Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
My Spanish bank charge 40 euro every 3 months, and I don’t have debt card. I’m not resident yet. But will apply for NLV next year. Question, is this rate norm or it’s high because I’m not resident?
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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“BBVA is 40 euros every quarter.It’s 15 if you put 800 euros each month on your bank account and use card or debit for 200 euros in a quarter. That’s what I was told.”
“BBVA Online account is free for new clients only. You must be spanish resident.”
“Once you get your NIE you can look into this. I am not a customer so I cannot say how good it is but BBVA is an established bank”
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Explore Cities →“I’ve just opened with Bankinter and it’s €60 every 6 months and €30 a year for each debit card”
“For that reason, I have left caxia. I am using n26 now.”
“I would also recommend to open Wise. It gives you spanish account number with IBAN, also accounts in other currencies. Its free, you can order debit card for about 8€ (one off payment) and you can pay in shops or online with euros without additional costs.
You do not need to resident in Spain to open Wise. You can open it under your current residence.”
“They also charge when you are resident. You can choose an online account, but then they won’t attend you, if you have questions or problems. That’s the reason we still are normal clients and pay 30 Euros every 3 month….”
“Hi Sofia, it is because you are non resident, the moment you get your TIE card on Spain after your NLV, they will stop charging. Unless uou need the bank account for anything specific, i will suggest to open a Wise account”
“’m with Caxia bank and they charge €35 per quarter as a non resident, they have said that once I get residency there will be no fee as long as I fulfil their criteria, (certain amount paid into the account each month, at least 3 direct debits and a couple of other things).”
“Have an account with Cajasur. 12 years as non resident, 5 years as resident
No charges. Use Wise to transfer from UK when necessary.”
“¡Bienvenida a España! Yes, you pay that much for your bank account because you’re a non-resident. Don’t worry, you’re not alone – most of us pay (or used to pay) that much, even as ‘residents’ in Spain. Being a resident does not / will not mean that you won’t have to pay a ‘penny’ (cent) in bank fees; it’ll just give you more options to find some alternatives, but it does not mean an automatic bank fee exemption!”
“You need to ask the bank to go into an online only account. Having the correct paperwork will help. I recommend Cajamar weffrent online account”
“Try an online bank account like n26, revolut… Traditional banks in Spain have these charges for some reason, no matter if you are resident or not.”
“Residents also pay the same fees, unless you have your wages or your pension paid in every month and contract some of other service, eg. House insurance.”
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