Spain is the EU base for payment groups that look to Latin America, with no application fee and one authorisation covering e-money and every payment service across the EU.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money, cryptoasset and consumer credit firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission, set against the regulator’s own published figures.
Safeguarding, operating and settlement accounts opened alongside the application, so you trade on authorisation.
Candidates introduced for directors in Spain and a customer service head, each assessed against the regulator’s standard.
A reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
You will need directors and senior managers who run the business from Spain, and an independent head of customer service.
One engagement and one timetable, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about the people, the banking and the technology for this licence.
The regulator’s requirements, capital, timing, fees and the questions firms ask, from the regulator’s own publications.
A business issuing stored value in Spain or, through passporting, across the EU and EEA needs authorisation from the Banco de España. Spain is a gateway to Latin America for payment groups, and the firm’s trade payments work in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia pairs with Spanish authorisations. An EMI may provide every payment service under the same authorisation.
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial capital | €350,000 |
| Ongoing own funds | Higher of €350,000 and 2% of average outstanding e-money (prior six months) |
| Adjustment | Up to 20% either way |
| Unrelated payment services | Method A, B or C |
Spain did not adopt a small EMI waiver; only limited-network exclusions apply.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | 3 months from a complete file; silence is refusal; the clock stops during information requests | Law 21/2011 and Royal Decree 778/2012 |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 6 to 8 months after submission | The firm’s own figure, from the regulator’s published data and its own applications |
Figures published by the regulator are quoted as published and converted to months. The realistic timeline is the firm’s own, for a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | None | No fee or deposit |
| Annual supervisory fee | None published | The Banco de España publishes no annual authorisation fee |
| Initial capital | €350,000 | Held before authorisation |
| Professional fees | Fixed, in writing | Quoted after scoping |
A Spanish EMI passports throughout the EU and EEA by branch, agent or cross-border services on notification to the Banco de España.
The Banco de España’s applicant guide lists the causes of delay.
An EMI needs a safeguarding account that satisfies the regulator’s requirements, an operating account and settlement accounts in the currencies it serves. The firm arranges each through institutions that serve regulated firms in Spain and across the EU, during the application, so the firm trades on authorisation. See banking and payment processing.
Three months from a complete file by statute, with silence treated as refusal and the clock stopping during information requests. The firm plans for six to eight months after submission.
No fee and no deposit.
Yes. The Banco de España lists documents not in Spanish as a cause of delay; the firm prepares the file in Spanish.
No. Every issuer holds the full authorisation.
The EU authorisation covers the EU and EEA. Latin American operations are licensed locally; the firm advises on both and runs trade payments in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia through Helm.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm advises on authorisation, compliance, safeguarding, banking and transactions, and builds the white-label payment and card technology its clients launch on.
A written proposal on cost, timing and requirements, the same day: speak to an expert.
This guide is general information for firms considering authorisation and is reviewed against the regulator’s published requirements. It is not legal advice; requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s current publications take precedence.
The requirements, the cost and the timing for your business, in a written proposal the same day.