Spain Explained

It’s time to file your Modelo 720 form in Spain

Last updated on December 30th, 2021 at 01:15 pm.

It has been a few years since the Modelo 720 asset declaration form was introduced, but it can still slip your mind, especially if you have recently moved to Spain. In case you are one of the people that is not aware of this important form, the 720 is a form which some foreigners living in Spain have to complete. It is a record of their assets of a specified value and type held in other countries. Over the years, it has caused some confusion and some anxiety about what this declaration might lead to.

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Today, the Modelo 720 is far less controversial. Gone are the days of free newspapers and expat forums flooded with questions, concerns and criticism; instead, people are coming to accept that this is a standard part of their Spanish tax obligations. In many ways, it has gone extremely quiet out there – but don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security. The deadline to submit your Modelo 720 is 31st March.

If you have recently moved to Spain, you will need to declare your assets if they are above a certain value. Meanwhile, residents in Spain who have completed a form previously will need to reconsider their declaration. If your circumstances have changed, you may need to resubmit your form. 

Be confident about your Modelo 720 obligations

If you have never submitted a Modelo 720 before and you have property, assets and investments abroad over the value of €50,000. These include:

  • Bonds, investment portfolios, stocks and shares, pension plans and active annuities.
  • Property or businesses based abroad.
  • Foreign bank accounts with deposits and savings of a balance greater than €50,000.

If you have previously submitted a Modelo 720, you may need to resubmit if your circumstances have changed. Even if you feel pretty sure that you do not have to file again this year, do check against the list below. Keeping your 720 up-to-date is as important as submitting it in the first place. Take time to reflect and ask yourself if any of the following applies to you:

  • You have purchased or sold property abroad.
  • Investments have matured.
  • You have cancelled previously declared assets.
  • Your assets have altered by €20,000 or more.

If it does, then you should contact your fiscal representative in Spain and renew your form as soon as possible.

Why it’s better to be safe than sorry

However, changing circumstances are not the only conditions under which you may have to file your Modelo 720. For instance, you may have never declared but want to ensure that you are fully compliant with the conditions. There are still people who have not declared and perhaps on hindsight would like to ensure that they are complying with the requirement. When it comes to the 720, “better late than never certainly applies”. After all, the fine for late declaration is much less than if you are found out.

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Contact your fiscal representative

If you have realised any of this applies to you, don’t panic. There is still time to complete a new form as the window runs from 1st January to 31st March. For more information about how to correctly complete and submit your form, get in touch with one of our fiscal representatives. They will be able to give you comprehensive, expert advice on your tax obligations in Spain.

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50 comments

Brenda burgess

11 February, 2015 12:57 pm

We made a 720 declaration in
We made a 720 declaration in 2013. We did not make a declaration in 2014 as nothing had changed and the categories had not increased by 20000. Now however the categories have increased by over 20000 since the first year. Is this 20000 increase based on one year or two? Ie if it is only over 20000 not 40000 in two years must we renew our 720.?

admin

12 February, 2015 1:18 pm

Dear Brenda

Dear Brenda

Thank you for your query. It is based on the 20,000€ from the 2012 declaration, it is not 20,000€ per year. Therefore you will need to complete a new 720 this year. 

Mike

24 March, 2015 1:34 pm

I had my 720 form submitted
I had my 720 form submitted late and now I’m involved in an investigation where I will be asked to pay a massive amount of money for late submission.
I have been told that this has been taken to the European Courts as being abusive.
Can you confirm the procedure to submit this to the Agencia Tributaria, as I have been informed that this will in effect put the fine on hold until the courts decide what to do about this gross misjustice.

Suzanne O'Connell

25 March, 2015 9:13 am

Dear Mike

Dear Mike

Thank you for you enquiry and I am sorry to hear this. It seems as though they are starting to issue fines. You will need to take advice from your tax representative but it is likely that you will have to pay in the short term. If the case is won in the European courts then you should be able to claim back, like some non-residents are claiming back the amounts paid for non-resident inheritance tax. 

You might be interested to read this article recently published in On The Pulse: 

click here

 

Paul

19 April, 2015 5:50 pm

we moved to Spain in 2014.
we moved to Spain in 2014. Should we have filled in the form for 2014 as we haven’t even needed to do a tax return yet. We have spoken to one abogado who really scared my wife saying that as we have missed the deadline if we submit the form now they will fine us up to 150% of the value of our foreign assets. Obviously this is more than everything we own.

Suzanne O'Connell

6 May, 2015 9:34 am

Hi Paul

Hi Paul

I don't think you are the only person in this kind of predicament and it isn't an easy one to resolve. If you were a tax resident in 2014 and here for more than 183 days you will be going to do your first income tax return now before the end of June. If this is the case you should already have done the 720. 

if you were to file a late 720 you would be fined 100€ for each piece of left out data with a minimum fine of 1,500€. The 150% of the fine is if the client cannot prove that the money is taxed money. Many consider these fines to be so steep that they may well be challenged if applied. 

Robert

26 May, 2015 1:55 pm

I assume you mean 2015 in the
I assume you mean 2015 in the article?

“”Another group who will need to register their assets in 2015 are those who moved to Spain during 2013. You will need to complete the 720 if:””

Suzanne O'Connell

30 May, 2015 6:47 pm

Dear Robert

Dear Robert

If you moved to Spain the later part of the year 2013, then you are a tax resident in Spain for the first year in 2014. To do the 720 for the year 2014 was in the period January – March 2015. 

 

Robert

6 June, 2015 6:25 am

In Modelo 720, if you have
In Modelo 720, if you have more than 50K abroad on lets say 4 different accounts, do you also have to declare an acoount that has zero euro on it?

Suzanne O'Connell

1 July, 2015 10:34 am

Dear Robert

Dear Robert

Yes you do have to declare this. 

Alan Palmer

5 October, 2015 8:04 am

Should premium bonds be
Should premium bonds be included on the Modelo 720?

Suzanne O'Connell

7 October, 2015 10:44 am

Yes, Alan, we believe they

Yes, Alan, we believe they should. 

don

3 December, 2015 8:57 pm

my wife and i have lived in
my wife and i have lived in spain since 2007 and have never filled in a tax return here in spain, as we only get our uk state pension which i believe is taxed at source, now we are selling our house we have been told we have to pay 3% tax on the sale price, seems very harsh on pensioners

Suzanne O'Connell

9 December, 2015 1:00 pm

Hi Don

Hi Don

The reason you have had to pay the 3% is because you never filled in a tax return. Residents do not have the 3% retention if they have submitted three years of tax declarations. In your case, the authorities must have decided that there was insufficient proof of you being resident in Spain. It is one reason why we do enourage residents to make a tax declaration even if it is a zero return. Provided you have no capital gains tax to pay you should be able to claim back the 3%. 

Anthony Mitchell

5 January, 2016 12:10 pm

Hello,
Hello,
Does a property bought in 1989 for the equivalent of €30,000 approx and whose current market value is more than €50,000 have to be declared?
The description of the obligation refers often to the ‘valor de adquisición’ or purchase price. So I am confused.
Thank you for the very informative page.
Yours
Anthony

Suzanne O'Connell

5 January, 2016 12:40 pm

Hi Anthony

Hi Anthony

Property comes into the 'group 3' category of 'property or business premises abroad'. You need only declare these on the 720 form if the purchase value was more than €50,000. In which case you do not need to declare your property. 

 

Olli Arnold

12 January, 2016 4:13 pm

Hi, I´ve read the info on the
Hi, I´ve read the info on the 720 thoroughly but I´m still confused by the fact that the spanish government charges me for capital I´m holding in other countries. Did I get that right?
I´m a german citizen. I own several apartments in Germany which I rent out. The german government charges not only property tax for the real estate I own but also income tax for the rent I collect.
I´m considering settling in Spain as a permanent resident and buying property there. Would that mean that from the moment I live in Spain I´m taxed twice on my german property, since both the spanish and the german government will tax me? If so, I find this supremely unfair.

Thanks kindly for your response! Olli Arnold

Suzanne O'Connell

13 January, 2016 12:03 pm

Hi Olli

Hi Olli

Thanks for your query. The form 720 is for information only and is not a tax form as such. It is used to collect information about the assets that people living in Spain hold abroad.

Spain has a dual tax agreement with Germany. This means that if you should come to live in Spain you will have to declare your income here but you should not be taxed twice. 

Mandy Thompson

13 January, 2016 7:20 pm

What should I do if I haven’t
What should I do if I haven’t completed a modelo 720 before but have an account that has around 60000 euros in it abroad for the past two years? Can I make a late declaration or should I just declare it this year? My income in spain is below 12000 euros so I’ve not filled in a tax return since 2012.

Suzanne O'Connell

19 January, 2016 9:56 am

Dear Mandy

Dear Mandy

It could be, depending on the exchange rate at the time, that your €60,000 in 2012 did not exceed the £50,000 limit. However, if it did and you want to put matters straight then you must present the form 720 for 2012 now. This will mean that you will have a fine of €100 for every left out detail with a minimum fine of €1,500. It depends on how many accounts haven't been declared as to the total cost of the fine. 

It is also worth noting that as long as you are a tax resident in Spain your are obliged to present the 720 form if you have assets abroad, even if you are under the limit of having to present the normal income tax return. 

 

Peter Franke

15 February, 2016 3:02 pm

Hi, I declared a form 720 in
Hi, I declared a form 720 in 2013. I would like to know if I should renew the form if f.e. I had (and have and declared) two bank accounts in 2013, one with 54.000 euros and one with 1.000 euros and now (in 2015) I have transferred 40.000 from the one bank account to the one that originally had only 1.000 euros in it. So the total sum doesn’t change, the number of bank accounts doesn’t changed, I only moved it from account A to account B. Do I need to renew? Another question: do I need to renew when I’ve opened a third bank account in 2015? Thanks for clearing things up!

Suzanne O'Connell

16 February, 2016 10:59 am

Dear Peter

Dear Peter

You only have to declare the same group again if the total amount has gone up by €20,000. So if you move money around or open new accounts you don't need to declare again if the total amount has not gone up. If you close an account but the amount doesn't go up then you do have to make another declaration but only on the closed account. For a non-declared group the limit is €50,000. 

tony

29 February, 2016 10:13 pm

I moved to spain in oktober
I moved to spain in oktober 2014 and got my residence in december 2014, I didn’t know I had to fill in modelo 720..friends told me I have to fill in the modelo 720.. I called a gestor and he said you are to late now it is 2016 and you will receive a fine for not declaring in 2015 jan /march 2015..if I fill in the modelo 720 form right now do I receive a penalty ? please advice…

Suzanne O'Connell

1 March, 2016 12:33 pm

Dear Tony

Dear Tony

I'm afraid you will receive a fine for handing it in late. However, this is less than the fine for not handing it in at all if it is discovered that you should have presented one. You still have time to complete the form this year and prevent it drifting on for another year. 

Helen

6 April, 2016 10:58 pm

Hi, my husband and I moved to
Hi, my husband and I moved to Spain in September 2015. My husband became a resident last month (March 2016). Is he late with the 2016 720 form and be fined or does he not need to submit until 2017 having only just become a resident? I do not work in Spain, I work for a UK company so have not yet become a resident. I have read that it is mandatory to become a resident if you live in Spain for more than 6 months a year. Some research I’ve done says for consecutive days. I travel to the UK for a week every month (roughly). Do I have to become resident? If so, how do I declare my UK income (which is fully taxed in the UK) and avoid double taxation?
Many thanks.

Suzanne O'Connell

14 April, 2016 9:25 am

Dear Helen

Dear Helen

If your husband became a resident in 2016 then he doesn't have to make the 720 asset declaration for 2017 anyway. The 183 days do not have to be sequential so be careful of this. For more information on your personal circumstances I would contact a tax advisor. 

Brian

2 September, 2020 2:53 pm

I cannot locate the online 720 tax form to complete , this is my fist and yes i am late,

we think we have located the form on other sites, but it then asks for a NIF we only have NIE and residency numbers, if we could access the form , think we will be ok

Many thanks

Oscar Paoli

7 September, 2020 10:19 am

Hi Brian,

You can locate the document in the following link from the tax authorities:

https://www.agenciatributaria.gob.es/AEAT.sede/en_gb/procedimientoini/GI34.shtml

You may indicate your NIE number in the NIF field.

Should you need any assistance in the presentation of the 720 form please do not hesitate to contact us.

With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

John Davies

26 February, 2021 6:23 pm

When I first filed my móndelo I asked if I had to put the assets in, regarding our English company, if the property company was a limited company, and was told as long as the rents for the properties went into the company accounts and could prove this, two of the properties are in my name but have been used by the limited company for over twenty years and again all rent monies are deposited into the limited company bank account and all rents are included in the company accounts, which finalized by our English accountant. Is this still the situation ? Thank you

Oscar Paoli

1 March, 2021 10:54 am

Hi John,

The income made by companies registered in the United Kingdom are covered by HMRC, however any personal income, or dividends received by yourself are Taxable in Spain. For the income received from proeprties registered in your name should be declared here in the Tax Declaration and under the double taxation treaty any Tax paid in the UK can be deducted form your liability here.

With kind regards,

Ábaco Advisers

David Yates

26 February, 2021 8:37 pm

Before my wife Pauline passed away in September 2018, she always did our tax returns & other legal things with your company. Do you still do any thing for me? I am now 75 and now I can’t walk well & so last year my tax return was done here in San Miguel.
Thankyou, David Yates

Oscar Paoli

8 March, 2021 11:19 am

Dear Mr. Yates,
Thank you for your message. According to our records you changed solicitors and tax advisors last year. Sorry for any inconveniences caused.
Should you need any assistance from us again please do not hesitate to contact us.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

John

26 February, 2021 9:25 pm

A friend of mine has Spanish residency from mid January 2021. Is she required to complete m720 for 2020?

Oscar Paoli

1 March, 2021 11:32 am

Hi John,
No, the first time she will be required to complete the 720 form will be in 2022, for the year 2021.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

Anna

27 February, 2021 4:15 pm

Hello, I live in the Uk but I am going to live in Spain in October this year (2021). I have this question: when is the first 720 form that I should have to fill in? in March 2022 or in March 2023? Thanks a lot.

Oscar Paoli

1 March, 2021 10:52 am

Hi Anna,

As you do not have Fiscal Residency in 2021 the first 720 declaration will be for the year 2022 to be presented between January to December 2023.

With kind regards,

Ábaco Advisers

Steve F

31 March, 2021 11:38 am

We are receiving conflicting information about USA retirement accounts.

We became residents in Spain in 2020. My wife has money (more than 50,000 euros) in a USA employer sponsored 401k retirement plan. I have funds in several USA IRAs and 401k accounts (more than 50,000 euros).

I removed some funds ($30k) from one of my IRA’s in 2020.

Our attorney informed us that we are not required to file a modelo 720 because we are not required to report our retirement accounts, we do not have more than 50,000 euros in bank accounts, and we do not own any property.

An accountant recently advised us that we should report all of our funds regardless of the type of account.

Can you advise?

Oscar Paoli

1 April, 2021 8:45 am

Hi Steve,
Unfortunately we are not experts in tax returns for US citizens.
We would highly recommend to contact some more specialized companies in this matter.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

Robin Dent

8 March, 2022 11:25 am

Is it possible to submit this year’s modulo 720 yet as I hear that the authorities have not yet told us about the new format they now require as a result of the EU court case ?

Oscar Paoli

8 March, 2022 3:19 pm

Yes, it is still possible to do so.

With kind regards,

Ábaco Advisers

Robin Dent

9 March, 2022 11:14 am

Please advise me on whether it is yet possible to submit this year’s modulo 720 return as the authorities have not yet published the format to be used after the EU court case against the modulo 720

Oscar Paoli

9 March, 2022 6:49 pm

Hi Robin,

Yes of course, should you need any assistance please contact us at info@abacoadvisers.com

With kind regards,

Ábaco Advisers

David Allen

31 March, 2022 4:42 pm

Hi I have been a resident since December 2018 and to my knowledge never filled one of these
In but have done tax returns.. I am a resident in Spain but my wife is not . We own our house in UK jointly and have joint bank accounts .what does this mean for me . Thanks

Oscar Paoli

4 April, 2022 9:49 am

Hi David,
We would recommend you to contact your tax advisor to see if you must present the 720 form for this year and previous years.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

David de la Mare

1 April, 2022 10:13 am

Hello
I purchased a property in May last year, is the 720 Form to be completed in 2023

Many thanks

David de la Mare
daveanddrew@hotmail.com

Oscar Paoli

4 April, 2022 9:48 am

Hi David,
We will have to check on your complete scenario, but could be that you are liable to present th 720 form.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

Paul Abbott

14 June, 2023 3:53 pm

Do English premium bonds have to be declared on Form 720. They do not earn interest only prize money occasionally, perhaps £300pa
Also do compliant bonds have to be listed or is it the responsibility of the institution

Oscar Paoli

15 June, 2023 9:07 am

Premium Bonds should be listed in Group 2, hoever Spanish Compliant Bonds no as these are declared to the Spanish Tresuary the same as any internal investment.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

Colin James

10 March, 2024 9:51 pm

Hi Miriam, would you be so kind as to advise me of what documents I need to submit to the Spanish government regarding renewing my model 720 regarding my uk property?,
kind regards Colin James.

Oscar Paoli

13 March, 2024 12:18 am

Dear Colin,

Regarding a property previously declared on the Modelo 720 an update would only be requiered in the case that you have sold the property or that your ownership has changed over the asset in question.

For example if you were to donate a percentage to a family member that necessitated a re-evaluation of the property itself with an increase as to the value previously declared.

In cases such as the two mentioned above the requiered information and docuements would be justification as to purchase/sales date, purcahse/sales price (or re-evaluation) as well as percentage of ownership and the full address.

Kind Regards,

Ábaco Advisers