AssessmentPhase 1
What exactly the bank is asking for
We read the bank’s request and identify which part of the money’s journey has to be proven: the source, the accounts it has passed through and where the money is going.
The starting point.
Proving the source of funds from the UAE to a Spanish bank
If you are bringing money from the United Arab Emirates to Spain (years of salary earned in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the sale of a property, profits from your company or crypto-assets already converted), your bank needs to know the source of the funds (Article 6 of Law 10/2010). The UAE does not use the Apostille, so its documents need legalization. We prepare the complete dossier so the bank accepts it the first time.
Bringing money from the UAE? We’ll 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.
- Reply within 24 h
- No commitment
- Confidential
- Apostille in the UAE
- Not available: legalization
- FATF and EU lists
- The UAE is not listed
- Cash on entering Spain
- Declare €10,000 or more
- Spanish law
- Law 10/2010, Art. 6
How we help
A source-of-funds dossier the bank will understand
We trace the path of the money from the UAE to your Spanish account and present it the way the bank’s anti-money laundering department reviews it.
SourcePhase 2
Where the money comes from
We gather proof of the source in the UAE: employment contracts, pay stubs, property sales, your company’s license and accounts, or investment statements.
Dated and signed documents.
TrailPhase 3
Where it has traveled
We trace the path from the UAE account to your Spanish account, with the receipts for each transfer and currency exchange.
No gaps in the chain.
LegalizationPhase 4
UAE documents that are valid in Spain
The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention: we identify which public documents need legalization and which need translation.
No apostille.
DossierPhase 5
A file the bank will understand
We organize the documents with an index and a clear explanation of the transaction, written for the bank’s anti-money laundering department.
Ready to send.
Follow-upPhase 6
Responding to further requests
If the bank asks for more information or holds the transaction, we prepare the response and, if needed, the complaint through the proper channels.
Until the case is closed.
Scenarios
When you will be asked to prove the source of funds from the UAE
These are the transactions that most often lead the bank to ask for the source of the funds.
Return
You are returning to Spain after working in Dubai or Abu Dhabi
Contracts, pay stubs and statements from the account where you were paid explain how your savings were built up.
Sale
You have sold a property in the UAE
The bank will want to see the sale agreement, the price and the transfer you received for it.
Company
Your UAE company distributes profits
The company’s license, its accounts and the profit distribution resolutions support each payment.
Crypto
You have converted crypto-assets on a UAE exchange
You need to prove how the crypto-assets were bought and trace them through to the sale and the transfer.
What the law says
Money coming from the UAE, by the numbers
Figures from Law 10/2010, the Hague Convention and the FATF and EU country lists.
Law 10/2010, Art. 6
Source
The bank monitors your transactions throughout the relationship, including the source of the funds.
Law 10/2010, Art. 7(3)
No transaction
If it cannot apply due diligence, the bank does not execute the transaction or ends the relationship, and it bears no liability for this unless there is unjust enrichment.
Hague Convention
No apostille
The United Arab Emirates is not a party to the Apostille Convention: its public documents need legalization.
FATF · June 19, 2026
Not listed
The UAE is not on the FATF lists of high-risk jurisdictions or jurisdictions under increased monitoring.
Law 10/2010, Art. 34
€10,000
Entering Spain with cash or other bearer means of payment of this amount or more requires you to declare it beforehand.
Law 10/2010, Art. 24
Confidentiality
The bank cannot tell you whether it has reported your transaction to SEPBLAC or whether it is examining it.
Is the bank asking you to prove the source of money from the UAE?
We review what the bank has asked you for and tell you which documents are missing and how to submit them.
Frequently asked questions
Proving the source of funds from the UAE: common questions
Why is the bank asking me to prove the source of the money I am bringing from the UAE?
Because Law 10/2010 requires it to know the source of its customers’ 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. It does not mean they suspect you: it means they need evidence.
Which documents can prove the source of funds from the UAE?
Those that prove where the money comes from and where it has been: employment contracts and pay stubs, sale agreements, your company’s license and accounts, statements from the originating UAE account and receipts for each transfer and currency exchange. What matters is that they form a chain with no gaps.
Do UAE documents need an apostille?
They cannot be apostilled: the United Arab Emirates is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, according to the status table of the Hague Conference. That is why its public documents need legalization to have legal effect in Spain. Documents in Arabic should be accompanied by a translation.
What if I did not file a tax return in the UAE?
The source of the money can be proven without one. What the bank wants to see is how it was generated: contracts, pay stubs, statements from the account where you were paid and documents for each sale or profit distribution. The more complete the chain of documents, the less any single missing document matters.
Is the UAE on any list of high-risk countries?
It is not 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.
Can the bank hold the money while it reviews the transaction?
If it cannot apply due diligence measures, the bank must not execute the transaction and may end the relationship (Article 7(3) of Law 10/2010). If it also sees signs 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.
What if the money comes from selling crypto-assets in the UAE?
You need to prove two things: how you bought the crypto-assets and how you sold them. The bank will want to see the exchange history, the purchases and where the money for them came from, and the sale that generated the transfer. We explain this on our crypto source of funds page.
What if I brought the money in cash?
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. Failing to declare it is a serious infringement, punishable by a fine ranging from €600 up to half the amount (Art. 57(3)).
Practical guide
How to prepare proof of the source of funds from the UAE
A good justification answers three questions: where the money comes from, where it has been and what you are going to use it for.
Prove where it comes from
Contracts, pay stubs, sales and your company’s accounts that explain how the money was generated.
Prove where it has been
Statements and receipts for each transfer, the currency exchange and any intermediate accounts.
Explain what it is for
A home, an investment or your living costs: the bank understands the transaction better if it knows what the money is for.
Your justification in 10 steps
- Ask the bank in writing what documents it needs and for which transaction.
- Make a list of every account the money has passed through, in the UAE and in Spain.
- Gather proof of the source: employment contracts, pay stubs, property sales or profit distributions.
- If you have a company in the UAE, add its license, its accounts and the profit distribution resolutions.
- Get statements from the originating UAE account that show the money leaving it.
- Keep the receipts for each transfer and each currency exchange.
- Legalize the UAE public documents you are going to provide and arrange their translation.
- If you entered Spain with cash, find your declaration under Article 34 of Law 10/2010.
- Write a short explanation of the transaction, with dates and amounts, that ties all the documents together.
- Submit the complete dossier in one go and keep the bank’s acknowledgment of receipt.
Source: Law 10/2010 (Arts. 6, 7, 19, 24, 34 and 57), Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 (HCCH status table), FATF (June 19, 2026) and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675.
Working glossary
Key terms for proving the source of funds from the UAE
These terms appear in Law 10/2010, in the bank’s requests and in any procedure involving UAE documents.
SourceProof
Source of funds
Where the money comes from: the activity, sale or assets that generated it.
Law 10/2010, Art. 6.
CDDObligation
Due diligence
Measures the bank uses to identify the customer, understand their activity and monitor their transactions.
Law 10/2010, Arts. 3–7.
EnhancedObligation
Enhanced due diligence
Additional measures the bank applies when the risk of the transaction is higher.
Law 10/2010, Art. 11.
ExaminationAnalysis
Special examination
A written analysis of an unusual transaction or one with no apparent economic purpose.
Law 10/2010, Art. 17.
RefrainingBlock
Duty to refrain from executing transactions
The bank does not execute a suspicious transaction while it reports it to SEPBLAC.
Law 10/2010, Art. 19.
LegalizationDocument
Legalization
A chain of checks that makes a public document from a country that does not use the Apostille valid in Spain.
The UAE does not use the Apostille.
ApostilleDocument
Apostille
A stamp that makes a public document valid internationally without the need for legalization.
1961 Hague Convention.
SEPBLACAuthority
SEPBLAC
Executive Service of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering: Spain’s financial intelligence unit.
It receives the banks’ reports.
Art. 34Cash
Means of payment declaration
Mandatory prior declaration when entering or leaving Spain with €10,000 or more in cash.
Law 10/2010, Art. 34.
Playbook
What the bank asks for and what you give it
Savings from work in the UAE
What the bank wants to know: how the balance was built up over the years.
What you provide: contracts, pay stubs and statements from the account where you were paid.
Sale of a property
What the bank wants to know: the price, the date and that the money comes from that sale.
What you provide: the sale agreement, proof of payment and a statement from the account that received it.
Profits from your company
What the bank wants to know: that the company exists, made a profit and distributed it.
What you provide: the license, the accounts, the distribution resolution and the transfer from the company account.
Sale of crypto-assets
What the bank wants to know: how they were bought and how they were sold.
What you provide: the exchange history, the source of the purchases and proof of the sale.
Inheritance or gift
What the bank wants to know: who is giving the money and how they obtained it.
What you provide: the legalized and translated inheritance or gift document, and proof of the source.
Mistakes that delay your justification
These are the errors that most often drag out the bank’s review.
- Sending loose documents with no explanation tying them together.
- Leaving unexplained an intermediate account the money passed through.
- Providing UAE public documents that have not been legalized or translated.
- Amounts that do not match across the contracts, the statements and the transfer.
- Answering piecemeal, each time the bank asks for something new.
Contact
Book a call
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.
Source of funds under Law 10/2010 and money coming from the UAE
Updated October 16, 2026
Law 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing requires banks to know the source of their customers’ funds. When the money comes from the United Arab Emirates, the difficulty usually lies in the documents: the UAE does not use the Apostille.
Why the bank asks
Article 6 of Law 10/2010 requires the bank to carry out ongoing monitoring of the relationship, “including the source of funds,” and Article 17 requires it to examine unusual transactions in writing. If the risk is higher, it applies enhanced due diligence measures (Art. 11).
What it can do if you cannot prove it
If it cannot apply due diligence, the bank does not execute the transaction and may end the relationship, and it bears no liability for this unless there is unjust enrichment (Art. 7(3)). Where there are signs of money laundering, it refrains from executing the transaction and reports it to SEPBLAC (Art. 19), and it cannot tell you so (Art. 24). We explain this on our page on the duty to refrain from executing transactions.
The UAE and the country lists
The UAE is not on the FATF lists of June 19, 2026 or on the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries in its version of January 29, 2026. You can check the updated lists on our FATF list page.
UAE documents in Spain
The United Arab Emirates is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, so its public documents need legalization to have legal effect in Spain. It is best to start this process early, because it is usually what takes longest.
Where it fits
Proving the source of funds from the UAE is one type of source of funds case. If you need a formal document for the bank or the notary, we prepare a source of funds certificate, and if the transfer is already being held, see what to do about a blocked transfer from the UAE to Spain.
Legislation and official sources
Law 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering (BOE)
↗
1961 Hague Convention (Apostille): ratification status (HCCH)
↗
FATF: high-risk and increased monitoring jurisdiction lists
↗
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, high-risk third countries (EUR-Lex)
↗
Regulation (EU) 2023/1113, information accompanying transfers of funds (EUR-Lex)
↗