Banking comparison for expats
By Linus Palmqvist, Head of Operations Reviewed by Simon Nilsson Last reviewed There is no single best bank in Spain. The right choice depends on where you are in your move, what the account costs, and how much you need help in English. This page compares the real options side by side so you can weigh them for your own situation.
Start with your stage of move, then check the current eligibility details before treating any option as final.
SantanderSantander has the clearest documented remote passport option for opening a Spanish account, but only for applicants from its current country list.
BankinterBankinter has a dedicated English-language phone line and an assisted option for foreign-document applicants, although the details of its assisted application are not published. Call first to check what applies to you.
RevolutIf you already use Revolut or N26 from your home country, keep it when you arrive. The EU IBAN is legally valid for Spanish payments, so you may not need a Spanish account straight away.
WiseWise is built for international transfers and currency conversion. Use it alongside a Spanish account, not instead of one.
This table focuses on what actually differs: eligibility, the account fee, English support, who each bank suits, and whether it offers funds and pension plans. Where public information is incomplete, we say to check directly rather than guessing. For app-only banks like N26 and Revolut, 'best stage' means something different: you can keep an account you already hold from home at any stage, and register it to Spain for a Spanish IBAN only once you genuinely live here.
Wise is the exception in this table: it is a payment service for moving money between countries, not a Spanish bank. Many people use it alongside whichever Spanish account they choose.
Choose in this order, not by a brand name alone.
Start with your actual stage of move: before you arrive, just landed, or settled resident. The best option changes with that stage.
Check whether the documented option is remote or needs a branch visit before choosing a bank.
Do not assume a Spanish IBAN is legally required. A valid EU IBAN can be used for Spanish transfers and direct debits, though rejection still happens in practice.
Treat anything that is not confirmed publicly as something to check directly with the bank, not as a safe assumption.
If you already use a neobank like N26 or Revolut from home, keep using it when you arrive: its EU IBAN works for Spanish payments. Registering it to Spain, to get a Spanish IBAN, is an optional step for once you genuinely live here, not something to rush.
Once you know which bank fits, read the step-by-step guide to actually opening the account.
Settlewell helps you make sense of the whole move in English, including how banking fits alongside your home and everyday essentials.
Still have questions?
Written by
Head of Operations at Settlewell
Linus moved from Sweden to Málaga in 2021 and set his own home up here, so most of this he has already done the hard way once. Before Settlewell he spent years at Workwide, the cross-border recruiter that has helped over 10,000 people into jobs abroad, latterly as its Head of Recruitment and Operations. He speaks Spanish, lives in Málaga with his partner, and spends his days on the phone to Spanish providers.
Every provider in this comparison is individually reviewed and sourced on its own bank guide; this table adds no claim beyond linking them together for comparison. Every provider is compared using the same sourced facts: eligibility, fees, English support and investment access, never a commercial relationship, and where public information does not answer a question the table says so. General banking-system facts are checked against Banco de España, Spain's central bank and consumer-banking regulator.
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