Can I open a bank account if I'm refused one?
Yes: there is a right to a basic payment account. Any legal resident in the EU has the right to a basic payment account, and credit institutions offering accounts to individuals are obliged to open one if you request it. It includes the essential services: depositing and withdrawing money, direct debits, receiving transfers, a debit card and payments. It has a regulated maximum fee (low) and is free for people in special vulnerability or at risk of financial exclusion. The bank can only refuse it in set cases (for example, if you already have a payment account in Spain or under anti-money-laundering rules). If you're refused without cause, you can complain.
📋 The rules
- Right to a basic payment account for EU residents
- Banks offering accounts to individuals must grant it
- Includes essential services (deposits, direct debits, debit card)
- Regulated maximum fee; free for vulnerable people
- Only refused for set causes (already an account, AML…)
🔓 Exceptions
- Already having another payment account in Spain covering the services
- Breaching anti-money-laundering rules
- Identity data or documents that cannot be verified
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If an institution unjustifiably refuses the basic payment account, or doesn't apply the free access you're entitled to, you can file a complaint with the bank's customer-service department and, if it doesn't respond or does so unsatisfactorily, with the Bank of Spain. The refusal must be justified by one of the legal causes. The basic account aims to guarantee access to essential financial services and avoid exclusion, so undue obstacles can be sanctionable.
📎 Official sources
- Bank of Spain · Basic payment account →
- BOE · Royal Decree-law 19/2017 on basic payment accounts →
- Administración · Banking services →
❓ Frequently asked
Do I have the right to open a bank account?
Yes. There is the basic payment account: institutions offering accounts to individuals are obliged to grant one to anyone who requests it and legally resides in the EU, except in set cases. It includes the essential banking services.
How much does the basic payment account cost?
It has a regulated, low maximum fee for the set of essential services. It is also free for people in special vulnerability or at risk of financial exclusion who meet the requirements set out.
In what cases can it be refused?
Only for set causes: mainly, if you already have a payment account in Spain with those services, or under anti-money-laundering and customer-identification rules. The refusal must be justified.
What does a basic payment account include?
The essential services: depositing and withdrawing cash, direct debits, receiving and making transfers, a debit card and operating through the usual channels. It doesn't necessarily include overdrafts or credit products.
What if I'm refused without reason?
Complain first to the institution's customer-service department. If you don't get a satisfactory response, you can go to the Bank of Spain's conduct department. The refusal must be based on one of the legal causes.
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