Investment Immigration to Spain Learn about Spanish laws: According to current Spanish law, all individuals, whether Spanish citizens or foreigners, must declare any cash amounting to or exceeding 10,000 euros when entering or leaving Spain.
The term "entering or leaving Spain" refers to entering Spain from any country in the world, including any country within the European Union, or leaving Spain to any country, whether by airplane, by ship from a port, or by crossing land borders.
The 10,000 euro limit refers to the total amount of cash, including foreign currency (calculated at equivalent value) and cash checks (all checks and securities that do not specify a beneficiary).
If you need to carry more than 10,000 euros in cash in and out of customs, you must declare it. The declaration requires filling out a form at customs, the Bank of Spain, or the police station. The declaration must be made voluntarily by the individual, and the form filled out must be kept together with the cash being carried and presented to customs officials or police when asked.
If the cash being carried (including cash checks and foreign currency) exceeds the stipulated 10,000 euros and is not declared, customs will leave the individual with 1,000 euros, and the remainder will be temporarily confiscated. A receipt will be given to the individual at the time of confiscation, and a fine file will be opened.
After confiscation, the individual can appeal (RECURRIR), and customs will decide the amount of the fine based on the materials submitted in the appeal. Such cases will involve two types of offenses (DELITOS): one is carrying cash exceeding the stipulated amount out of customs, which is a lighter offense, especially for first-time offenders who may unknowingly violate this regulation; the second is money laundering (BLANQUEO DE CAPITALES), which in the most severe cases can result in the confiscation of the entire amount, plus a 50% fine (SANCIÓN), and even criminal liability (RESPONSABILIDAD PENAL).
The severity of customs fines will also consider how the money was stored; for example, if it is all in a bag, it may indicate ignorance of the law, resulting in a lighter fine; if hidden in many places, it may seem intentional to avoid detection, resulting in a heavier fine.
Additionally, when entering Spain on a tourist visa, the minimum amount of cash carried must not be less than 500 euros. There was a case of an Argentine citizen holding a Spanish tourist visa who was carrying 250 dollars and two gold credit cards, and was denied entry at Spanish customs and sent back to their country for carrying less than 500 euros in cash.
If staying in Spain for an extended period, it is advisable to carry more cash, at least enough to cover travel expenses.