Bank account for electricity & water bills

You don't say if you are buying or renting. If you are buying then your lawyer will be able to get your NIE numbers, open a bank account, get all the utilities transferred into your name and direct debits set up from your Spanish bank account.

If you are renting all that becomes a bit more difficult and I suspect you will need to have a gestor or lawyer sort all this out for you. I'm not sure what to suggest other than contacting our lawyers at Mundi Abogados and ask them to do this for you.

Rob
Los Gallardos/Palomares

We have owned a property in Spain for 14 years.  A while back we closed our Spanish bank account and opened a Euro account with our UK bank (Barclays).  This is used for paying all our bills.  Since the UK is part of SEPA (single European payment area) the utility companies will collect direct debits cross border.   This has proved to be much better than having a Spanish account where we were charged fees constantly.  We use a separate prepaid card (Caxton FX) for our cash and buying shopping when we are in Spain.   

I just went into a bank and asked about a bank account they asked if we had a passport and we signed a form and we received our bank card a week later, i do not think we had our NIE number and we are renting we have since gotten  for our Resdencia.

Tony

Thanks Tony

Which Bank ?

We are renting as well from late June

Regards

Andy

it was BMN but has been taken over by Bankia this was in Garrucha.

Tony

Great thank you

Gibraltar is not part of SEPA as we have now discovered. OK for one off payments and SOs but not if the figure is variable. Nordic is happy to take from your off shore euro account CC/DC.

Bit of a pain as we still need to run a Spanish Bank Acct.  so 50€ pa but can dump their Card at 43€ & any risk of Embargo.

Bob and Sandra

Mojacar Playa and Puerto Lumbreras

You don't need to be in Spain to get an NIE. Try the embassy ( I didn't but I knew no better). I moved to Banco Sabadell to avoid charges.