The Spanish Administración General del Estado according to official figures, received around €18.3 million in 2024 from bank balances classed as “saldos en presunción de abandono”. The rule is that a bank account is considered dormant after 20 years without any transaction or administrative action initiated by the account holder, and the balance is transferred to the state. The legal basis is the Ley 33/2003 on public assets and the procedural rules of the Orden EHA/3291/2008.
The process is formalised. First, institutions check whether the account holder has made any transactions or arrangements during the previous two decades. If not, they must notify known account holders or heirs at least three months — 90 days — before the 20-year period expires, usually by recorded delivery or an equivalent traceable method. Notice may be omitted if the delivery costs exceed the balance in the account. If there is no response, the institutions transfer the funds to the Dirección General del Patrimonio del Estado, which pays them into the treasury of the Administración General del Estado. On request, the authority issues former account holders or heirs with a certificate stating the date on which it took possession of the funds.
The Banco de España explains in its consumer guidance how these accounts differ from “inactive” accounts, which may not be used regularly but do not necessarily meet the 20-year requirement or qualify under the formal process. What matters is the absence of transactions or administrative actions by the account holder; automatic bank entries do not count as a substitute. The system is intended to bring together unclaimed balances and keep them manageable.
Anyone who believes an account has been wrongly classed as “en presunción de abandono” can contact the Dirección General del Patrimonio del Estado and request a correction. The Banco de España is responsible for supervising the institutions, while the Ministerio de Hacienda manages the state’s assets. In any case, people who no longer use their accounts should keep the contact details held by their bank up to date and close unnecessary accounts in an orderly way to avoid misunderstandings.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).