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MONEY

How much cash can you travel with, store at home or deposit in Spain?

Did you know that Spanish authorities have limits to the amount of money you can carry on you, deposit in a bank account or travel with to Spain? Find out what these and how you need to declare these amounts if you go over the limit and the potential fines.

Published: 12 January 2022 17:18 CET
Updated: 8 September 2023 17:01 CEST
How much cash can you carry in Spain?
Prices are expected to stay high in Austria for a while longer, despite inflation finally falling. (Photo by moerschy / Pixabay)

You may need to carry, deposit or travel with large amounts of cash due to your work, your own business or other personal matters, but there are in fact laws in Spain which prohibit you from doing this over certain amounts, without declaring it first. 

Carry on you

The law on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing sets the maximum amount of cash that you are allowed to carry with you at €100,000.

If for some reason you do need to carry this amount, you can do so, but the Treasury must be notified using the S1 form. This is a document that notifies the Tax Agency of the declaration of the movement of money.

You can find the S1 form here. 

There are also limits as to the amount you can pay for something in cash in Spain. Last summer, this amount was changed from €2,500 to only €1,000. This means all amounts above €1,000 have to be paid by card. 

READ ALSO – EXPLAINED: What are Spain’s new rules and limits on cash payments?

Travel with

If you are travelling abroad from Spain, the limit of money you can take out of Spain with you drops to €10,000. Likewise, the amount of money you can bring into Spain from overseas in cash is also €10,000.

If what you have equals or exceeds this amount, the money must also be declared by presenting the S1 from. If you are travelling within Spain, the amount is set at the €100,000 limit of the amount of cash you can carry on you.

Deposit  

The maximum amount you can deposit in a bank without having to declare it in Spain is also set at €10,000.

Remember, however, that if your deposit exceeds €3,000 the bank does have an obligation to notify the authorities of your operation.

Store at home

Having money stored at home under the mattress or in a safe for example is legal, as long as it has been obtained legitimately and is declared to the Tax Agency. It may however lose purchasing power due to inflation.

There are in fact no regulations that prohibit storing your money at home, regardless of the amount, as long as you can prove, when necessary, how you obtained it.  

Fines for not declaring the movement of money

Failure to follow the procedures specified above can be very costly.

In order not to receive penalties, you should carry the S1 form with the cash, or other means of payment that can be considered by the authorities as cash.

If the authorities stop you and verify that the money has not been declared, all of it will be confiscated from you. In addition to this, there may also be possible fines which range between €600 and double the amount you had on you.

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For members

PADRON

When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón document you get when registering at your local town hall in Spain must be renewed periodically. Find out when and the steps on how to do it.

Published: 22 April 2024 13:09 CEST
Updated: 27 April 2024 10:18 CEST
When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón certificate is used to show proof of where you live. Your town hall – or ayuntamiento – uses it to find how many people are living in the area and what their ages are.

The number of people living in each area will depend on how much money they will receive from the government. They use this money for local services such as schools, health centres, parks and police officers.

If you are a non-EU citizen with temporary residence (less than 5 years) in Spain, then you will need to renew your padrón certificate every two years.

You will also need to renew your padrón each time you move house, as it should have your current address. 

For some bureaucratic processes in Spain, you will also need to be able to show you have a padrón certificate that’s no older than three months. 

Depending on where you live, there are different ways you can renew it. This could be in person, online or by post.

READ ALSO – Padrón: 16 things you should know about Spain’s town hall registration

Generally, in order to renew your certificate, you will need:

  • A recent gas, water or electricity bill in your name
  • Your rental contract and receipt of your last rental payment
  • If you own your own property, you will need to show evidence that you own it, such as the property deeds

You will also need to show:

  • A valid residence card such as TIE
  • A valid passport
  • In addition, it is also advisable to bring your previous padrón certificate

For children you will also need the following:

  • Records of your digitised family book (libro de família)
  • A valid passport or residence permit of the minor
  • A passport of one of the parents which also contains the identification data of the minor
  • Birth certificate of your child

If you do not live in the same household as your child, you will also need:

  • A delegation for registration form, signed by the parent who lives with the minor.
  • Photocopy of the valid identification document of the parent who lives with the child.
  • In the case of minors under 14 years of age, it will not be mandatory for them to have an NIE, passport or identification document from their country of origin.

Remember that all your documents should be officially translated into Spanish or another local language such as Catalan, if they aren’t already.

READ ALSO: Can I get my padrón online in Spain?

In person

If you are applying in person, you will need to make an appointment at your local Ayuntamiento or town hall.

When the date for your appointment arrives you will need to complete the renewal form, which will most like look something like this, but may change depending on where you live. 

You will also need to bring originals and photocopies of all the documents above.

Online

If you have a digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN you are able to renew your padrón online. You will need to do this via your local government website.

First, you’ll need to identify yourself digitally with your digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN.

Next you will have to complete the renewal form and then attach digital copies of all the above documentation that’s required.

Then you’ll need to submit and sign it digitally.

By post

Although this is not the most common way to renew your certificate, some town halls may let you apply by post and will have details of the relevant address to send your documents and forms to online. 

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