What you need to know

You may have heard of the Padron Municipal or Empadronamiento. If you haven’t and you are planning to either buy a property or live here in rented accommodation then you should be aware of this. This article explains what it is, how it could benefit you and what you need to do in order to get it.

What is the padron municipal?

Every municipality in Spain holds a record of local residents; the Padron. This is held at the local town hall (Ayuntamiento). The UK equivalent would be the electoral role. Anybody who owns a property in Spain should register, whether they live here permanently or not. Even if you are living here in rented accommodation you can, and should apply to be registered.

Who does it benefit?

Although it is not compulsory to be registered it benefits both you and the municipality (borough) that as a resident, you are part of. It benefits the municipality because the local government receives funding depending on the number of people registered on the Padron. For this reason it is imperative that you register to ensure the amount of funds necessary to run the municipality and maintain the infrastructure are received by the local government. The funding is used for essential amenities such as policing, health centres, cleaning, and maintenance. If you do not register, basic services will suffer, staffing at such places as health centres and post offices are affected. Many people are not aware of the importance of registering yet use, on a daily basis, the services provided, services that could be enhanced if we all took time out to register. Believe me, registering can make you feel more like part of the community.

How to register

To register you need to go to your local town hall and produce your passport, copy of your NIE or residence certificate and a copy of your escritura (title deeds, home owners only) if renting your accommodation you wont have an escritura so the rental contract will suffice . If renting, the proprietor of the property must sign a form authorizing you living in their property, attached to this form we will need a copy of their DNI (id card). You will also have to fill out an electoral census form, which gives you the right to vote in the municipal and European parliamentary elections.

In total there are about four or five forms to fill in and it costs approximately 5€, don’t worry; I can help you fill them in.

Certificado de Empadronamiento (registration certificate)

This is different to the above. On occasions you may be asked for one of these by certain businesses or official bodies such as the Police, schools or banks when you need to register or purchase something. The certificate is a document stamped and signed by the Mayor and Secretary of the town hall recognising that you are residing in their municipality. You can have an individual certificate (individual) or one that covers everyone in the family that’s registered on the Padron (familiar), both cost the same, approximately 5€ for the form. The life span of the certificate is only 3 months, after this period you would have to apply for another one, as and when needed.