The short answer
The padrón is Spain’s municipal register of who lives in each town. You need it because everyone living in Spain for more than three months must register with the town hall where they habitually live, and the certificate proves your address and residence for official procedures. It is not the same as legal residency or a TIE.
Updated 24 October 2026
The padrón is Spain’s municipal census: the register of everyone who lives in a municipality. It is kept by the town hall where you habitually reside.
Everyone living in Spain, Spanish or foreign, must register, whatever their immigration status. Registration is compulsory once you reside in Spain for more than three months. If you split your time between more than one municipality, you register only in the one where you spend most of the year.
The padrón certificate is the official proof of your address and habitual residence. It is a public document and is valid for administrative purposes. Councils also use the register to count the population, which determines how much money they receive from central government, how they plan local services, and how the electoral roll and official statistics are formed.
Registering on the padrón is not the same as having legal residence in Spain or holding a TIE. It does not regularise your immigration status. British citizens who have moved to Spain need the correct visa or family route and their TIE, as well as being on the padrón.
To register, go to the town hall where you live with your passport or Spanish-issued foreigner identity document. The registration records your name, sex, habitual address, nationality, place and date of birth, and identity document number. You must tell the town hall if you change address or move to another municipality.
People also ask
›Do I need a TIE before I can join the padrón?
No. You can register with your passport or Spanish foreigner identity document, and your immigration status does not stop you from registering.
›Is the padrón the same as my TIE or residencia?
No. The padrón registers where you live; the TIE and legal residence status are separate. You need both as a British resident in Spain.
›When do I have to register on the padrón?
Registration is compulsory once you are living in Spain for more than three months. You register with the town hall where you habitually live.
›What if I live in two Spanish towns?
Register only in the municipality where you spend the most time during the year.