The laws of Spain require every person living in the country to be registered in a locality at the place of residence.
Why do you need to register?
There are several situations in which you can’t do without a certificate of registration in Spain:
1. Obtaining a permission to work or to become a resident.
2. Registration of a medical card.
3. Replacing your old driver’s license with a Spanish one (if yours isn’t recognized in Spain).
4. Enrolling your child in a Spanish school.
5. Conducting financial, tax and other operations in state organizations.
El padrón municipal is the name of the municipal list of registered residents in Spain. In fact, this is an administrative database in which all residents living in any subject of the country are listed. If you’re officially registered in Spain, then you have the actual proof, and your stay in the country is absolutely legal. Your status (resident, tourist, etc.) and nationality aren’t important.
The list of the documents necessary for registration.
To register at the place of residence, you need to prepare the following documents:
– Questionnaire. You can fill it out individually, if you arrived in Spain alone, or collectively, if you arrived with your family or friends.
– The original passport and its copy.
– The original and the copy of the rental agreement that contains the signatures of the landlord and owner. It’s also necessary to provide a residence permit with signatures. If you’re the owner of a property in Spain, then you need to update your registration information every 2 years.
– If you arrive in Spain with minor children, then you need to provide originals and copies of their documents (passport, birth certificateб etc.), as well as a family book (libro de famili).
Registration when moving to another locality.
When moving, you need to register in the subject at the place of residence once again. But it’s not necessary to notify the old municipality about anything. When you apply for registration, the state organization will immediately send a notification to the city where you previously stayed.
Before traveling to Spain, you need to familiarize yourself with the list of important administrative terms.
– Volante de empadronamiento is an unofficial document that is issued for a short term and confirms the fact that a citizen was registered. It can be useful when you need to enroll your child in school, for administrative operations, for using public transportation, etc.
– Certificado de empadronamiento is an official document that confirms registration. This certificate verifies you as a person living in Spain for the purposes of judicial procedures or as a foreign authority. Such certificates must be signed by the Mayors (or deputies) and their secretaries.
One of these two documents will be needed when registering a marriage, enrolling a child in school, registering a medical card, voting in elections, applying for a visa in several countries or requesting a resident membership under the general amnesty.