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We have just received an e-mail from our bank advising that a new law was passed in Spain in May requiring non residents to submit a certificate proving their status (obtainable from the police) without this bank accounts will be frozen. We had no warning about this and they have now frozen our account has anyone else heard about this ?
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Our Barclays non resident account is still functioning adequately and we haven't had to submit any forms. Could be your bank trying it on? Unless you are talking about the non residents declaration that needs to be made evey two years, which your bank should do anyway and charge about €15 per person.
Mark
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Mark thanks for this no the bank is very clear it is a new law which requires a certificate. I e-mailed them today to find out if they could avoid freezing our account until we are in Spain in 2 weeks time and was informed that it is the police who have frozen the account not the bank which seems very strange. I have also contacted my lawyer to see if he can sort out.
Liz x
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Doesn't make sense
You have a non-resident account at your Bank.
They send communications to an overseas address.
Your Bank completes a declaration when you open the account and two year periods after that.
So why do you have to make a special trip out to Spain to prove at the Police Station that you are non-resident
Couple of questions, who do you bank with and how long have you held an account with them?
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Hi we are with cajamar and started banking with them when we bought our house 2 years ago. Thanks for you help
Liz x
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We're non residents using Banco Halifax & have heard nothing from them.
We signed our non residents declaration when opening the account.
Perhaps you should ask your bank for more details, Lizair, like their instructions to have customers do this. Seems no one else has heard of it & this seems odd.
If true it's extremely worrying to many thousands.
(I'm loathe to email Banco Halifax myself).
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Hi everyone, yes it is abolutely correct, I have received a letter from my bank (Caja Murcia) and been in to see them to clarify, I have also confirmed that all banks in Spain will be advising all their customers of the following:-
If you have a non resident account, you have 60 days to take a form to the police to register as a non-resident, this form once stamped by the police must be returned to the bank. Beware, if you are on the padron or are going to be in Spain for more than 3 months, you are breaking the law if you don't have a Residencia Certificate. The police now have a computer system linked to the padron information NIE/Residencia infomation and it is indeed the police that have the power to immediately freeze your bank account. if you do not declare yourself as a non-resident. It is no longer the bank's bi-yearly responsibility. Your account will be frozen, exactly as it would be frozen by the police should you die in Spain.
Don't think that because you have been over here for 20 years it does not apply to you, because it does.
Remember, if you are registered on the padron and you get queried by the police and you cannot prove that you have ben in Spain for less than 3 months, you may well get locked up, as well as your bank account being frozen.
So, if you are non-resident but over in Spain for more than 3 months, get a Residencia Certificate and change your bank account changed to "resident".
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This is the first time I have heard of this I have not heard anything from my bank. But it is a bit worrying I certainly do not want my account frozen. Do you know if we fill this form out can someone else take it to the police station for you? Cannot understand why it has been kept so quiet and it has never come up before. But thank you for the information. Pat.
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As we have email addresses for two English staff in the Guardamar branch of Banco Halifax I have just sent both an email asking about this as nothing is showing on their website & we haven't received anthing from them & neither have any of our friends who bank as non residents.
Nothing has been put by anyone on our urb's website/forum so I will tell our owners this & see what comes up. This message was last edited by morerosado on 7/31/2008.
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Can anyone else see the funny side of this, I don't reside in Spain but when I get the form I've got to return by a set date to complete form take it to the Police Station to prove that I don't live there.
Why does taking the form to the Police Station prove that you're non-resident.
It doesn't make sense to me, do you have to take something else with you ie flight information.
I gather from the earlier post this has been bought in to catch out the people who are living in Spain illegally, they won't have any problem in appearing at the Police Station within 60 days whilst others like myself could find it inconvenient.
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I cannot understand why it has been kept so quiet normally someone know's about things like this before they happen. I know I certainly cannot get over in 60days. But we do stay in Spain for a few month's but just under 3. If we decided to stay for more than 3 month's and appled for residencia what are the pitfall's if any? Well More will wait and see what your bank says. Pat
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This business about 3 months has been broached before mainly from the UK side. Here in UK if you are out of the country for 3 months then you're no longer entitled to National Health BUT there was a lot of back lash because there are a lot of pensioners in UK who go on extended breaks especially in the Winter months. These breaks can be longer that 3 months so it was felt that it was discriminating against them or anyone else who can afford to holiday for long periods.As I understood it the period went back to 183 days (6 months) the same as for Income Tax purposes.
I wouldn't apply for residencia in Spain until you are ready to make it your permanent home. Whilst you're visiting for short and long holidays then keep UK residencia.
Also depending on your age if you are nearing retirement age then it is better to wait until you are drawing a pension and winter fuel allowance before you retire to Spain.
As I said before I think this change in practice is to find the people who are living/working in Spain illegally.
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Only message I've had back from our urb's forum is this one
"we also have to pay a non resident fee to the police via our bank and have been doing so since we bought the property, we bank with Solbank, the fees are per person and not per account and cost about 30 euros each year"
Edited to add there's another message from the same person..
"On our bank notice for non residence certificate it states " Result of application for non residency certificate made to the General Directorate of Police to accredit status as a non resident" our certificates were renewed in January 2008, this being our second time as we first registered in 2006. The cost was 20.88 euro plus 6.70 authorisation charge. So yes the police are involved, but via the bank. Dont know if this is the same or something diferrent again, habe just e mailed our bank for info."
Edited to add GREAT 1ST POST, Semi   This message was last edited by morerosado on 7/31/2008.
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We are non resident at the moment until our english property sells.
We signed on the padron as were told you do not have to be resident only
that the more people that sign on the padron the town /village get better facilities.
We have stayed in the past more than 3 months, but not lately.
We cannot get residencia yet, so where does that leave people like
ourselves. I agree that how are the police to know how long you
have been here without having to take your flight tickets.It is very
worrying how to pay bills ect in spain while you are in england if your bank account
is frozen as we go back to england next month until next year.
is it possible to unsign from the padron??
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GYPSY
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Gypsy - as you're in Spain at the moment I'd go into your Bank now and see what they say.
If you do have to sign a form then it would be better to do it now before you return to UK.
You can then update us poor souls here on tenterhooks waiting to know what's going on 
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Yes Gypsy...  help More out too.
Which bank are you with there please ?
This message was last edited by morerosado on 7/31/2008.
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Hi Gypsy, yes we signed on the padron March last year, we was told it helped the community to receive more money. So we thought it was a good idea at the time, they might just take you of it till you become residents I do not know. Semi, we never did intend becoming resident's as we normally have to come back to UK for hospital appoinment's for Roy, so if this is the case we will have to make sure we do not stay more than 3month's at a time. We are both retired and we both have the sip card from the Doctor's. Yes I thought it was a 183 days you could stay up to unless that has been changed as well. Thank's for the info Pat
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It was Bobaol who told us about the 3 month ruling wasn't it as he has first hand knowledge working, as he does, looking after many Leicestershire health centres, as I understand it from one of his posts to me (as I thought he was a Dr.)
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Hi all more problems for us all to sort out we never get things right and each time in spain we are still finding out where to go and what we have to do so why do we buy in spain?bye irene
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Irene has just said "why do we buy in spain"
I'm beginning to wonder myself, it's so demanding ... all this hassle. 
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