SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

RESIDENCY PERMITS

Padrón: 16 things you should know about Spain’s town hall registration

The padrón document you get when registering at your local town hall in Spain has many hidden uses and also causes plenty of doubts among foreigners who aren't sure what having this certificate entails.

The beautiful Cuenca town hall in central Spain. The padrón document you get from your local ayuntamiento has many uses. Photo: José Manuel Armengod/Flickr
The beautiful Cuenca town hall in central Spain. The padrón document you get from your local ayuntamiento has many uses. Photo: José Manuel Armengod/Flickr

1) The padrón helps your town hall get money for certain services

The padrón certificate is basically proof which shows where you are living. Your town hall – or ayuntamiento – uses it to find how many people are living in the area and what their ages are. The number of people living in each area will depend on how much money your local Town Hall will receive from the government. They can use this money for local services such as schools, health centres, parks and police officers.

2) You should register for your padrón within three months of moving to Spain

If you plan on staying in Spain for more than three months and becoming a foreign resident in Spain, you should register for your padrón within this time. You are required by law to register.

3) The registration process is the same, even if you’re a foreigner

The padrón registration process is the same for foreigners as it is for Spanish citizens. To get it, you will need to show:
• Your passport and copy
• Your NIE number
• Your TIE or other residency card and copy
• Your rental contract or title deeds of the property and copy

READ ALSO: Empadronamiento in Spain – What is it and how do I apply?

4) In certain areas, you may need to wait several months to get an appointment to register for your padrón

You need to register for your padrón at your local Town Hall, but depending on how many people live in your area and how many other people have recently moved there, you may need to wait a while. In some of the larger Spanish cities, such as Madrid and Barcelona, you will need to book an appointment to register for your padrón. Sometimes there won’t be a free slot for several months, so be prepared to wait.

5) You may need your padrón certificate in order to apply for other documents

Even though the padrón is essentially so that your Town Hall can receive a certain amount of money from the government, you will need to show your padrón certificate to apply for certain services or to get other documents. Some of the things you may need your padrón certificate for include:
• Registering at your local health centre
• Getting a Spanish driving licence
• To vote in elections (if you’re eligible)
• To apply for a local library card
• To get a pensioner’s card

6) If you are a foreign resident in Spain, you should renew your padrón every two years or every five years, depending on your situation

Even if you don’t move house, you should still renew your padrón. If you are from a country within the EU or have a long-term residence permit (10 years), you should renew it every five years. Those from countries outside the EU with a temporary residence permit (five years) should renew their padrón every two years. If you do not renew it, your Town Hall may remove you from the registry, but should inform you before doing so.

7) There is a difference between your padrón registration and your padrón certificate

As mentioned above, if you are a foreign resident in Spain, you will need to renew your padrón every two or five years, but this is different from the padrón certificate you receive when you first register. The certificate is only valid for three months, so if you need to show your certificate for any reason, you will need to ask for another one at your Town Hall, if it’s older than three months.

8) The Town Hall where you register for your padrón will also be the school district your kids are assigned to

If you have kids of school age, your children will be assigned a school district, depending on where you live and where you are registered on the padrón. You will need to show your padrón certificate when registering your kids at the local schools.

9) Your padrón doesn’t affect your residency status in Spain

Your padrón will not affect your residency status in Spain and has nothing to do with your residency permits, visas or EU green certificates. For example, if you forget to renew your padrón and your local Town Hall removes you from the padrón registry, it will not affect your ability to stay in Spain. Regardless, you should try to renew it when you need to in case you need the padrón certificate for anything. If you ever want to apply for Spanish nationality, you will need to show that you have been living in the country continuously and the padrón system may be a useful way to prove that you have lived in the country without long interruptions.  

10) If you move house, you will need to re-register

Because your padrón is associated with where you live, if you move house, you will need to re-register with a different address. Even if you’re moving within the same town or neighbourhood, under the same Town Hall, you should technically re-register so that they have your correct address.

11) If you move towns or cities you don’t need to de-register

If you are moving to a different town or city within Spain, you don’t need to go to your local Town Hall to de-register from the padrón first. All you need to do is to re-register your padrón at your new Town Hall and they will inform your previous one.

12) Your padrón can help you register at a new health clinic

In order to register at your local health centre, you will need to show your padrón certificate – the one that is valid for three months. This will show your health centre where you should be registering. For example, there could be two or more different health centres in the area of your Town Hall and your padrón will tell the local authorities which one you should register at, depending on which is the closest one to your house. If you move house, your certificate will also help you to register and a new health clinic.

13) Non-residents don’t have to register

If you are a non-resident in Spain, then you do not need to register for the padrón. This is only required if you are a full-time resident in Spain. However, many holiday homeowners with non-resident NIEs may choose to register for the padrón as it can make things easier for them to have access to certain services.

14) You are able to register for the padrón without having a permanent fixed address

If you don’t yet have a permanent fixed address, but need to register for the padrón, you can still do so. For example, if you’re living with a friend, then you will need to get a certificate or authorisation stating that you are living at that address, in order to register for your padrón. If you are living somewhere that is not fixed, for example in a caravan, then you will need to go to the social services at your Town Hall so that they can issue you with a certificate verifying where you are living.

15) The padrón can help you get big discounts on flights and ferries

If you are a resident of either the Canary Islands or the Balearic Islands, then your padrón can get you up to 70 percent discounts on transport costs such as flights and ferries. Your padrón can also get discounts on transport if you’re from a large family. If you have three or more children or are a single parent with two children, you can be considered as a ‘Familia Numerosa’ and can get discounts of between 20 and 50 percent on train and bus travel and between five and 10 percent for national flights.

16) Your padrón should not affect your tax status

In theory, there are no tax obligations which come with registering on the padrón and it doesn’t mean that you are automatically a tax resident. However, a padrón can be interpreted as proof that you live in Spain full-time in the eyes of Spanish authorities and they may judge that you should be a tax resident, which if you aren’t you will then have to prove.

Being on the padrón can also have an impact on tax exemptions. If for example you choose to move to Spain permanently and apply for residency, Spain’s Hacienda may not give you the one-year exemption on import duties for the first year to bring over belongings at a cheaper cost, as they’ll assume you’ve been in Spain since you got your padrón. This is the reason why many lawyers in Spain don’t recommend that their clients who are non-resident second home owners get a padrón

Member comments

  1. Its misleading to say there are no tax implications when registering on the Padron, and in the same paragraph go on to say that the Spanish authorities may use it to show that you are in fact a resident and should be paying tax here.

  2. If one has two properties in Spain, in two different towns, can they apply for both padrons? Usually, a resident of one town gets discounted rates for parking and would like to get the discounted rates in both towns. Is this possible?

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CULTURE

The best new Spanish TV series to binge-watch

Looking to improve your language skills while getting hooked on the most engrossing Spanish TV shows? Here are the most bingeable made-in-Spain series from 2023 and 2024 to watch on TV or stream.

The best new Spanish TV series to binge-watch

The Asunta Case

A true-crime-inspired story on Netflix, the Asunta Case was just released at the end of April, but already has some fans. It tells the story of a 12-year-old girl who goes missing and the search to find her. Soon, the trail leads to her adoptive parents, who are accused of being involved with her disappearance and the story takes an even darker turn. 

Berlín

A spin-off of the highly successful Casa de Papel or Money Heist in English. It follows one of the characters, Berlín and is a kind of prequel in that it tells the story of his criminal career before we get to know him in Casa de Papel. It takes place in Paris, where a gang of endearing Spanish criminals, led by Berlín, make a plan to steal €44 million worth of precious jewels. Some fans complained that Casa de Papel dragged on too long and got a bit ridiculous towards the end, but have been very enthusiastic about this one.

Cristóbal Balenciaga

Poligots will enjoy this new series from Disney+, which is originally in Spanish, Basque and French. It tells the story of world-famous Basque fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga and how he aims to present his first haute couture collection in Paris. It stars Spanish actor Alberto San Juan as the lead role, but international audiences will more than likely recognise Gemma Whelan who played Yara Greyjoy in the hit series Game of Thrones.

La Mesías

Spanish newspaper El Diario named La Mesías as its top series for 2023, beating a total of 43 it reviewed. It’s showing on Movistar+ and is part thriller and part drama. It tells the tale of Enric who had a traumatic childhood controlled by his overly religious mother and whose life is heavily impacted by a viral video of a Christian pop band made up of five sisters.

Machos Alfa

Translated as Alpha Males in English, this Netflix series first came out at the end of 2022, but the second season recently premiered in February 2024. It’s a comedy, following a group of four friends in their 40s who start to feel lost in this new society of feminists and empowered women and start to question their masculinity and the way they should act with women. 

Las Noches de Tefía

Created by Miguel del Arco, who co-wrote and co-directed the series, Las Noches de Tefía is available on ATRESPlayer PREMIUM. It’s set inside a Francoist concentration camp on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, a place where vagabonds, protestors of the regime, and homosexuals are sent.

El Inmortal

El Inmortal is available on Movistar+ and first came out in 2022. It was renewed for a second season which was recently released at the end of February 2024. It takes place in the 90s, during the time when gangs controlled Madrid’s nightclub scene and were involved in cocaine trafficking. The story follows Los Miamis a criminal organisation led by José Antonio, better known as El Inmortal, who becomes one of the city’s most successful drug lords. It’s based on the real life Los Miami gang and their leader Juan Carlos Peña.

Déjate Ver 

This Spanish and Catalan series available on Atresplayer was called “the hidden gem of the year” by newspaper El Diario and is a quirky comedy about Ana, an artist’s assistant who who has begun to disappear. After receiving a diagnosis from the doctor she realises that if she doesn’t want to continue disappearing she must completely change her life around.

Nacho

Another from Atresplayer, Nacho reveals the secrets of the Spanish porn industry during the 90s. It’s set in Barcelona and follows title character Nacho, from his religious upbringing to his rise, becoming one of the most recognisable and influential figures in the adult film industry in the country. It’s based on the real life story of Ignacio Jordà González, better known as Nacho Vidal, one of Spain’s most famous pornographic actors and directors.

Los Farad

Set in Marbella during the 80s, Los Farad follows Oskar, a young man with the dream of setting up his own gym. It stars Miguel Herrán, who was also in two of the most popular Spanish series in recent years – Money Heist and Elite. He’s given the opportunity to come into some money by going to live with his girlfriend’s family in the Costa del Sol, but in return has to be part of the family business, which turns out is somewhat akin to the mafia. It’s available on Amazon Prime and first came out in December 2023. 

SHOW COMMENTS