If you have received a letter from your bank asking you to take a copy of your NIE and passport number please don´t ignore it as failure to comply could result in your bank account being frozen.
The banks are simply complying with new legislation, which came into effect on April 31, which aims to prevent money laundering and fraud by making it compulsary for banks to hold proper identification of all their customers.
Some banks will already hold this information and therefore, if you don´t receive a letter, there is no need to do anything. But a few banks have changed hands or merged over the last few years and its seems «the paperwork has been lost.» If this is the case with your bank a quick visit with your documentation could save you further complications.
The banks are obliged by law to freeze accounts where formal identification has not been provided.
