# Requirements for registering on the padrón



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

bgregory01 said:


> Thanks one and all for the replies.
> 
> I have an S1 form, am registered on the padron and have an appointment to register for residency - in January next year,
> 
> ...


Nice to see that the authorities are still getting this wrong!


How can one be on the padron (legally) if one is not actually resident here and can prove it?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Nice to see that the authorities are still getting this wrong!
> 
> 
> How can one be on the padron (legally) if one is not actually resident here and can prove it?


Easy - you have the right to be on the padrón if you live here, whether you are a registered resident or not

Anyone living here whether they are here legally or not, still has the right to be on the padrón - sometimes it can take many months for a legally resident non-EU citizen to get a resident card - in the interim they can be on the padrón.

A student of mine is here with her family on a non-lucrative visa from the US - totally legal. They've been here nearly 6 months now & are still waiting for their resident cards. They are legally on the padrón & the children are legally in state school.

So the authorities are actually getting it right

There might have been a change earlier in the year which means that EU citizens need to register as resident before registering on the padrón, but it still isn't clear, & apparently most aytos aren't insisting on it


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> Easy - you have the right to be on the padrón if you live here, whether you are a registered resident or not
> 
> Anyone living here whether they are here legally or not, still has the right to be on the padrón - sometimes it can take many months for a legally resident non-EU citizen to get a resident card - in the interim they can be on the padrón.
> 
> ...



I have to disagree.

One can be resident here without any paperwork. BUT, one can not be on the padron unless one is resident or it makes a complete mockery of the system (look back at some of your previous posts where you said just the same).

It is, apparently, EU (or Spanish) law that one has to be on the padron before being able to sign on the foreigners list.


To take what you say further; if I come to Spain for a holiday each year, then I can sign on the padron ????


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

It might have changed but when we signed on the Padron about 4 years ago we had to have our NIE. They were not interested in whether or not we were resident they just wanted the number. I suspect it may be different depending on where you live.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> I have to disagree.
> 
> One can be resident here without any paperwork. BUT, one can not be on the padron unless one is resident or it makes a complete mockery of the system (look back at some of your previous posts where you said just the same).
> 
> ...


it isn't the law afaik - if it is, please can you let us have a link?

all that is needed, legally, to be produced when you register on the padrón is proof of address & your national ID - nothing more

'illegal' residents can & should be on the padrón - it is totally separate to being a registered resident 

in fact they _need _to be on the padrón in order to regularise their legal position.....


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> it isn't the law afaik - if it is, please can you let us have a link?
> 
> all that is needed, legally, to be produced when you register on the padrón is proof of address & your national ID - nothing more
> 
> ...




So we definitely agree that non-residents should NOT be on the padron (as in, only residents should be on the padron).


I will try and find details of the chicken and egg scenario of padron and foreigners list (which comes first).


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

snikpoh said:


> I have to disagree.
> 
> One can be resident here without any paperwork. BUT, one can not be on the padron unless one is resident or it makes a complete mockery of the system (look back at some of your previous posts where you said just the same).
> 
> ...


When we first moved to Spain eight years ago we rented a house before buying and my elderly mother came with us. To get her registered quickly for health care we had to get her name on the padron, which was achieved without any problem (production of the tenancy agreement was all that the Town Hall required, if my memory serves me well) At the time none of us had residencias (didn't get these until after the house purchase was completed, about three months later).


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

The Skipper said:


> When we first moved to Spain eight years ago we rented a house before buying and my elderly mother came with us. To get her registered quickly for health care we had to get her name on the padron, which was achieved without any problem (production of the tenancy agreement was all that the Town Hall required, if my memory serves me well) At the time none of us had residencias (didn't get these until after the house purchase was completed, about three months later).


When we registered for healthcare in Andalucia at the beginning of this year, they didn't ask for our empadronamiento certificate (although we'd been to get an up to date one, just in case), but they did want our resident certificate.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> So we definitely agree that non-residents should NOT be on the padron (as in, only residents should be on the padron).
> 
> 
> I will try and find details of the chicken and egg scenario of padron and foreigners list (which comes first).



Absolutely - if you don't live here, as in, spend more than 6 months a year here, then you don't go on the padrón

For EU citizens, there is no 'chicken & egg', unless the changes apparently made earlier in the year mean that an EU citizen has to be a registered resident to go on the padrón. If that proves to be a red herring, then they are in no way connected.

For non-EU citizens, the padrón will always come first, because it is required before they can get a residency card


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> Absolutely - if you don't live here, as in, spend more than 6 months a year here, then you don't go on the padrón
> 
> For EU citizens, there is no 'chicken & egg', unless the changes apparently made earlier in the year mean that an EU citizen has to be a registered resident to go on the padrón. If that proves to be a red herring, then they are in no way connected.
> 
> For non-EU citizens, the padrón will always come first, because it is required before they can get a residency card


You say that but when we recently helped a couple sign on the foreigners list, the officials insisted on seeing the padron first. They even pointed to the (Government) poster on the wall demanding padron before 'residencia'.

The couple in question were Brits in receipt of their pensions.


(most) town halls across the country will ALWAYS accept anyone on to the padron no matter what their circumstances - which is why they don't ask to see proof of residency first. 

As we all know, this is so that they can get more funds from Madrid.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> You say that but when we recently helped a couple sign on the foreigners list, the officials insisted on seeing the padron first. They even pointed to the (Government) poster on the wall demanding padron before 'residencia'.
> 
> The couple in question were Brits in receipt of their pensions.
> 
> ...


So now you're saying that they needed to be on the padrón before they could register as resident??.....

which is the opposite of what you said at the beginning of the thread.....


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## samthemainman (Aug 15, 2012)

The process varies according to the area in Spain. In Valencia it's Padron before Foreigners List/NIE. Always.


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## jonoiv (Dec 16, 2015)

samthemainman said:


> The process varies according to the area in Spain. In Valencia it's Padron before Foreigners List/NIE. Always.


That's the same way I did it in, Barcelona. Although the official website says different afaik.


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## The slow walkers (Nov 10, 2015)

Later this year (hopefully) we'll be retiring and spending around 3 months in Spain, 3 months in the UK and so on. We're planning on buying a Spanish registered car and have been told that to do this, we need paperwork saying we're on the padron. Anyway, in March, we are visiting and will go to the town hall to register, so will let you know how this goes.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

The slow walkers said:


> Later this year (hopefully) we'll be retiring and spending around 3 months in Spain, 3 months in the UK and so on. We're planning on buying a Spanish registered car and have been told that to do this, we need paperwork saying we're on the padron. Anyway, in March, we are visiting and will go to the town hall to register, so will let you know how this goes.


In any one year, where will you spend the majority of your time?

Will you be paying taxes in Spain?


I suspect though, you MUST NOT sign on the padron as you will not be a resident of Spain.


Legally, you don't need to be on the padron to buy a car - use your deeds (esritura) instead.


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## The slow walkers (Nov 10, 2015)

Morning snikpoh and thanks for the steer. 

We'll be staying no more than 3 months at a time and making sure we don't exceed the 183 day limit.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

The slow walkers said:


> Morning snikpoh and thanks for the steer.
> 
> We'll be staying no more than 3 months at a time and making sure we don't exceed the 183 day limit.


In which case you mustn't register on the padrón


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## The slow walkers (Nov 10, 2015)

Thanks xabia. 

So, to clarify, an escritura should be enough for a car purchase, along with a proof of address, such as an electricity bill?

Also, is it possible that there could be regional variations in the paperwork requested?


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

The slow walkers said:


> Thanks xabia.
> 
> So, to clarify, an escritura should be enough for a car purchase, along with a proof of address, such as an electricity bill?
> 
> Also, is it possible that there could be regional variations in the paperwork requested?


Your deeds are sufficient proof of address.

There should NOT be any variations but be prepared to 'force the issue' if needed.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Padron, residency, tax rules- ask 10 people get 11 different answers


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

The slow walkers said:


> Thanks xabia.
> 
> So, to clarify, an escritura should be enough for a car purchase, along with a proof of address, such as an electricity bill?
> 
> Also, is it possible that there could be regional variations in the paperwork requested?


The escritura will have the address on it. You'll need that & photo ID - that will be your passport.


There _shouldn't_ be regional variations - though you're in the hands of the guy at the desk on the day 

As snikpoh said, you might have to force the issue


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## The slow walkers (Nov 10, 2015)

snikpoh said:


> Your deeds are sufficient proof of address.
> 
> There should NOT be any variations but be prepared to 'force the issue' if needed.


Thanks again for the information. We've already photocopied pretty much everything we think we'll need, just in case.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> When we registered for healthcare in Andalucia at the beginning of this year, they didn't ask for our empadronamiento certificate (although we'd been to get an up to date one, just in case), but they did want our resident certificate.


Obviously different procedures in each area. We tried to register for healthcare in a neighbouring town as their Centro de Salud is more conveniently located than the one in our very remote rural municipality. We thought if we waved the paperwork quickly in front of the receptionist she wouldn´t notice that our padrons were issued by the town hall in a neighbouring municipality. We didn´t, however, realise that the health centre has the padron on its computer system and a quick search revealed that we weren´t on the list. We were told very firmly that we were in the wrong Centro de Salud!


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