Register Your Address in Spain: Explained
Welcome to the exciting process of empadronamiento in Spain! If you’re ready to plant roots and call this beautiful country home, this 2023 guide is your key to a smooth registration of your address.
Empadronamiento not only grants you access to various local services but also fosters a sense of community. Let’s dive into the essentials and make the transition to your Spanish abode seamless.
What Is The Empadronamiento In Spain?
The empadronamiento is the process of registering your current address in Spain. Once you are done with this, you can then obtain the padron or volante padronal which is an important document that is required for many official procedures in the country.
The certificate may be required for getting married, applying for a local health insurance card, applying for residency, enrolling in a school and buying or selling a car, among other important processes.
If you live more than 180 days or 6 months in a year in Spain, you will be required to register. Your residency status i.e. if you are a legal or illegal resident, or live in the country permanently or temporarily will not affect your need to register.
You must do so regardless of these classifications. This is a way of declaring your arrival in the country, and is needed in addition to any other visa or residence related matters that you need to attend to.
This is a sort of census record maintained by each municipality, and is also known as the padron municipal de habitantes.
It is simply a way for the municipality to keep track of how many people live within the areas that come under their jurisdiction, and is not used to delve into the financial or residence related affairs of individuals.
It is also used by the government to allocate funds depending on the population of each municipality, which are then used for social services within that area. Rest assured, any data that you provide throughout this process is confidential and is covered under data protection laws.
Why Is The Empadronamiento Important?
Registering at the municipal register is the duty of everyone who lives within a municipality. Regardless of your nationality, or whether you hold a residence permit, you are required to do this.
This will be an official record of your time in the country. It also entitles you to numerous rights that the law grants. These include:
- Applying for residence and work permits, as well as reunification for your family
- Applying for a healthcare card
- Accessing municipal services including all social services and benefits
- Exchanging your driver’s permit (applicable only for countries that have current agreements with Spain)
- Enrolling your children at public schools
- Voting in the elections
- It is the first official proof that you need to apply for permanent residence in the country
Living in Spain for the long-term therefore becomes impossible without the empadronamiento.
How To Register In Spain In 3 Easy Steps
In order to register, you must be settled at an address, whether it is your own property, a friend or relative’s place or you are renting it.
It should just be a property where you regularly live. Registering your address in Spain is a short and straightforward process.
Step 1: Get The Appointment At The Nearest Office
Within three months of your entry into Spain, you must register your address. For this, you will need to apply at the non-nationals office in the province where you will be living.
You must schedule an appointment at the office since they will most likely not see you if you show up without one. You can get a prior appointment or cita previa at the municipality’s website or through a call.
You will have the option to select a center nearest to you, as well as the time and date of your choosing. Wait times can sometimes go up to several weeks, so look into getting an appointment early on so you don’t run into any administrative hurdles.
Once you get the appointment, you should then print out the confirmation message to take along with you just in case.
Step 2: Gather The Documents For The Empadronamiento In Spain
You must have all the documents ready beforehand. These include:
- A completed and signed form for registration of address
- Valid original ID documents for yourself, which can include passport, residence permit, foreigner identification card etc.
- In case you are representing someone else, you will need the relevant documents to signal your authority to act on their behalf. You will also need both your ID and that of the person you are representing
- Documents for proof of residence at said address. These will include a signed deed if you own the property, and a rental contract and last paid utility bill if you rent the place (if your name is not on the contract, you will need to ask someone whose name is, to write a letter to authorize that you live there and register at that address)
- If you are employed, you must also present some confirmation that you are working like a certificate of employment. If you are self-employed, you can present proof of your registration in the register of economic activities or commercial register.
Step 3: Go To Your Appointment
When you go to the city hall, be prepared that you will have to converse in Spanish. If you do not feel comfortable or are not fluent, take someone along who can speak Spanish.
In some municipalities, you will be able to get the certificate immediately. For others, it can take a few days in which case you can get a temporary version till the official certificate is issued.
Once issued, the certificate is valid for three months. You will not be given any reminders for renewal, this will entirely be your own responsibility.
At the very least, if there are no major changes in your status like moving to a different address, it is a good idea to renew your padron every five years to make sure you remain on the register.
If you do not renew it for years at end, your local town hall might call you up to check if you still live in the area. This is helpful for their own estimates.
Can I Do The Empadronamiento With An Airbnb?
Generally, Spain will not allow you to register your address if you are living in an AirBNB. In some cases though, you can have the person who owns the property to help you out. In such a case you can mutually draw up a rental contract which has the same terms and conditions as an AirBNB.
Once you both have signed it, it can function as the necessary document required for empadronamiento.
If you are not continuously living in the same location, then you will need to go for a census without a fixed address. This is for cases when you cannot submit any documents related to the address where you are living.
In order to register in this case you must meet certain conditions. Your case will be assigned to a Social Services figure, which should be integrated with coordination with a Public Administration.
This department will visit the place where you usually live in order to document that you regularly reside in the municipality where you wish to be registered. Then they will decide to specify one of the addresses as the final one which will appear on the census and your record.
You will need to submit an application form for all family members who will be registered without a fixed address.
What Happens When You Register Late In Spain?
Registering your address in Spain should be the first administrative step when you arrive in the country. However, for the most part there are no dire consequences from the state for skipping this step.
Any disadvantage that comes from not having registered will mostly be to your own person e.g. difficulty in getting permanent residence or other social services etc.
In any case, if you are from outside the European Union and do not have a permanent residence permit, you will need to renew your registration every 2 years. If you don’t do this, your name will be eliminated from the register.
If you are not sure whether you have already registered, you can check your status on the Spanish National Institute of Statistics’ website. If you have an electronic certificate, you can check your residence status.
If you do not find your name, you must register immediately. And in case you already are, it is a good way to recheck your particulars.
How To Live In Spain Without The Empadronamiento?
Registering your address with the municipality is a legal obligation. It is specified under article 15.1 of Law 7/1985 that every Spanish citizen and foreigner must register themselves as a resident of the municipality that they are living in.
If you decide to skip the process or falsify the documents that are needed, you could face fines from 3 to 150 euros or even get a prison sentence depending on your municipality.
Even if you are living in the country illegally, it is in your best interest to get registered. You might know that it is possible to live in Spain illegally for some time in order to get permanent residency. As an immigrant with an irregular situation, you will be required to demonstrate that you have lived in Spain for a certain amount of time.
If you register your address as soon as you arrive, you will have an official record of your residence and will be easily able to demonstrate when required, how long you have lived in the country.
As long as you bring the necessary documents with you, the town hall will be obligated to register you and add you to their system, regardless of your living situation.
Change Of Address In Spain
Moving houses is an exciting time, but apart from handling the usual logistics, you should also be prepared to alter your address registration documents.
You should request the relevant office in writing to register you at the municipality where your new address is.
You will be required to fill in an address change form for this, along with the necessary documents (which are the same as when you are registering for the first time).
You will not need to inform your old municipality since the office will be automatically notifying them in order to register you at the new address.
Leaving Spain – Don’t Forget The Empadronamiento
If you decide to leave the country, you must also cancel your Spanish residency. This will be useful in avoiding any confusions related to your tax liability or other obligations within the country.
You will basically be visiting the same offices that issue the empadronamiento and apply for the cancellation of your documents.
Why Do You Need To Do The Empadronamiento?
The empadronamiento is an essential part of living in Spain and is closely connected to a lot of important procedures. Though the process is straightforward, if you have any confusion at any stage in the process, you should consult a lawyer to clarify things and make sure you get done with the process on time.
Once you are done with registering your address, you should be able to settle much smoothly in the country and manage other bureaucratic procedures.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you’re now officially a part of the Spanish community! With empadronamiento complete, you’ve taken a crucial step towards integrating into Spanish life.
As you embrace the warmth and hospitality of your new neighborhood, remember that #SpainSolved is here to assist you at every turn. Enjoy the vibrant culture, picturesque landscapes, and all the wonders Spain has to offer.
Welcome Home!
But wait! There’s lot more that you might be interested in to follow: