NB I forgot to say said friend has an NIE from 2003 which she got as she thought she would settle full time here. However, she never did and returned to the UK sometime ago.  She opened the bank account as she comes over here for hols and rents a small apt.  (She did have her UK pension paid into the Spanish account for about a year, but when she found she didn’t need all the money here, she changed it back to her UK account).

I went into my local CAM Bank, very politely, and had a UK Passport which was included with my 2 Forms of Photographic ID.
Opened a bank account there and then.  Once I got my NIE# I went back and had it added.

Simples.
DSB.

In part reply to my own Q…
I went to the local National Police Station (where they do all extranjero certs/stuff)...
Got a form to apply for ‘non resident cert’ for friend. 
It seems tho the police are not interested at all if you are non-resident (and seemed a bit put out that they have to do the paperwork), but yes, a cert can be obtained by paying the small fee, providing copies of passport but you also need a ‘solicitude’ - i.e letter from the bank saying they require it.

It really seems yet another bit of red tape. But is incresaingly becoming necessary as more and more banks are sticking to the tax office/legal requirements and are freezing accounts left right and centre!

if your from EU you can open an back account , it the law and you can move money throught the acounnt to pay for power water rent phone tv with out any problems . if you wage come throught you account then need to pay taxes ,
jurdy

So are you saying that, as a UK citizen, now resident in Spain, I could open a bank account in the UK even though I have no proof of address there any more.  I closed my UK account when I moved here and now wish to open one but have been told I can’t without a UK address??

need proof of address and passport , it can be a uk address , this part EU and who told you that is leading up the garden path . it will cost you more in fees
and who tell you cant ?

Some UK banks will have a facility for a non resident account, but it won’t operate in the same way as a resident account.

Barclays offer a wealth International Account, but its mainly for peeps with deep pockets.