The essentials in brief:
- How to spot it: a Spanish IBAN starts with ES and has 24 characters; the two letters show the country of the institution or branch that holds the account.
- Who offers it to businesses: Vivid, Finom and Qonto state a Spanish IBAN for the company or freelancer account on their own websites.
- The SEPA rule: Regulation (EU) 260/2012 stops anyone who pays or collects in euros from requiring an account in a specific Member State, if the account is in the EU and reachable through SEPA.
- In practice: some forms still ask for an IBAN starting with ES, so it pays to check the IBAN country before you open the account.
- At Vivid: unlimited Spanish IBANs on every plan, including Free Start and Standard at €0/month.
You have just registered as an autónomo, or your S.L. already has its tax number, and you open the business account on your phone in a single afternoon. The next day a client asks for your details to pay the first invoice and, in passing, asks whether the number is Spanish. It is not an unusual question. Many neobanks with a Spanish IBAN put it on their home page precisely because it is the first thing checked by whoever pays you or charges you a direct debit.
Answering is easy once you know how to read the first two letters of the IBAN. Further down you will find the European rule for IBANs from another country and the online providers that state an ES IBAN for companies and freelancers on their official website. At the end you will find a checklist to help you choose and the steps for opening an account with Vivid, which assigns Spanish IBANs to every account and every pocket.
What a Spanish IBAN is and how to recognise it
The IBAN is the international code that identifies a payment account across the whole SEPA area. A Spanish IBAN always starts with the letters ES, followed by two check digits and the twenty digits of the account: 24 characters in total. A fictitious example in the real format would be ES91 2100 0418 4502 0005 1332. The first four digits after the check digits identify the institution and the next four the branch.
Few people notice what those first two letters actually indicate. They do not reflect your nationality or where your company is registered: they say in which country the institution, or the branch, that holds the account is located. That is why a provider based in another EU country can give you an account with a Spanish IBAN if it operates in Spain through a branch. And the other way round: an account opened from Madrid can have an IBAN starting with LT, NL, BE or DE.
Spanish or foreign IBAN: what changes
For euro payments within the Union, the rule is clear. Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 260/2012 states that a payer making a credit transfer must not specify the Member State in which the payee’s payment account is located, and the same applies to a payee collecting by credit transfer or direct debit. Put another way: a company, a public body or a supplier collecting in euros should not reject an IBAN because it starts with letters other than ES, as long as the account is reachable through SEPA.
Practice does not always move as quickly as the law. Some payroll platforms, supplier registration forms and utility contracts still validate only IBANs that start with ES. If your clients or suppliers use that kind of form, it makes sense to rule out banks without a Spanish IBAN from the start and to read the terms of neobanks with a foreign IBAN carefully before opening the account. When it happens, the person affected can cite Article 9 to whoever demands the Spanish IBAN. With an ES IBAN from day one, that conversation never even starts.
Worth knowing: the SEPA rules prohibit requiring an account in a particular country for euro payments and collections, as long as the account is in the EU and reachable through SEPA. Even so, checking the first two letters of the IBAN before you open the account saves you explanations with clients, suppliers and platforms that still ask for ES.
Online business accounts with a Spanish IBAN
Almost every comparison that shows up on Google is written for personal accounts. If you are looking for neobanks for businesses, the list gets shorter, and not every provider publishes the IBAN country of its business account. The table shows what each one states on its official website in Spain, checked on 1 November 2026. The IBAN column separates the banks with a Spanish IBAN and other providers that state it from those that do not specify it on their business page.
| Provider | Type of institution | IBAN of the business account | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vivid | E-money institution with a branch in Spain | Unlimited Spanish IBANs on every plan | Free Start and Standard: €0/month |
| Finom | E-money institution licensed in the Netherlands | Spanish IBAN in 24 hours, according to its website | Solo: €0/month |
| N26 Business | German bank with a branch in Spain | IBAN country not stated on its business page | Business Standard with no monthly fee |
| bunq Business | Dutch institution with a branch in Spain | IBAN country not stated on its website | Free Business with no monthly fee for freelancers |
| Wise Business | Payment institution authorised in Belgium | SEPA IBAN, country not stated on its website | One-off fee of €60 |
| Qonto | Payment institution with a branch in Barcelona | Spanish IBAN on the Starter plan | Starter: €0/month excl. VAT |
Vivid Business
Anyone looking for a neobank with a Spanish IBAN for their business finds in Vivid an e-money institution: Vivid Money S.A., authorised by the CSSF in Luxembourg, which operates in Spain through a branch registered with the Banco de España under number 6731. Spanish IBANs are issued by Vivid Money S.A. or its local branch, and accounts starting with ES are managed by the branch in Spain. The practical result is simple: you open a business account and receive an ES IBAN, whether you are an autónomo or run an S.L. or S.A.
What sets Vivid apart is the number. The website sums it up as "Unlimited Spanish IBANs regardless of tariff". Every account and every pocket has its own IBAN, so you can keep one for client payments, another for quarterly VAT and another for a specific project. Sub-accounts with their own IBAN also accept direct debits, so the bill for a software subscription or the electricity bill for your premises can be charged straight to the pocket it belongs to.
Finom
Finom provides its payment services through Finom Payments BV, an e-money institution licensed by De Nederlandsche Bank. Its Spanish website promises a Spanish IBAN within 24 hours for SMEs and freelancers, and the account opens fully online. The Solo plan costs €0/month; Basic costs €17/month paid annually or €21/month paid monthly, excluding VAT. That said, its pricing table lists Solo with no free physical card, and free outgoing SEPA transfers go up to €2,500, according to its pricing table.
Qonto
Qonto is a French payment institution that operates in Spain through a branch in Barcelona, supervised by the Banco de España and the ACPR. On its pricing page, the Starter plan for freelancers is listed at €0/month excluding VAT and includes a "Spanish IBAN", and sub-accounts carry an ES IBAN too. One detail stands out: Starter includes five transfers a month, and the first paid plan, Basic, costs €9/month excluding VAT with annual billing of €108.
Revolut, N26, Wise and bunq: how to check
These are the names that come up most in searches, and the question keeps appearing in forums: whether Revolut has a Spanish IBAN, whether N26 has a Spanish IBAN for freelancers, or whether bunq offers one. The business pages of N26, Wise and bunq did not state the IBAN country when this article was prepared. Revolut Business is not in the table: for its business account, the method below is the reliable way to find out the IBAN country. What N26, Wise and bunq do publish is who is behind the account.
N26 Bank SE is a bank authorised by the German BaFin and its Spanish branch is listed with the Banco de España under number 1563; its Business Smart account is designed for freelancers operating under their own name. Wise Europe SA is a payment institution authorised in Belgium, with a Spanish branch registered under number 6946, and charges a one-off fee of €60 for local account details. bunq operates through a branch in Spain and requires the company to be registered in one of the nine countries it lists. With that information, the check is quick:
In short: whether Wise, or any other provider, offers a Spanish IBAN can be checked on its official website and in the first two letters of the IBAN. If the business page does not say, the sensible move is to ask before you sign.
How to choose among neobanks with a Spanish IBAN
Among neobanks with a Spanish IBAN, the IBAN country is the first filter, not the only one. An online account with a Spanish IBAN that does not fit the way payments come in and go out tends to mean switching again, with the work of notifying clients and suppliers. These five points help you compare like for like:
For a team of several people, permissions and cards per employee also count. For a freelancer just starting out, on the other hand, what usually weighs more is that the free plan does not restrict the basics: receiving transfers, paying invoices and having the IBAN ready for the first invoice. The Vivid account for freelancers starts with the Standard plan at €0/month and already includes a Spanish IBAN.
Opening an account with a Spanish IBAN at Vivid
Among online banks with a Spanish IBAN and payment accounts, what differs most when opening the account is the paperwork. At Vivid the application is done entirely online and there is no need to visit a branch. The account is usually open between ten minutes and an hour after you submit your details. Vivid is one of the online accounts with a Spanish IBAN that do not ask for an appointment, and these are the steps.
State whether you are a freelancer (empresario individual) or a company, for example an S.L. or an S.A. The legal form decides which plans you see: Standard, Prime, Pro and Pro+ for freelancers, or Free Start, Basic, Pro, Enterprise and Enterprise+ for companies.
Take a selfie and photograph your valid EEA identity document, for example your DNI or passport. Verification is completed digitally, from your phone.
Add the name, address and activity of the business and, for companies, the directors and beneficial owners. The tax number (NIF) can be provided during registration or within 90 days of opening; companies with mainly passive income must provide it before the account is opened.
Once the account is active, the Spanish IBAN appears in the app. Download the account confirmation with IBAN, BIC and company name, and open pockets with their own IBAN to separate taxes or projects.
Vivid in brief: a business account with unlimited Spanish IBANs, one for every account and pocket, from the €0/month plan. Accounts starting with ES are managed by the Spanish branch of Vivid Money S.A., registered with the Banco de España.
Your business account with a Spanish IBAN
Open a Vivid business account online, with unlimited Spanish IBANs for every account and pocket and plans from €0/month.
Frequently asked questions
Which neobanks and online accounts give businesses a Spanish IBAN?
Among online providers for companies and freelancers, Vivid, Finom and Qonto state a Spanish IBAN for the business account on their official websites. N26, bunq and Wise did not specify the IBAN country on their business pages when this article was prepared, so it is worth checking their terms before opening the account.
Can a client or a supplier require a Spanish IBAN?
For euro payments within the EU, they should not. Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 260/2012 prevents anyone paying by credit transfer, or collecting by credit transfer or direct debit, from specifying the Member State of the account, as long as it is reachable through SEPA. Even so, some forms still ask for ES, and a Spanish IBAN avoids the discussion.
How many Spanish IBANs can I have at Vivid?
As many as you need. Vivid offers unlimited Spanish IBANs on every plan, including Free Start and Standard at €0/month. Every account and every pocket has its own IBAN, which helps keep the money for taxes, payroll or each project apart.
How do I know if my IBAN is Spanish?
Look at the first two letters: a Spanish IBAN starts with ES and has 24 characters. Those letters show the country of the institution or branch that holds the account, not your nationality. At Vivid you can see it in the app and on the account confirmation, which includes IBAN, BIC, company name and address.
Can I set up direct debits on a Vivid account?
Yes. Vivid supports SEPA CORE direct debits, and you can have a direct debit charged straight to a pocket. To move the direct debits you already have at another institution, the "Direct Debit switch" tool works with the partner Qwist and is free on every plan.
Is Vivid a bank?
Vivid is an e-money institution: Vivid Money S.A., authorised and supervised by the CSSF in Luxembourg. In Spain it operates through its branch, registered in the special register of the Banco de España under number 6731, which manages the accounts with a Spanish IBAN.
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal, tax or financial advice. Details of other providers come from their official websites and may change; their terms are worth checking before signing up. Vivid Money S.A. is an e-money institution authorised by the CSSF (Luxembourg); its branch in Spain is registered with the Banco de España under number 6731. Finom, N26, bunq, Wise, Revolut and Qonto are trademarks of their respective owners.
