Once the offer of 22,000 euros had been accepted in December, I travelled to the nearby city of Pontevedra to sign the contract and collect the keys. It turned out that an 8% tax was due on the purchase, payable on exchange (this would have been helpful to know before the big day), and legally, you also need a Spanish bank account for the whole thing to go through. So, awkwardly, we (the vendor, the solicitor and another man I couldn’t place), all trudged over to the nearest Abanca and sat there for over an hour whilst my first Spanish bank account was opened. I’ve never been so pleased to own an iPhone. Every required piece of identity was stored on it, making the process a fraction less painful.
For a more routine house purchase, I’d recommend getting some legal assistance in a language you’re comfortable with. But this purchase was done on a shoestring, and unexpectedly the estate agent’s solicitor did all the conveyancing I needed, without charge. Result. I ignored the online advice to select a solicitor outside the locality who was unknown by the agent, and that worked out ok. I never understood why I wasn’t invoiced, only that the process seemed far, far more straight forward than in England. And a whole lot cheaper.
Despite the process taking an uncomfortable hour, and my Spanish being unable to cope with this level of formality, a basic bank account, which I still use, was opened and the sale went through. I toddled off, keys in my handbag, contract in my hand, leaving behind a very helpful and patient group of people, most certainly hoping they would never see me again. Only the solicitor did, when I returned a couple of months later to start cleaning and painting the tiny tower, and dropped off an overdue bouquet of flowers to say a huge thank you.
That doesn’t sound like any solicitor I’ve ever done across…. Are you 100% sure you actually own it? 😅
Not even 50% sure!
“Hi Julia, I really enjoyed reading about your experience opening a bank account in Spain – it’s fascinating how different the process can be from country to country! Your story reminded me of when I needed to sort out my NIE number for similar bureaucratic processes. Speaking of which, I noticed you mentioned needing various documents – did you have any trouble getting your NIE sorted beforehand? I found https://nienumberspain.com quite helpful when I was going through the process last year. How long did your NIE application take compared to the bank account opening?”
Hi there, thanks for getting in touch. Do you mind me asking how you found my blog? I mostly receive comments from friends who have been sent the link.
Re the NIE number, I live in the southeast of England and I went to the Spanish consulate in London. It was quite few years ago, but I do remember the process being very straight forward. I recall that I needed proof of my Galician address and passport. I’ve often needed the number when in Galicia, for all sorts of admin, including getting a Galician travel card for public transport. I would say it’s worthwhile looking into one.