The process of getting an Empadronamiento (Padrón Certificate) is one that often gets overlooked by expats upon their arrival to Spain, yet is one of the most crucial documents when it comes to truly getting your life started in your new city. In this blog, we will go over what exactly is an Empadronamiento and why it is so important.
- What is an Empadronamiento? An Empadronamiento is a registration process in Spain that officially records your residency in a specific municipality, allowing you to access essential services like healthcare, education, and voting rights, and is often required for obtaining various documents such as a residence permit. It is essentially a city hall registration that officially counts you as a resident member of a specific district, zone, and city. Once you have your Empadronamiento you will be considered “empadroned” at your address. It is recommended that you apply for your Empadronamiento as soon as you have a permanent address in Spain, typically within the first month or two after your arrival.
- Why do I need it? Does it benefit me? Perhaps the most important reason in which you will have to apply for your Empadronamiento is because within 90 days of arriving to Spain with your visa, you will have to apply for your NIE (Which is a foreign' identity number).This number is assigned to you indefinitely, it will never change nor expire (as if it were a passport number or driver’s license number in your home country). You will need to show proof that you are empadroned for Extranjería (Immigration) to be able to receive this new residency card (NIE).
Apart from being able to apply for your NIE, there are several other benefits of having your Empadronamiento. For example, if you are bringing your minor children to Spain with you as dependents under your Non-lucrative, Digital Nomad or Golden Visa, you must be empadronado in order to get them registered in their new school. Additionally, being empadronado facilitates access to public services, community discounts and utility services as well such as gas, electricity and water. Similarly, if at any point you need to change your residency or complete any other type of legal procedures you will need to show proof of an updated empadronamiento as these documents have a 90 day expiration date. Updating this document is quite easy as it can be completed online or at the local city hall without an appointment.
- How do I register for an Empadronamiento and what documents do I need? To get the Padrón Certificate, you will need to visit your local Town Hall which is called the Ayuntamiento. The standards for making or needing appointments will vary based on each office. The safest option is to go to your closest Ayuntamiento´s website and see if there are specific appointment instructions. Nonetheless, sometimes these government websites can be unclear or difficult to follow. In that case, the best option would be to go directly to your closest office and ask. If you have any further questions about additional help in securing your Padron certificate appointment, please contact us.
- Will I have to renew my Empadronamiento? You will need to renew your Empadronamiento anytime you change addresses to make sure city hall has your most current, up-to-date data. Regardless, for non-EU residents this address should still be updated every two years to show city hall that you continue to reside at your current address.
Becoming Empadronado, or having the Padrón Certificate, tends to be on the easy end in the grand scheme of Spanish residency procedures. As long as you follow the specific instructions from your local Ayuntamiento, you should have a relatively stress-free Padrón process. If you would like to learn more about the ways in which Innolegals can assist you through this process, please contact us.
Reference:
Padrón Municipal. Alta y cambio de domicilio en Padrón - SEDE ELECTRÓNICA
Foreigner Identity Number (NIE)