How much cash you can bring in Spain
In Spain, there is a Regulation on the Movement of Payment Media, which is a regulation on the amount of cash or cash equivalent instruments (e.g. checks) that can be carried in Spain. The main purpose of this law is to avoid the movement of cash and to combat money laundering.
According to Article 34 of the Spanish Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Regulation on the Movement of Payment Media, the movement within Spain with cash of 100,000 euros or more needs to be declared to the tax authorities. The law does not prohibit the carrying of large amounts of cash out of home, but only stipulates that a declaration is required if the amount reaches 100,000 or more. In other words you have to declare in advance if you bring cash up to the legal limit.
Note: If you are moving in or out Spain, then the limit es 10,000.
Related article:Limitation for taking cash in or out of Spain
In other words, you can take as much cash as you want, as long as you declare it to the tax authorities.
The maximum amount of cash that can be carried out without a declaration is 99,999 euros (note: not 100,000).
What happens if you carry a lot of cash without declaring it?
According to Article 35 of the Spanish Money Laundering Act, cash will be detained if you are found to be in violation of the law and do not declare it. The cash will only be detained, not confiscated. The cash can later be returned to the person if it is proven to be from legitimate income. For humanitarian reasons, the authorities will not detain all the cash, but will leave a certain amount, usually 1000 euros for living expenses.
Can I go to jail if I don’t declare? .
Under the current Anti-Money Laundering Act, if a person fails to declare the money simply because he or she is carrying it, he or she will not be detained and the carrier can continue his or her journey. If there is no money laundering activity involved, it is not a criminal offense to carry excess cash without declaring it.
Failure to declare can result in administrative fines .
The Spanish Law against Money Laundering also provides that in addition to the seizure of cash, those who carry too much cash without declaring it will also face a fine. The minimum amount of the fine is 600 euros and the maximum amount is twice the amount illegally carried. Normally, if the circumstances are not serious, the minimum fine of 600 euros will be enforced.
