Dear Dawn,
Thank you for your blog and all your advice. We opened a bank account with Sabadell as soon as we arrived in Barcelona with the help of a facilitator Montse Viega with ERS. It has made it so much easier to pay rent and bills. Maybe a "local' friend can help you by being a reference to their bank or maybe they can write a check for you and then pay them back. Are there any disadvantages to having a bank account here like income taxes, etc?

Good luck and Happy New Year

Kelly

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Thanks for your feedback! I got a response back from the Embassy saying the only other alternative is to go to a consulate; for me, the closest is Valencia. So instead of a trip there, I am considering opening a bank account here. I have not because of tales I have heard from friends who have used their bank account to pay bills like cell phone or utilities, and got billed more than they owed or never received a statement. I also have a friend who had lived in Spain, and moved back to US for sick family member. When she opened a bank account upon her return to Spain, the government withdrew a lot of money from her account saying she owed back taxes, and gave no advance notice or documentation. Etc. I have just paid cash for stuff.

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