What is the padron?
It is a list of all the people who live in a certain town.
Who should register?
Officially all residents in Spain are required by law to register on the padron, yet many British expats still have not done so. Perhaps some view the padron as a means of vigilance by the state, in ‘big-brother’ fashion. However, in reality, it is simply a way for the town hall to know how many people live in their area, without entering into investigations as to a person’s official residence status or financial affairs. In addition, the information provided at registration is confidential and protected by data protection laws.
How do I register?
You don’t have to own your house to register, just have an address where you habitually live, no matter whether you are the owner, you rent, or live with family or friends.
Nor is registration a long drawn out process. Simply go to the padron office of your town hall and fill in the form they provide. Take along official identification, such as a passport, and also your NIE or residence certificate/card, a recent utility bill in your name, and the deeds to your house or a copy of your rental contract. Although you may have to return to collect your certificate, the actual registration is completed all on the same day.
What are the benefits?
Once you’ve completed the simple process, you can begin to enjoy all the advantages being on the padron offers, such as better public services.
The Spanish Central Government allocates money to the different municipalities according to how many people are on the padrón. Therefore, if you are not registered, your town hall is losing money for the provision of health centres, police officers, fire fighters and schools, access to benefits and social care.
In order to register to vote in local or European elections, you must first be registered on the padron. You’ll find you need your padron certificate to carry out various administrative tasks, such as register for healthcare, register your car with Spanish number plates or enrol your children in school. In fact, it is essential to get the Residencia in Spain, and with Residencia you can get a SIP card.
Also when using it, please note that it is valid only for 3 months, then you need to get an updated one.
We are not able to help with registering on the padron because people have to do it themselves. We can get another copy of it for someone once they are registered with an authorisation, for which we charge €20.
Registering on the padron if you are resident could also be a useful thing to do in view of the future Brexit.