Certificado de Empadronamiento
Empadronamiento, what it is, and how to register at the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) in Spain...
The Empadronamiento,
also known as the Padrón
Municipal de Habitantes, is a municipal register or census record,
similar to an electoral roll. To register on the Padrón is to "empadronarse".
Registering on the empadronamiento places
a resident of a town on the list of local inhabitants.
Registration
with the Padrón
Municipal de Habitantes is obligatory for anyone planning to
reside in Spain for more than six months per year. Residents may register
individually or as a family. To be registered is to be "empadronado".
The Benefits of Registering
There
are certain advantages of being registered on the Padrón. For each person registered in
a municipality, the Ayuntamiento (town
hall) receives funding for services such as policing, health centres,
firefighters, schools, cleaning and maintenance. In some areas registering
could mean further reductions in certain community charges and inheritance tax.
The
register is used to serve as an official tally of how many people (legal or
not) live in a community. Registering on the Padrón Municipal ensures that the
registrant is considered an official member of the community, and verifies
their presence in Spain which is useful in a number of situations. Those
registered can vote in local elections and find it easier to carry out various
administrative tasks; for example enrolling in school or registering a car.
Foreigners
without up to date documents (expired visa, or no passport) are also required
to register; no penalties are issued, but neither are legal residency documents
made available.
The Certificado de Empadronamiento is
an entirely separate administrative process from residency applications.
More
information can be found on the Ciudadanos extranjeros website. Or
at the Spanish Federation of Municipalities (Federación Española de Municipios y
Provincias)
When a Certificado
de Empadronamiento is needed
The
use of the Certificado
de Empadronamiento varies
greatly from one administrative region to another. In Madrid, Andalucia,
Valencia (among others) it is needed in order to complete numerous actions.
However, this is not consistent across all regions of Spain.
The Certificado de Empadronamiento may
be required to achieve the following:
- Buy or sell a
car
- Register a
child in school
- Apply
for the NIE (Numero de Identification de
Extranjeros)
- Apply for
residency (Residencia)
- Get married
- Vote
- Apply for a
local health insurance card
How to Register
In
most towns, registration for the Empadronmiento must be made in
person at the town hall or neighbourhood administrative office (Junta
Municipal). In some areas registration can be done online. Obtaining the Certificado de Empadronamiento is
a fairly quick and easy process.
The
documents required to register include:
- A completed
application form (available at the office where registration is being
made)
- Identification
such as a passport, and a photocopy; if registering as a family, ID is
needed for each individual
- Proof of
address, such as a utility bill, rental contract agreement or copies of
the property title deeds (escritura)
If
the tenant of rented accommodation is not named on the rental contract, they
must also provide:
- A
completed Autorización
de Empadronamiento (available from the town hall) which
requires that the person who holds the rental agreement also be registered
on the Padrón Municipal
- A photocopy of
the leaseholder's identification
In
some areas, the local police will visit the home to confirm the address.
Normally
a Volante de
Empadronamiento is issued on the day of application. This is a
temporary version of the Certificado
de Empadronamiento, and is suitable for official purposes. Some
regions charge a small fee for issuing the Volante de Empadronamiento.
Note: In
most cases, the Certificado
de Empadronamiento needs to have been issued within the
previous 3 months to be considered a valid proof of address (and is generally
only required for national or foreign bureaucracy). A current dated Certificado de Empadronamiento can
be requested from the Ayuntamiento at
any time it might be needed (for example to buy a car or apply for the NIE).
Renewal of the Empadronamiento
Non-EU
nationals who do not hold a permanent residence visa must renew their
registration on the Empadronamiento every two years. EU citizens
living as permanent residents of Spain do not need to renew and will be
considered a resident in that community unless notified otherwise. EU citizens
only need to re-register if they move home or there is a change in personal
circumstances for example; the birth of a child. It is the responsibility of
the individual to renew their registration on time.
Births, deaths and change of address
A
change in status (birth, marriage, move to a new location) must be reported to
the Padrón Municipal.
- When moving
house within the same community details must be updated by notifying
the Padrón Municipal
- When moving to
a different municipality, repeat the registration process in the new
community. Once registered, the current community should notify the
previous community of the change
- When moving
away from Spain, the town hall or Junta Municipal should be
notified so the Padrón can be updated
Further Information
- Ministry of the Interior (in
Spanish)
- Information from Euro Residents (in Spanish)