Moving to Spain

This is from Citizens Advice, ""Do you need to tell the official receiver about a new bank account?

You don't need to tell the official receiver or bankruptcy trustee about any new bank account that you open after being declared bankrupt. The only exception to this is if they specifically ask you for this information."


I do not think you have to tell them, but they will most likely ask anyway, in which case you DO have to tell the bank.


This website aimed at expats, gives you details of opening a bank account and how to do it in Spain....


http://www.healthplanspain.com/blog/expat-tips/114-expats-guide-to-opening-a-bank-account-in-spain.html#.V_k0ckYVBEY


It doesn't mention bankruptcy.


Hope that helps.

I get what you mean, but your bankruptcy would be valid anywhere in the EU, as if you had debts within the EU, they would be covered by a UK bankruptcy.
Lying to a bank is not a good idea. If they specifically ask you if you have been bankrupt in Spain, I suppose the answer is no.


You are free to leave the UK if you like during bankruptcy, as long as you tell the OR where you can be contacted, so that they do not think you have done a runner. It would be possibly best to wait a couple of months after you have been declared bankrupt to allow time for any possible interview and paperwork to be sorted.


Why don't you want to tell new Spanish bank you are bankrupt; are you concerned they won't let you open an account?

As long as you have an address you will be fine, I moved to Cyprus and had no problem opening an account, they did not want to know about my financial history in the UK even though I asked them. Your UK bankruptcy only applies to the UK it is not a EU wide.

Here is what National Debtline says about bankruptcy abroad,
" If you go bankrupt in England or Wales and then move abroad, the country you move to may not recognise your bankruptcy. This depends on the country that you move to.
If you move to another member state of the European Union (EU) (except Denmark), that country will recognise your bankruptcy. This means that your creditors will not be able to take action against you there. However, there will be restrictions on you in the country that you move to. Seek advice in that country about what these restrictions are likely to be.".
It's from this page... https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/bankruptcyandforeignissues/bankruptcyabroad.aspx


I am not saying the Spanish will give a monkies about you being bankrupt, but it is not necessarily the case about UK bankruptcy not being valid there. If it wasn't your creditors would still be able to chase you.


I have no idea if you have to disclose, but it is not quite the position you seem to think, whereby UK bankruptcy is nothing to do with any other EU country, because it is.
I suspect you will be able to go to Spain, get a bank account and be asked nothing about bankruptcy, but for others reading this post later, if they get the impression that UK bankruptcy is not vaild in the EU, then they would be misinformed, which is why I am banging on about it.
Last you'll hear from me about it!!!


Good luck in Spain.

dojoman wrote: »

All that link explains is that creditors may be able to come after you in certain countries if they do not recognise the UK BR. You cannot include debts from other euro countries in a UK BR. If you have property abroad the OR can lay claim to it. It is not a case of it being valid in another EU country, whatever you mean by that? Once you are declared BR in the UK any debts (not secured) you have in the UK will be wiped out. I offered my history to the bank here when opening an account and they said they were not interested in the least about it, as long as I serviced my account everything would be ok, 5 years in and they have been true to their word.

Yes, you can include debts from other countries in a UK BR. I was declared BR 2 months ago, with about 8 EU debts and only one for £200 in the UK. I am UK resident from another EU country. As long as UK is your main centre of interest, as in you live and work here, you can apply for bankruptcy and include your EU debts. My EU debts will be wiped out too and EU companies cannot chase me for my EU debts anywhere in the EU, now I am bankrupt, all from a UK bankruptcy.


I opened a new basic bank account here post bankruptcy as my standard account was closed by the bank; Nationwide specifically asked me was I bankrupt or having financial difficulties, so some do ask. Possibly b all to do what they will ask the Original poster when he gets to Spain, but who knows.
I have different experiences than you, and so I beg to differ.