Empadronamiento: Registering at the Town Hall (Padrón)

In short: With the Empadronamiento you add yourself to the population register (Padrón) of your Spanish municipality. All you need is your ID and proof of your home; an NIE is not required. The certificate of registration will later be requested by the health service, schools, banks and many other offices.

What is the Empadronamiento?

The Certificado de Empadronamiento roughly corresponds to registering your residence at the Bürgeramt or Meldeamt (residents’ registration office) in Germany or to the Meldezettel (registration form) in Austria. The Padrón municipal is the municipality’s population register, and the Empadronamiento is your entry in it. Anyone whose habitual residence is in a Spanish municipality registers there.

One difference from Germany: you register with the municipality, not with a state authority, and every municipality has its own form and its own procedures. The underlying rules, however, are the same nationwide. They are set out in the technical instructions to the municipalities of 17 February 2020.

Good to know: as a citizen of an EU country you can register with your valid passport or ID card. So you don’t have to wait for the NIE. If you already have it, include it.

Volante or certificado: what’s the difference?

The municipality issues two kinds of proof. The difference lies in their evidential value, not in their content.

Ask beforehand which document the office in question wants to see. Many also require a recent copy, often no older than three months. So it isn’t worth stocking up on certificates.

What do you need the Padrón for?

The Padrón is the key to almost everything tied to where you live. It is most often required here:

• Health card: the Andalusian health service requires Empadronamiento in Andalusia for the card. More on this under Health insurance and health card.
• School and nursery: places depend on where you live, see Moving with your family.
• Bank: as proof of address for your account.
• Car: when re-registering your car and driving licence.
• Voluntary state health insurance: the Convenio especial requires Empadronamiento in a Spanish municipality.

Which documents do you need depending on your living situation?

Your ID and the municipality’s form (usually called Hoja de empadronamiento or Hoja padronal) are always the same. What differs is the proof that you are actually allowed to live in the home.

Tenants

You present a valid tenancy agreement for use as your habitual residence, plus the latest rent receipt. A contract for a holiday let does not meet this requirement. Make sure your name is spelled in the contract exactly as in your ID. Tips on the right contract can be found under Finding a flat.

Owners

You prove your ownership, i.e. with the notarial deed of purchase (Escritura) or the purchase contract.

Subletting or living with someone

If you are not named in the tenancy agreement or the title deed yourself, municipalities usually require the written consent (autorización) of the person who holds the title, with a copy of their ID. Many municipalities have their own form for this. Check your municipality’s website to see exactly what it wants.

Shared flat

If all residents are named in the tenancy agreement, the contract is enough for everyone. If only one is named, the others need that person’s consent, as with subletting, sometimes also the landlord’s. Everyone being registered signs the municipality’s form.

How does registration work?

The procedure is a little different in every municipality, but the steps are the same.

1. Prepare documents and form

   Download the form from your municipality’s website and fill it in for everyone moving into the home. Have your ID and proof of residence ready as originals and copies.

2. Book an appointment or submit online

   Larger cities work with appointments (cita previa). Electronic submission is expressly permitted under the nationwide instructions. For this you usually need a digital certificate or Cl@ve, which you often don’t have yet at the start.

3. Take your proof with you

   After registration you receive the volante or certificado, depending on the municipality immediately or later for download online.

Special features in Málaga, Granada and the Canary Islands

A look at a few cities shows how differently the municipalities work.

Málaga

The responsible office is the municipal agency GESTRISAM, headquartered in the Edificio Tabacalera (Av. Sor Teresa Prat 17). In addition there are the citizens’ offices (OMAC) in every city district. With a tenancy agreement, Málaga requires more than the minimum: a recent bill or contract from a utility for water, electricity or gas in the name of the landlord or tenant, a copy of the landlord’s ID and the latest rent receipt.

Granada

The city provides the Hoja de empadronamiento as a PDF on granada.org. You can submit in person or electronically via the city’s Sede Electrónica or the state register Red SARA, in each case with a general application and the scanned documents.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Here you should allow plenty of time. In 2023 the Spanish Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo) criticised the city for suspending electronic submission and requiring in-person appointments with long waiting times. How the city currently handles it is stated on its website.

Seville and Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Both cities handle appointments and documents through their own portals. Check the current requirements there before you go.

What do you need to keep in mind after registering?

The entry doesn’t remain valid forever on its own. The municipality checks at intervals whether you still live there.

• Confirmation: citizens of EU countries don’t have to renew their entry every two years. However, the municipality asks after two or five years since the last registration, depending on whether you are listed in the central register of foreigners. If you don’t respond, it can remove you ex officio.
• Moving house: if you move, you register in the new municipality. Even when moving within the same city, the new address belongs in the Padrón.
• Open your post: the request for confirmation comes by letter. In Málaga you confirm in person at the citizens’ office or online with a certificate.

Frequently asked questions