Payment methods
What is the amount of money (or its equivalent value) with which you can enter or leave Spain? Do you have to file a declaration?
Yes, but you must make 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.
As long as 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, include movements of payment methods throughout national territory or from or to Member States of the European Union and are preceded by the S (S1 or S2).
In the case of entry or exit movements in the national territory of accompanied means of payment, coming from or destined for a third country, form E1 must be presented.
In the case of movements through national territory or movements into or out of the national territory, of accompanied means of payment, coming from or destined for a Member State, form S1 must be presented.
In the case of entry or exit movements in the national territory of unaccompanied means of payment, coming from or destined for a third country, form E2 must be presented.
In the case of movements through national territory or movements into or out of the national territory, of unaccompanied means of payment, coming from or destined for a Member State, form S2 must be presented.
However, and 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 this movement precedes the departure of the means of payment to a Member State; both will be declared in a single model S1 or S2 (depending on whether it is accompanied or not)
- If this movement is preceded by the entry of the payment method from a Member State; both will be declared in a single model S1 or S2 (depending on whether it is accompanied or not)
- If this movement precedes the departure of the payment method 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 the media is accompanied:
- If this movement is preceded by the entry of the payment method from a third country: Both will be declared in a single E1 or E2 model (depending on whether you are accompanied or not).
They are considered means of payment:
- Bank notes and coins, whether Spanish or foreign.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 value in other currencies.
No, bank transfers should not 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.
The presentation, in the case of payment movements to or from third countries, carried by natural persons, will be carried out before the Customs Services of the AEAT prior to any inspection activity of the administration.
In the case of payment movements to or from a Member State of the European Union, carried by natural persons, if this exit or entry is carried out through a border crossing where there are Customs Services, it will be presented to said services. If there are no Customs Services, the bearer must present the declaration, prior to the movement, electronically or in person before the Customs Services.
In the case of the entry or exit of unaccompanied means of payment from national territory, the presentation must be made to the Customs Services or by electronic means within a period of thirty days prior to the unaccompanied movement.
If these are movements through national territory of means of payment for an amount equal to or greater than 100,000 euros or its equivalent in foreign currency, the declaration will be presented in person to the Customs Services or to credit institutions when the movement has its origin or the means of payment are debited or credited, at least partially, in an account owned by the declarant or client of the entity.
It can be done on printed paper or by electronic means.
The types of declaration on paper are available in the offices of the bodies with powers in matters of Customs and Special Taxes of the AEAT and in the Delegations of Economy and Finance, they can also be downloaded from this website and on the web pages of the Executive Service of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Monetary Offenses and the Public Treasury,
Completing the declaration model is not equivalent to its presentation.
Anyone who has completed the declaration model by electronic means may choose to submit the declaration electronically on this same page, using the recognized 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 Bodies.
Failure to submit the declaration when it is mandatory, failure to submit the unaccompanied cash movement declaration on time when it is mandatory, presentation of the declaration with incorrect or incomplete information, when the means of payment are not made available. of the authorities for its control when this is required and the movement is subject to the obligation of declaration or when there are indications that the means of payment are linked to a criminal activity, the means of payment will be provisionally intervened.