Updating your address (empadronamiento) after a move within Spain

Terms used

• Padrón — The padrón is the municipal register of residents. Registering there proves your address and gives access to health care and schooling.
• TIE — The TIE is the foreigner identity card issued to non-EU residents in Spain.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is Spain's online identification system for dealing with public offices.
• Recurso de reposición — The recurso de reposición is an administrative appeal filed with the same body that refused, within one month of a written refusal.

Key rules

• Old registration: Registering at the new town hall cancels your old registration, so you do not cancel separately.
• TIE: Your TIE does not show your address, so you do not need a new card; you tell immigration or the police.
• Refusal: A refusal must be in writing with reasons, and appeal deadlines are short.

Start with the padrón at your new town hall

Register at the new town hall first. Most other offices ask for a padrón certificate as proof of your address, so do this before anything else.

Registering at the new town hall cancels your old registration automatically. You do not need to cancel separately when moving within Spain.

How to register

1. Contact the town hall (Ayuntamiento) of your new address. Book an appointment, apply online with Cl@ve or a digital certificate if your council allows it, or go to the local citizen service office (OAC). Some councils also accept applications by post.
2. Bring the documents listed in the documents block below: ID, proof of housing and the registration form.
3. The council registers you and issues a padrón certificate. Some give it on the spot. Others take a few days.

Each council sets its own list of documents and its own booking system, so check the website of your town hall before you go. Some councils check the address with a home visit or a police check.

Timing

The law sets no number of days. You must report a change of residence, so do it promptly after you move. You need the padrón for health care, schooling and many other procedures. Some councils recommend doing it within a short period, so ask yours.

If you have a TIE

The address is not printed on your TIE, so you do not need a new card. Your address is held in the foreigners register and the padrón.

After you register at the padrón, tell the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) or the police station of your new area about the change. Usually you request an appointment for a change of address. Take your passport, your TIE, your padrón certificate and the form. Offices differ, and some areas do not ask for a formal change at the police station. Ask the office that covers your new address.

If the town hall refuses or delays

Registering is your right and your duty, so the council cannot simply ignore you.

1. Submit a written request (instancia) and ask for a reasoned decision.
2. A refusal must be in writing and give reasons. You can then file an administrative appeal (recurso de reposición) within one month. You can also go to court with a contentious-administrative appeal.
3. You can also complain to the Defensor del Pueblo or your regional ombudsman. The national statistics institute (INE) oversees the padrón technically and you can contact it too.

Appeal deadlines are short, so act quickly. If you have no fixed home or live in substandard housing, the council must still register you, using a social services address.

Who to tell next

After the padrón, tell the tax agency, Social Security, the traffic authority (DGT), the health service, your employer and your bank. The checklist below gives the order.

Non-EU foreigners without permanent residence must renew their padrón registration every two years, or they are removed automatically.

Choosing between options

Do you need to cancel your registration in your old municipality?

• Ask for a separate cancellation (baja): You are leaving Spain, you no longer live at the old address without registering elsewhere, or a person has died.

If you register in a new Spanish municipality, the old registration is cancelled for you; a separate baja is only for leaving Spain, no longer living there without a new registration, or a death.

Timeline and deadlines

• Register at the padrón of the new town hall: promptly after you move; no fixed number of days is set

• Collect your padrón certificate: sometimes the same day, sometimes after a few days

• Ask the council for a written, reasoned decision if it refuses or delays: as soon as the refusal or delay happens

• File an administrative appeal (recurso de reposición) against a written refusal: within 1 month of the refusal

Documents you need

• Valid ID: your DNI, or your passport, TIE or NIE certificate if you are a foreigner. Issued by the Spanish authorities or your country.

• Proof you can live at the new home: a deed, a rental contract or a recent utility bill.

• The completed registration form (hoja padronal), from the town hall of the new address.

• If you live in someone else's home without a contract: a written authorisation from the owner or main tenant, with a copy of their ID. They also sign the form.

• For children: the family book or birth certificate, plus the custodial parent's authorisation if only one parent registers.

• For the immigration office address change if you have a TIE: your passport, your TIE, your padrón certificate and the form, usually brought to an appointment.

Who to tell about your new address in Spain

Who to tell about your new address

• Register at the new town hall (Ayuntamiento) first, by appointment, online or at the citizen service office, and ask for the padrón certificate, because most later steps need it. This is a legal duty, and registering here cancels your old registration automatically.

• If you have a TIE, book an appointment at the Oficina de Extranjería or police station for a change of address. Bring your passport, TIE, padrón certificate and the form. The card is not reissued, because the address is not printed on it.

• File modelo 030 with the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT, Spain's tax agency) online with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, or in person with an appointment. If you are self-employed or run a business, file modelo 036 or 037 within one month of the move.

• Update the address on your driving licence and vehicle registration with the DGT (traffic authority). Tax and DGT notices sent to your old address still count as delivered, and you can be fined.

• Tell the Seguridad Social through its online office with Cl@ve, by appointment, or through your employer. Updating the padrón does not update this record.

• If you receive a pension or benefit, tell the INSS (the national social security institute) online or by appointment, usually within 30 days, so payments and notices reach you.

• Ask the health service to move you to the new region to get your health card there.

• Give your employer the new address for payroll and the income tax withholding form.

• Tell your bank the new address. Banks must hold current details and contracts usually require you to report changes.

• Tell your insurers about the move and arrange new home cover. A change of risk you do not report can lead to a refused claim.

• Transfer or cancel electricity, gas, water and internet contracts for the old home, so you are not billed there.

• Update your local taxes (IBI property tax and vehicle tax) and your children's school with the council.

What to watch out for

• The town hall refuses or delays your registration: Without the registration you can lose access to health care, schooling and many procedures. Submit a written request (instancia) and ask for a reasoned decision. A refusal must be in writing with reasons. Then you can file a recurso de reposición within 1 month, go to court, or complain to the Defensor del Pueblo or your regional ombudsman.

• Waiting too long to appeal: The time limits for appealing a refusal are short, and you can lose the right to challenge it. Keep the written refusal and file your appeal within 1 month.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a new TIE card after moving to a new address?

No, you do not need a new TIE card, because your address is not printed on the card. Your address is held in the foreigners register and the padrón. After you register at the new town hall, tell the immigration office or police station about the change.

Is there a deadline to register at the padrón after moving?

No, there is no fixed number of days, but you must register and report the change, so do it promptly after you move.

What if I am living in someone else's home without a contract?

You can still register if the owner or main tenant authorises it in writing. They sign the form and give a copy of their ID.

What if I am a non-EU foreigner without permanent residence: does my padrón expire?

Yes, non-EU foreigners without permanent residence must renew their padrón registration every two years, or they are removed automatically. Ask your town hall when your renewal is due.

Can I register at the padrón if I have no fixed home?

Yes, the council must still register you if your housing is substandard or you are homeless. It uses a social services address for this.