Complain to your bank first

11/08/2026

Before you complain to the Banco de España, you must first raise the issue with your own bank. You can turn to the Banco de España if you’re unhappy with your bank’s response or if it hasn’t replied within the required time limit. So how can you show that you have taken this first step?

Any written complaint submitted to the bank will do, regardless of the channel, branch or department you used (e.g. the quality team, the branch manager, the fraud department or the customer service department), provided you can show that the bank received it.

You can use any of the following as evidence:

• a copy of the complaint stamped and dated by the bank
• an acknowledgement of receipt
• the bank’s reply rejecting all or part of your complaint
• proof that you sent the complaint and that it was received.

The following is some practical advice to help you prove that you completed this step.

1. If you sent your complaint by email, you’ll also need to provide the bank’s acknowledgement of receipt.
2. An online form counts as evidence as long as you can show that the bank received it. A screenshot confirming receipt may be enough. We may also accept an automatic message from the bank, provided it shows when you submitted the complaint.
3. If your complaint concerns a payment you don’t recognise or disagree with, banks provide an unauthorised transaction form. Completing this form is enough on its own to show that you complained to your bank first.
4. If your complaint is about the bank failing to provide documentation, such as contracts or account statements, or information about a banking product, the complaints service will check that you also requested them through the channel set up by the bank for this purpose before it agrees to consider your complaint.

You can find the contact details for the customer service departments and customer ombudsmen appointed by supervised banks in the Register of customer service departments and customer ombudsmen Abre en ventana nuevapublished by the Banco de España. Banks must also make this information available to customers at every branch and on their websites.