If you receive money in Spain that comes from China (savings, the sale of a business or a property, dividends or an inheritance), your bank has to know the source of the funds (Article 6 of Law 10/2010) and, if it cannot verify it, it will not execute the transaction (Art. 7(3)). We prepare the dossier that proves where the money comes from and where it has been, so the bank understands it the first time.
Asked to prove money from China? We tell you what to provide
Tell us where the money comes from, how much it is and what the bank has asked you for, and we will tell you which documents you need.
The bank does not need your life story: it needs organized evidence. We reconstruct the path of the money from China to your account and present it the way a bank’s AML department reviews it.
We read the bank’s request and identify which part of the money’s journey has to be proven: where the money comes from, which accounts it has passed through and what you will use it for.
We gather the evidence of its origin in China: sale agreements, payslips or dividends, deeds, tax returns and statements from the source accounts.
We reconstruct the path from the Chinese account to your Spanish account, with proof of each transfer and of the currency exchange.
We identify which Chinese public documents should be apostilled (China has applied the Apostille Convention since November 7, 2023) and which ones need a translation.
We organize the documents with an index and a clear explanation of the transaction, written for the bank’s AML department.
If the bank asks for more information or holds the transaction, we prepare the response and, if necessary, the complaint through the appropriate channels.
These are the transactions that most often lead a bank to ask about the source of funds.
The bank will want to see the agreement, the price, the taxes paid and the transfer you received for the sale.
Employment contracts, payslips and Chinese tax returns explain how that money was earned.
Dividend distribution minutes, annual accounts and loan agreements support each payment between the companies.
The inheritance or gift document, apostilled and translated, and proof of how the person giving you the money obtained it.
Data from Law 10/2010, the Hague Convention and China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).
The bank monitors your transactions throughout the relationship, including the source of funds.
If it cannot apply due diligence, the bank does not execute the transaction or ends the relationship, with no liability on its part except in cases of unjust enrichment.
Annual quota for individuals to buy and sell foreign currency in China; above it, the authenticity of the transaction is reviewed in more detail.
China has applied the Apostille Convention since November 7, 2023: its public documents no longer need legalization.
Entering Spain with cash or other bearer means of payment of that amount or more requires you to declare it beforehand.
The bank cannot tell you whether it has reported your transaction to SEPBLAC or whether it is examining it.
We review what the bank has asked you for and tell you which documents are missing and how to present them.
Because Law 10/2010 requires it to know its customers’ source of funds and to review transactions that do not fit what it knows about them (Art. 6). A large transfer from abroad often triggers that review, whether it comes from China or from any other country. It does not mean they suspect you: it means they need evidence.
Those that show where the money comes from and where it has been: sale or employment contracts, payslips, deeds, tax returns, dividend distribution minutes, statements from the source accounts in China and proof of each transfer and currency exchange. What matters is that they form a chain with no gaps.
Chinese public documents have been eligible for an apostille since November 7, 2023, when China started applying the 1961 Hague Convention, which abolishes legalization. Private documents, such as a contract between individuals, are not apostilled as such. Documents in Chinese should be accompanied by a translation.
According to China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), individuals have an annual quota of USD 50,000 to buy and sell foreign currency, and transactions above it are reviewed in more detail. If your money left China above that amount, keep the documents filed there at hand: they are the best explanation of the transaction.
If it cannot apply due diligence measures, the bank must not execute the transaction and may end the relationship with the customer (Article 7(3) of Law 10/2010). If it also has indications of money laundering, it refrains from executing the transaction and reports it to SEPBLAC (Art. 19). That is why the fastest route is to provide a complete justification from the start.
No. Article 24 of Law 10/2010 prohibits it from disclosing to the customer that it has reported information to SEPBLAC or that it is examining a transaction. That is why the bank’s answer is sometimes brief.
It does not appear on the FATF lists of June 19, 2026, or on the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries (Delegated Regulation 2016/1675, in its version of January 29, 2026). Even so, each bank assesses the risk of each transaction through its own analysis.
Anyone entering Spain with €10,000 or more in cash or other bearer means of payment must declare it beforehand (Article 34 of Law 10/2010). That declaration is the first thing the bank will ask for when you deposit the money. If it was not made, the case should be analyzed before you move the money: failing to declare is a serious infringement, punishable by a fine from €600 up to half the amount (Art. 57(3)).
A good justification answers three questions: where the money comes from, where it has been and what you will use it for.
Contracts, payslips, deeds and tax records that explain how the money was generated in China.
Statements and proof of each transfer, of the currency exchange and of any intermediate accounts.
A purchase, an investment or your living expenses: the bank understands the transaction better if it knows what the money is for.
Source: Law 10/2010 (Arts. 6, 7, 19, 24, 34 and 57), Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 (HCCH status table) and China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).
These terms appear in Law 10/2010, in the bank’s requests and in any procedure involving Chinese documents.
Where the money comes from: the activity, sale or assets that generated it.
Measures by which the bank identifies the customer, understands their activity and monitors their transactions.
Review of transactions throughout the relationship to make sure they fit the customer’s profile.
Written analysis of an unusual transaction or one with no apparent economic purpose.
The bank does not execute a suspicious transaction while it reports it to SEPBLAC.
Executive Service of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering: Spain’s financial intelligence unit.
A stamp that gives a public document international validity without the need for legalization.
The Chinese authority that controls the buying and selling of foreign currency and sets the annual quota for individuals.
Mandatory prior declaration when entering or leaving Spain with €10,000 or more in cash.
What the bank wants to know: the price, the date and that the money comes from that sale.
What you provide: sale agreement, proof of payment and a statement of the account that received it.
What the bank wants to know: how the balance was built up over the years.
What you provide: contracts, payslips, tax returns and statements.
What the bank wants to know: that the company exists, made a profit and paid out dividends.
What you provide: dividend distribution minutes, annual accounts and the transfer from the company’s account.
What the bank wants to know: who is giving the money and how they obtained it.
What you provide: the apostilled and translated inheritance or gift document, and proof of the source.
What the bank wants to know: that it is a genuine loan and not a disguised transfer of money.
What you provide: signed agreement, repayment plan and proof of the lender’s financial capacity.
These are the mistakes that drag out the bank’s review the most.
Tell us where the money comes from, how much it is, which account it was sent from and what the bank has asked you for, and we will tell you what is missing.
Updated October 16, 2026
Law 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing requires banks to know their customers’ source of funds and to review transactions that do not fit their profile. When the money comes from China, Chinese exchange controls and the validity of Chinese documents in Spain are added to that review.
Article 6 of Law 10/2010 requires the bank to carry out ongoing monitoring of the relationship, “including the source of funds.” If a transaction is complex or unusual, it must carry out a special examination in writing (Art. 17). The review presumes nothing against the customer: it is an obligation of the bank, which answers to SEPBLAC.
If it cannot apply due diligence measures, the bank does not execute the transaction and may end the relationship, with no liability on its part except in cases of unjust enrichment (Art. 7(3)). If it has indications of money laundering, it refrains from executing the transaction and reports it to SEPBLAC (Art. 19), and it cannot tell you (Art. 24). We explain this in our page on the duty to refrain from executing transactions.
China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) sets an annual quota of USD 50,000 for individuals to buy and sell foreign currency, and reviews the authenticity of transactions above it in more detail. The documents filed in China to take the money out are often the best evidence for the Spanish bank.
China has applied the 1961 Hague Convention since November 7, 2023, so its public documents are apostilled instead of legalized. If you also plan to invest in a Spanish company, check whether your transaction needs foreign investment authorization.
Proving money from China is a source of funds case. If you need a formal document for the bank or the notary, we prepare the source of funds certificate, and if the transfer is already being held, see what to do about a blocked transfer from China to Spain.