How foreign residents get on the electoral roll (censo electoral)

Key rules

• Opt-in: You are not added to the electoral roll automatically: you must be on the padrón and apply to be included before the cut-off set for each election.
• Non-EU voters: You need a valid residence permit and a country with a voting agreement, and you can vote only in municipal elections.
• Leaving the padrón: If you leave the padrón, you drop off the roll and must apply again.

Why you are not registered automatically

Spaniards are put on the voter list automatically. Foreign residents are not. You are not added to the electoral roll automatically: you must be on the padrón and apply to be included before the cut-off set for each election.

The reason is simple. For foreigners, the law makes inclusion depend on you saying that you want to vote. Until you do, you stay off the list, even if you have lived in Spain for years.

How the padrón fits in

The electoral roll (censo electoral) is built from the padrón. The national statistics office (INE) takes your address from the municipal register of the town where you live, and your roll entry is based on that address.

So you need to be registered on the padrón first. If you are not, there is nothing to base your entry on. If you later leave the padrón, your roll entry goes with it. Register again and apply again.

Non-EU nationals also need a valid residence permit that shows the required period of legal residence.

Who can vote

EU citizens can vote in municipal and European Parliament elections. Non-EU nationals can vote only in municipal elections, and only if their country has a voting agreement with Spain. Check your country with your town hall or the INE.

How to apply

• EU citizens: you file a declaration of wish to vote. Get the form from your town hall or the INE. File it at your town hall or the provincial office of the electoral census, in person or by post. An online route also exists.
• Non-EU nationals: you send a request form to the electoral census office. You can send it directly or through your town hall, with your identity document and residence permit.

The steps and documents are in the process and checklist below.

The cut-off

Each election has its own cut-off date. It is published by the INE and town halls. For non-EU nationals the window usually closes earlier than for EU citizens. For May municipal elections it usually ends around January. Ask the INE or your town hall for the exact date as soon as an election is called, or earlier.

Renewal depends on your nationality

• EU citizens: you apply once. You stay on the roll for later elections until you ask to be removed or lose your entitlement. Leaving the padrón, leaving Spain, a change of nationality, loss of voting rights or death all end it.
• Non-EU nationals: you also apply once, and you stay on the roll while you remain registered and eligible. After removal, such as after leaving the padrón, you must apply again. Before each election the INE usually sends a notice to people who need to act, so read any letter you receive.

Before every election, check that you are on the roll. You can do this on the INE website, by phone, or at your town hall.

Choosing between options

Do you need to renew your electoral roll registration for each election?

• EU citizen: no renewal: You are an EU citizen. Your opt-in is permanent for municipal and European Parliament elections until you ask to be removed or lose your entitlement.

Your nationality decides: EU citizens opt in permanently, and non-EU voters apply once, with a new application only after removal, for example after leaving the padrón.

Steps to register as a foreign voter

• Register on the padrón (the municipal register) in the town where you live: before you apply for the roll

• Non-EU nationals: check you hold a valid residence permit and that your country has a voting agreement with Spain: before you apply

• Get the declaration of wish to vote from your town hall or the INE, or choose the online route: as soon as the padrón is done

• Gather your passport or national ID (non-EU: passport or residence card) and your padrón details: before you file

• EU citizens: file the declaration with the town hall or the provincial office of the electoral census, in person, by post or online, and state you will vote only in Spain for municipal elections: well before the cut-off set for each election

• Online route: use the INE electronic office with a digital certificate, electronic DNI or Cl@ve: any time before the cut-off, if you hold one of these

• Check you are on the roll on the INE website, by phone, or at the town hall: when the roll is shown to the public, shortly after the election is called

• If you are missing or an entry is wrong, claim in writing to the electoral census office: within about 7 days of the call, during the public viewing period

• If the claim is rejected, appeal to the administrative court: within a short deadline after the rejection

• Non-EU nationals: apply again for each new election: before every election

Documents you need

• Padrón registration in the municipality where you live, the municipal register that the INE uses for your address.

• Your identity document, which non-EU nationals send with the request form.

• A valid residence permit showing the required period of legal residence, for non-EU nationals only.

• The request form to the electoral census office, sent directly or through your town hall, for non-EU nationals.

Checklist

• Register on the padrón in the municipality where you live, since the roll uses that address.

• Non-EU nationals: confirm you hold a valid residence permit with the required period of legal residence.

• Ask the INE or your town hall for the cut-off date for the next election.

• EU citizens: submit the declaration of intent to vote at your town hall or the provincial electoral census office, in person, by post or online.

• Non-EU nationals: send the request form with your identity document and residence permit to the electoral census office before the cut-off, directly or through your town hall.

• If you are not sure you are already on the roll, ask the INE or your town hall before each election.

• If you have left the padrón, register again and apply again to join the roll.

What if you missed the electoral roll deadline?

If the deadline has passed

If you missed the deadline for an election, there is generally no late route for foreign residents. You cannot vote in that election. Use the time before the next one to get ready:

• Register in the padrón at your town hall, if you have not already.
• Apply to join the electoral roll well before the next election is called, not in the last days.
• Check that you are on the roll as soon as it is published.

If you applied in time but are not on the roll

You can still fix a mistake, but only during the short period when the roll is open to public inspection, soon after an election is called. Dates change with each election, so ask your town hall when the period starts.

1. Check whether you are listed. You can do this on the national statistics institute's website, using a digital certificate, Cl@ve or a phone line.
2. If you are missing or your details are wrong, make a written claim to the provincial electoral census office. You have about 7 days after the election call.
3. If the claim is rejected, you can appeal to the administrative court (Juzgado de lo Contencioso-Administrativo). The deadline is short, so act straight away.

Once the inspection period ends, errors can no longer be corrected for that election.

If your polling card never arrives

You do not need the card to vote. If you are on the roll:

• Find your polling station on the national statistics institute's website or by asking your town hall.
• Go to that station and show your ID, such as your passport, residence card or another accepted document.

For next time

Check that you are on the roll as soon as it is published. That leaves you time to make a claim while the inspection period is still open.

Frequently asked questions

Do EU citizens have to sign up again before every election?

No, EU citizens do not have to sign up again before every election, because their opt-in is permanent. You stay on the roll until you ask to be removed or lose your entitlement, for example by leaving the padrón, leaving Spain or changing nationality.

Do non-EU voters have to reapply for each election?

No, eligible non-EU voters from countries with a voting agreement apply once, and the registration does not need renewing each election. You need a new application only if you were removed from the roll, for example after leaving the padrón.

When is the deadline to ask to be on the roll?

The deadline is a cut-off date set for each election, and it differs every time. For non-EU applicants it is usually earlier, ending around January for May municipal elections. The date is published by the INE, in the official state gazette and by town halls.

What happens to my roll entry if I leave the padrón?

Your roll entry ends if you leave the padrón, because it is based on the address where you are registered. You would then need to register on the padrón again and, as a non-EU voter, apply again.