Caixa opened my account with passport plus DNV letter, no NIE
which branch did you go to? i tried the one on gran via last week and they told me it was impossible without the physical card. madrid banks are so hit or miss depending on who is at the desk that day. i'm sitting here with my approval letter just waiting for my tie appointment.
honestly the big branches are the worst for this. try the smaller ones in neighborhoods like chamberi or salamanca. they usually have more time to actually read the documentation.
great to hear it worked. for anyone else reading this, make sure the passport you use is the same one on your dnv letter. i had a friend try with a renewed passport and the bank system wouldn't verify the certificate because the numbers didn't match up. and definitely get the official digital certificate first if you can.
yeah that passport number thing is a total nightmare. it takes forever to update it with social security too. better to just stick with the old one for the bank if you can.
i had the exact opposite experience with caixa in may. they wouldnt even look at my digital nomad approval and said i had to wait for the tie. ended up going to bbva for a non resident account instead but the fees are eating me alive. might try to switch now based on this.
I had the exact same experience at a branch in Tetuan. It really comes down to the person behind the desk. My guy didn't even blink at the passport. One thing to watch out for is that once you get your physical TIE card, you have to go back and show it to them. They will eventually freeze the account if you don't update it from non-resident to resident status within a few months. it happened to a guy in my coworking space and it was a nightmare to get it unfrozen.
Wait, did they charge you to switch it? I heard some banks try to charge a fee just for updating the NIE on the account. I'm waiting for my card now and I'm worried they'll pull some hidden fee crap when I go in.
I actually disagree that it's worth it. 60 euros a year in fees after the first year is a total rip off when you can get a fee-free account once you have the NIE. I'm just using my home account and Revolut until my TIE arrives. Why pay the "foreigner tax" to Caixa if you don't have to? The convenience of a brick and mortar branch isn't that great when they move the goalposts every time you go in.
Some landlords won't take anything but a Spanish IBAN though. My landlord refused to set up a SEPA pull from my German account. Sometimes you just have to eat the 15 euros to get the apartment you want.
Congrats on getting it sorted. I tried the same thing but they told me i needed a translated work contract even with the DNV letter. I showed them my bank statements but they wouldn't budge. I guess it really is just luck of the draw. Did you have to make an appointment or did you just walk in? Most places in Madrid are demanding a 'cita previa' lately even for simple stuff.
this is actually huge. everyone tells you that you need the actual nie number to even breathe in this country. did they charge you the non-resident fee first? usually they try to stick you with that extra 15 euro a month charge if you don't have the resident card yet.
Just a heads up for anyone doing this, make sure your DNV letter is the final approval and not just the application receipt. I tried this in Chamberi and the clerk got really confused because she thought it was just a pending application. Also, did they make you sign up for the Securitas Direct alarm or any insurance? Usually Caixa is aggressive about upselling those when you open a new account.
They didn't push the alarm on me but they did try to sell me a phone plan. I just kept saying no in broken Spanish until they gave up. It's annoying but worth it to have a Spanish IBAN for the water bill.
did you have to get a translator or was the agent okay with english? most of the madrid offices are better with it but i'm still nervous about the technical banking terms with my level of spanish. thanks for sharing this though, really helpful.
it really helps if you have the dnv approval letter translated or at least highlighted where it says you have the right to reside. helped me a lot.
That Oct 25th date is interesting because there was a memo sent out around then to some banks about the digital nomad visa specifically. It's getting better but still hit or miss. If anyone is reading this, try to go early in the morning on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Friday afternoons are the worst time to try anything administrative in Spain. everyone just wants to go home.
You got lucky with the fees. I went to a Caixa near Retiro and they insisted on a 35 euro quarterly fee unless I got their health insurance. I ended up just walking out. It's wild how much it varies by branch even though it's the same company. I might try the Noviciado one next week since I'm still waiting on my residency card and I'm tired of using Revolut for everything.
malasaña branches are usually more used to foreigners so that makes sense. i tried doing this in a smaller city outside madrid and they looked at the dnv letter like it was from outer space. if you are in the city center it is definitely easier. did you have to show any proof of address like a padron or just the passport? some places are sticklers for the padron too.
caixa is usually more flexible if you buy their health insurance or home insurance at the same time. did they try to bundle anything like that into your account opening? usually they call it the holo bank package for expats.
just a heads up that any account opened with a passport will eventually need to be updated once you get your physical tie card. if you dont go back and show them the card within a few months they sometimes freeze the account for security reasons. set a reminder for yourself.