3% Retention fee after sale of property

If you are a non-resident and the Notary has retained 3% of the sale price of the property that you sold, then you need to make a declaration showing whether there was any profit made on the property since you purchased it and whether there was any capital gains tax due on this profit. A good tax assessor can do this for you and it could take a year or two to get the money paid back to you. All tax declarations and payments or refunds must be done through Spanish banks, where the Hacienda can access if necessary. It would have been a good idea to keep your bank account open until all financial movements had been completed.