to do if the bank refuses. - Page: https://autonomo.eus/steps/bank-account - Part: Part B: Settle in - For: Everyone - Last checked: 14 October 2026 You need a bank account to pay Social Security and receive payments. **If you live legally in the EU, you have the right to a basic payment account, even without a fixed address.** ## Before you start - Your TIE, EU registration certificate or passport - Legal residence in the EU, or an asylum application - No other bank account in Spain - A signed statement that you have no other bank account in Spain (*declaración responsable*) - Proof of your income, or a signed statement that you have none ## What it unlocks - Paying your monthly Social Security fee by direct debit - Paying rent and receiving client payments ## How to do it 1. Ask any bank for a basic payment account (*cuenta de pago básica*). Ask in writing. Book an appointment at a branch first. The Banco de España suggests asking for at least half an hour. 2. At the branch, hand in a signed letter with your name, your TIE or passport number and the date. One sentence is enough: "Solicito la apertura de una cuenta de pago básica, de acuerdo con el Real Decreto-ley 19/2017" (I ask to open a basic payment account under Royal Decree-law 19/2017). List the documents you hand in. Bring two copies and ask the bank to stamp yours with the date. 3. Answer the bank's questions about your work and income honestly, and say what you need the account for, for example paying Social Security. Anti-money-laundering rules require this information. Not giving it is a valid reason to refuse you the account. 4. The bank must answer within 10 business days of receiving your complete application. 5. If the bank refuses, ask for the refusal in writing. It must give it to you for free and tell you how to complain. 6. Complain to the bank first. If that fails, complain to the Banco de España. - Write to the bank's customer service (*Servicio de Atención al Cliente*). It has 15 business days to answer a complaint about payment services, and 1 month for other complaints. - If it says no or does not answer in time, [complain to the Banco de España online](https://sedeelectronica.bde.es/sede/es/tramites/reclamaciones-transparencia-buenas-practicas-p104.html?opcion_tramitacion=ciudadanos%2Felectronico%2Fpresentar-nueva-reclamacion). Attach the bank's answer, or proof that you complained to the bank. The Banco de España explains [how to complain](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/menu-horizontal/podemosayudarte/consultasreclama/comorealizarrecl/), also by post. ## Where Any bank in Spain. For questions about your rights, call the Banco de España on 900 545 454. ## Cost and time - Cost: at most €3 a month ([Banco de España: the fee limit](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/blog/cuenta-de-pago-basica.html)). Free for 2 years, renewable, for people in a vulnerable situation or on a low income ([Banco de España: who gets it free](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/blog/Quien_puede_ab_85906ab52035a61.html)). - What it includes: deposits, cash withdrawals and 120 payments a year (direct debits, card payments and transfers). - Time: the bank answers within 10 business days. ## Common mistakes - Asking only by phone or in person. Ask in writing, so a refusal has to be in writing too. - Leaving without a stamped copy of your request. The stamp shows the date the bank received it. - Assuming Social Security needs a Spanish account. Its form accepts any IBAN, and EU rules forbid refusing an account from another EU country. The account can even belong to someone else, with their consent. A Spanish account is still the simplest choice. ## Official sources - [Banco de España: the basic payment account](https://www.bde.es/f/webbe/INF/MenuHorizontal/AreasActuacion/conducta/ficheros/Sesion2Tripticocuentadepagobasica.pdf) - [Banco de España: what the basic payment account is](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/que-es--540fb01c89ced61.html) - [Banco de España: guide to asking for the account](https://clientebancario.bde.es/f/webcb/RCL/ActualidadEducacionFinanciera/Iniciativas/GuiaCuentapagobasicaaccesible.pdf) - [Banco de España: the fee limit and 120 payments](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/blog/cuenta-de-pago-basica.html) - [Banco de España: who gets the account free](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/blog/Quien_puede_ab_85906ab52035a61.html) - [Banco de España: how to complain](https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/es/menu-horizontal/podemosayudarte/consultasreclama/comorealizarrecl/) - [Banco de España: online complaint form](https://sedeelectronica.bde.es/sede/es/tramites/reclamaciones-transparencia-buenas-practicas-p104.html?opcion_tramitacion=ciudadanos%2Felectronico%2Fpresentar-nueva-reclamacion) - [Real Decreto-ley 19/2017](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2017-13644) - [Social Security: direct debit form](https://www.seg-social.es/descarga/es/181005%20TC1-15_3) - [Social Security: guide for autónomos](https://portal.seg-social.gob.es/wps/portal/importass/importass/Colectivos/trabajo+autonomo/guia) Next step: [Get your FNMT digital certificate](https://autonomo.eus/steps/fnmt-certificate.md) --- Free, independent information. Not an official government website or a gestoría. General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the authority before you act. Report a mistake: a@halawa.io. Source: Autónomo.eus (https://autonomo.eus).