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LIFE IN SPAIN

Ten things you can do at a Spanish post office (apart from post letters)

There's a whole host of useful tasks you can carry out at your local Correos office in Spain, from arranging your holiday luggage to taking out energy contracts and exchanging foreign currency.

Published: 11 March 2024 11:20 CET
Updated: 16 March 2024 14:29 CET
Ten things you can do at a Spanish post office (apart from post letters)
Correos staff working at Ronda's sorting office. Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP.

Ten things you can do at a Spanish post office that you probably didn’t know

1. Cash withdrawals and deposits – Not many realise it but Correos offices allow you to deposit and withdraw cash from your bank account at branches and even with rural postmen, if you really live out in the sticks and there isn’t a post office nearby.

To withdraw or deposit cash at the post office, you’ll need to request a cash deposit or withdrawal via your regular banking app. The bank will then give you everything you need, including the locations of offices nearby where you can do it.

2. Send and receive money in minutes – That in mind, for those who use or work with immediate money delivery and receipt services, at Correos offices you can also, together with the help of Western Union, make instant, international payments in 130 currencies and in more than 200 countries.

3. Get your DGT stickers – Is your town finally bringing in its Low Emission Zones (known as ZBEs in Spanish) and you’re wondering where you can buy the emissions stickers to avoid fines? You can do it at Correos offices, where you can also request duplicates of your driving licence, and pay any traffic fines you owe the DGT.

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4. Pay your taxes – You can even arrange to pay your taxes at the post office, and thanks to a service provided by Correos’ rural postmen, you can even pay tax through these postmen.

The Correos website also allows you to handle any tax matters you might have.

5. Luggage deliveries – For those who don’t like lugging around all their luggage when travelling, Correos ‘Paq Maleta‘ service offers a home collection and delivery service on the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands, meaning you can send your bags ahead and travel stress free.

6. Holiday postbox – That in mind, if you’re heading away on holiday and worried that your postbox will be overflowing when you can get back (with all the security problems that this could potentially entail, especially in a shared building) Correos can store all your post until you get back.

7. Currency exchange – If you’re going on a trip and don’t want to risk using your card abroad or getting given poor exchange rates at the airport, Correos also offers a currency exchange service and you can have your foreign currency sent home or made available to pick up from your local post office.

8. Ticket sales – Correos offices also allow you to buy a wide range of tickets for concerts, theatres, amusement parks and shows of all kinds.

9. Signing up for phone and internet – Earlier this year, Correos and O2 signed an agreement to market its services in Spain’s Correos offices. As such, interested customers can sign up for mobile and internet contracts directly in Correos post offices.

10. Gas and electricity contracts – Similarly, you can also sign up for electricity and gas contracts with Spanish energy company Endesa at Correos branches. Doing it this way could even work out easier than doing it online or via phones due to its quick and simple process: once the papers have been scanned, the file is sent electronically then and there.

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For members

PADRON

When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón document you get when registering at your local town hall in Spain must be renewed periodically. Find out when and the steps on how to do it.

Published: 22 April 2024 13:09 CEST
Updated: 27 April 2024 10:18 CEST
When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón certificate is used to show proof of where you live. 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 they will receive from the government. They use this money for local services such as schools, health centres, parks and police officers.

If you are a non-EU citizen with temporary residence (less than 5 years) in Spain, then you will need to renew your padrón certificate every two years.

You will also need to renew your padrón each time you move house, as it should have your current address. 

For some bureaucratic processes in Spain, you will also need to be able to show you have a padrón certificate that’s no older than three months. 

Depending on where you live, there are different ways you can renew it. This could be in person, online or by post.

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

Generally, in order to renew your certificate, you will need:

  • A recent gas, water or electricity bill in your name
  • Your rental contract and receipt of your last rental payment
  • If you own your own property, you will need to show evidence that you own it, such as the property deeds

You will also need to show:

  • A valid residence card such as TIE
  • A valid passport
  • In addition, it is also advisable to bring your previous padrón certificate

For children you will also need the following:

  • Records of your digitised family book (libro de família)
  • A valid passport or residence permit of the minor
  • A passport of one of the parents which also contains the identification data of the minor
  • Birth certificate of your child

If you do not live in the same household as your child, you will also need:

  • A delegation for registration form, signed by the parent who lives with the minor.
  • Photocopy of the valid identification document of the parent who lives with the child.
  • In the case of minors under 14 years of age, it will not be mandatory for them to have an NIE, passport or identification document from their country of origin.

Remember that all your documents should be officially translated into Spanish or another local language such as Catalan, if they aren’t already.

READ ALSO: Can I get my padrón online in Spain?

In person

If you are applying in person, you will need to make an appointment at your local Ayuntamiento or town hall.

When the date for your appointment arrives you will need to complete the renewal form, which will most like look something like this, but may change depending on where you live. 

You will also need to bring originals and photocopies of all the documents above.

Online

If you have a digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN you are able to renew your padrón online. You will need to do this via your local government website.

First, you’ll need to identify yourself digitally with your digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN.

Next you will have to complete the renewal form and then attach digital copies of all the above documentation that’s required.

Then you’ll need to submit and sign it digitally.

By post

Although this is not the most common way to renew your certificate, some town halls may let you apply by post and will have details of the relevant address to send your documents and forms to online. 

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