Skip to main content

Compliance by Country

Spain: onboarding obligations and AML controls

Align onboarding, sanctions screening, and case operations in Kingdom of Spain. AutoKYC unifies multi-provider KYC, KYB, and AML tooling with privacy-by-design audit trails and managed analyst services.

Book a compliance workshop Explore pricing

Core regulatory expectations

Customer due diligence
Law 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, supported by Royal Decree 304/2014, requires financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses to verify identity before establishing business relationships, classify customer risk, and maintain documented AML programs reviewed by SEPBLAC.
Politically exposed persons
Article 14 of Law 10/2010 mirrors FATF guidance, covering national and foreign public officials, senior judiciary, armed forces leadership, state enterprise executives, and close family and associates. Enhanced due diligence extends for two years after the individual leaves office.
Record retention
Article 25 mandates retaining copies of identification and transaction records for ten years from the termination of the relationship, ensuring immediate availability to SEPBLAC upon request.

Sanctions and watchlist coverage

AutoKYC’s sanctions engine can orchestrate risk-based screening across primary authorities required in Spain.

How AutoKYC operationalises these controls

KYC Orchestration Platform

Design multi-provider identity journeys with regulator-approved remote identification, tiered fallbacks, and privacy-safe audit trails tailored to Spain.

View capability

Sanctions & AML Monitoring

Screen against EU, UN, and domestic sanctions authorities with rules-based escalation, risk scoring, and immutable audit logs for Kingdom of Spain.

View capability

Managed Onboarding & Case Ops

Delegate onboarding, periodic reviews, ODD/EDD, and escalation workflows to AutoKYC specialists operating from ISO 27001 certified facilities.

View capability

Regulatory references

Maintain documented evidence for auditors and regulators. Link your policies to primary sources listed below.

Frequently asked questions

Use these answers to align product, compliance, and operations teams on local obligations.

Is non-face-to-face onboarding allowed in Spain? #1
Remote onboarding is possible using video identification per SEPBLAC 2016 guidance, provided recordings are retained and biometrics verified.
What qualifies as acceptable proof of address? #2
Banks typically require recent utility bills, tax statements, or municipal certificates, with SEPBLAC expecting risk-based verification for high-risk clients.
Do Spanish firms need an AML officer? #3
Obliged entities must appoint a Compliance Officer and, when required, a Control Body, both formally registered with SEPBLAC.