Payment methods

Yes, but you must complete a Declaration of Payment Method Movements prior to entering or leaving the national territory.

They are obliged to submit this prior declaration under the terms established in the regulations, individuals who, acting on their own account or on behalf of a third party, carry out the following movements:

• Exit or entry into national territory of accompanied or unaccompanied means of payment for an amount equal to or greater than 10,000 euros or the equivalent value in foreign currency.
• Movements through national territory of means of payment for an amount equal to or greater than 100,000 euros or the equivalent in foreign currency.

Movement is understood as any change of place or position that is verified outside the place of residence of the carrier of the means of payment.

Exempt from the obligation to submit a declaration are individuals acting on behalf of companies that, authorised and registered by the Ministry of the Interior, carry out professional cash or means of payment transport activities, except in cases involving movements of means of payment into and out of the European Union.

The declaration presented shall be valid for carrying out one movement of means of payment on the date declared. Throughout the movement time, the means of payment should be accompanied by this declaration and should be transported by the person detailed on the form as carrying them.

Whenever the payment method movements are accompanied, the model will be E1 or S1 and if they are not accompanied, it will be E2 or S2.

The models approved by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/776 always cover movements from or to third countries and are preceded by the E (E1 or E2).

The models approved by Order ETD/1217/2022, of November 29, collect movements of means of payment throughout national territory or originating or destined for Member States of the European Union and are preceded by the letter S (S1 or S2).

In the case of entry or exit movements in the national territory of accompanied means of payment, originating from or destined for a third country, form E1 must be submitted.

In the case of movements within national territory or movements in or out of the national territory of accompanied means of payment originating from or destined for a Member State, form S1 must be submitted.

In the case of entry or exit movements in the national territory of unaccompanied means of payment, originating from or destined for a third country, form E2 must be submitted.

In the case of movements within national territory or movements into or out of the national territory of unaccompanied means of payment originating from or destined for a Member State, form S2 must be submitted.

However, in order to simplify the presentation and avoid the presentation of several models when the movement through national territory is preceded or followed by another movement and this is subject to prior declaration, the following special rules are established:

• If such movement precedes the exit of the means of payment to a Member State; Both will be declared in a single S1 or S2 form (depending on whether or not accompanied)
• If this movement is preceded by the entry of the means of payment from a Member State; Both will be declared in a single S1 or S2 form (depending on whether or not accompanied)
• If this movement precedes the departure of the means of payment to a third country, two models will be presented:
  • If the media is accompanied:
    • for the national movement: S1
    • for departure to the third country: E1
  • If the media is not accompanied:
    • for the national movement: S2
    • for departure to the third country: E2
• If this movement is preceded by the entry of the means of payment from a third country: Both will be declared in a single E1 or E2 form (depending on whether or not accompanied).

They are considered means of payment:

1. Bank notes and coins, whether Spanish or foreign.
2. Negotiable effects or means of payment such as travellers' cheques, cheques or promissory notes or payment orders, whether made out to the bearer, signed, but omitting the beneficiary, endorsed without restriction, made out to the order of a fictitious beneficiary or otherwise by virtue of which its ownership is transmitted upon delivery and incomplete instruments.
3. Non-nominative prepaid cards which serve to store or provide access to monetary values or funds that can be used to make payments, purchase goods or services, or for obtaining cash, where such cards are not linked to a bank account.
4. Coins with a gold content of at least 90% and unminted gold, such as bullion or nuggets, with a gold content of at least 99.5%.

Unaccompanied means of payment are those sent by mail or courier service to an addressee and therefore not carried by an individual. If the thresholds are exceeded, they must be declared. 

If they are carried by a natural person, they are considered accompanied means of payment.

Any amount equal to or greater than €10,000 or its equivalent in any currency per person per trip must be declared.

The limit of €10,000 or its equivalent in any currency is also valid for unaccompanied cash movements.

When domestic means of payment movements are made, the limit shall be equal to or greater than €100,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency.

No, it is not necessary to submit several declarations, but a single declaration including all the means of payment, which together must be equal to or greater than €10,000 or €100,000 in the case of a national territory movement.

No, bank transfers are not subject to declaration, even if their amount exceeds €10,000 or its equivalent in other currencies.

No, bank transfers do not need to be declared.

Yes, but the person exercising parental authority, guardianship or trusteeship shall be responsible for compliance with the obligation to declare, and for this purpose shall be deemed to be the bearer of the means of payment. In case both the minor and the person exercising parental authority, guardianship or trusteeship are travelling together, they will have to make a declaration where they jointly or separately exceed the limit of €10,000 or its equivalent in other means of payment.

In the case of movements of unaccompanied means of payment a declaration has to be made within 30 days before the movement of the means of payment takes place.

The declaration must always be submitted before the movement of the means of payment takes place.

The declaration must be made by the bearer of the means of payment. In the case of unaccompanied means of payment, this must be done by the sender or the addressee of the means of payment.

In the case of payment transactions to or from third countries, carried by natural persons, the presentation must be made before the AEAT Customs Services prior to any supervisory activity by the administration.

In the case of payment movements to or from a Member State of the European Union, carried out by natural persons, if said exit or entry is made through a border crossing where there are customs services, it will be presented to said services. If there are no customs services, the carrier must submit the declaration, prior to movement, electronically or in person to the customs services.

In the case of the entry or exit of unaccompanied means of payment into or from the national territory, the presentation must be made to the Customs Services or by electronic means within thirty days prior to the unaccompanied movement.

In the case of movements of means of payment within national territory for an amount equal to or greater than 100,000 euros or its equivalent in foreign currency, the declaration must be submitted in person to the Customs Services or to credit institutions when the movement originates or the means of payment are charged or credited, at least partially, to an account owned by the declarant or client of the institution.

It can be done in printed form or by electronic means.

The types of paper declaration are available in the offices of the bodies with jurisdiction over Customs and Excise of the AEAT and in the Delegations of Economy and Finance, they can also be downloaded from this website and from the websites of the Executive Service of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Monetary Offences and the Public Treasury,

Completing the declaration form is not equivalent to submitting it.

Anyone who has completed the declaration form electronically may choose to submit the declaration electronically on this same page, using the recognised identification, authentication and electronic signature systems.

Failure to declare means of payment is a serious infringement. The minimum penalty is 600 euros and the maximum penalty may be up to 50 per cent of the value of the means of payment used and a public or private reprimand.

Regardless of the place and form of presentation, the declaration will be displayed without prior request before the permanent Customs Services of the border post and when required by Customs Services other than the above and the Security Forces and Corps.

Failure to submit the declaration when required, failure to submit the unaccompanied cash movement declaration on time when required, submission of the declaration with incorrect or incomplete information, when the means of payment are not made available to the authorities for control when required and the movement is subject to the obligation to report, or when there are indications that the means of payment are linked to criminal activity, will result in the provisional seizure of the means of payment.