Applying for your Empadronamiento in Barcelona is one of the most important legal steps to take when you move to Spain or if you decide to stay in the country for more than 6 months.
Some other documents you will probably need and which require your Empadronamiento certificates are: TIE (identification number for non European citizens) and Social Security Number (Seguridad Social). It’s not compulsory to get your Empadronamiento in Barcelona in order to receive the NIE card (identification number for European citizens), but if you are staying for a long time here, we suggest you apply for it anyways for long term benefits. 

Important notice: 

The information below has been collected by the helpHousing team. Please, keep in mind that we are not directly related to any legal or government office and the information may change. Moreover, take into account that the procedure for Empadronamiento could be different in any city in Spain, since it is handled by each municipality (Ayuntamiento).

Discover more about the Empadronamiento certificate

What is the Empadronamiento in Spain? This document, also known as the Padrón (which stands for “Padron Municipal de Habitantes”) is a census record of the inhabitants in the city. So it basically is a registration of where you live and this allows the local government to be aware of the number of people, distribution and density in each neighborhood.

Even though it’s less than a Residency card, the Empadronamiento certificate is important - and sometimes compulsory - in order to proceed with other legal documents when you move to Spain.

If you think in a future perspective, the sooner you apply for your Padrón the better it is: in case you need to prove how long you have been living in Spain, this document, among others, will definitely help you! 

When is the Empadronamiento certificate needed?

• To Apply/renew the TIE (identification number for non-EU citizens).
• To have access to the National Healthcare System (with the local insurance card) and choose a general doctor.
• To buy/sell a private vehicle.
• To obtain a driver’s license in Spain.
• To register a marriage certificate or a domestic partnership (Pareja de Hecho).
• To perform other administrative procedures.

Who needs to apply for Empadronamiento in Spain?

If you are an Erasmus student coming to live in Barcelona for a very short time, or you are a tourist visiting for no longer than 90 days, you won’t need to apply for Empadronamiento in Barcelona.
While both non-EU citizens and EU citizens planning on staying more than 6 months need to apply for the Empadronamiento certificate. For non european citizens the Padrón is even more important, in order to get their TIE and Residence permit in Spain.

Prepare the documents to get your Empadronamiento in Barcelona

There are a few compulsory documents that you need to submit and show on the day of your appointment in the office:

• Passport / ID/ Spanish DNI or NIE for EU citizens or Spanish citizens
• Passport / Residency card for non-EU citizens.
• Spanish telephone number (in order to proceed with the online application).
• Registration form.
• Contract of the property in case you are the owner (original + copy).
• Current rental agreement in case you are a lessee of the house/room. Moreover you need to provide the last utilities bill or bank transfer.
• In case you the rental contract is not in your name (e.g you are living with your partner), the person who’s in charge of the contract has to fill an authorisation form. Moreover, on the day of the appointment you will have to provide his/her original passport or ID and the copy

Please note that all the documents must be in Castellano or Catalan languages.

Steps to obtain your Empadronamiento in Barcelona

Here we will explain the most important things to do in order to obtain your Empadronamiento in Barcelona: the online application, the forms to fill, the documents to submit etc.

“Cita previa”: Empadronamiento Barcelona online appointment

First of all, whenever you read “Cita previa” in Spanish, it means that you have to make an online appointment before going to the office for the service you need. 

Where do you need to go to obtain your Empadronamiento in Barcelona? Search on the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona official website the closest office for citizen services (Oficinas de Atención a la Ciudadanía).

Steps to obtain your Empadronamiento in Barcelona online:

1. Make an appointment “Solicitud de una cita” starting the process at: “Cita con las oficinas de atención ciudadana del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona”. 
2. Choose the closest office to your address (Oficina de Atención Ciudadana).
3. Select a day and time for your appointment, according to the availability.
4. Go to the appointment with all the required documents (original + copies)

Keep in mind that Empadronamiento is a document both for local and foreigners; therefore the office can be a little crowded. More importantly, there’s the possibility that staff at the office will not speak English, therefore, if you are not confident with Spanish language, we suggest you to go with someone or simply make sure to have all your documents ready for the review, with no further negotiations.

Click here if you need professional support to obtain your Empadronamiento in Barcelona, but also other legal documents such as TIE or NIE.

For more information, visit the official website of the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona and don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be glad to help you!