Registering your address (empadronamiento)Article 5 of 11 · 2 min read
Registering your address without a rental contract in your name
You can usually register on the padrón without a lease in your name.
Key rules
- No contract: Lacking a lease in your name should not by itself stop you registering, but the town hall can ask for other evidence.
- Local form: Use your town hall's own authorisation form if it has one.
- Nobody will sign: Ask social services for a report on where you live, or ask about a home check.
You can still register without a contract
Not having a lease in your name does not stop you registering. The padrón is meant to show where you actually live, so a town hall should not refuse you only because you lack a formal title. It can, however, ask for evidence.
The routes
Pick the first one that fits your situation.
- Authorisation from the owner or main tenant. This is the most common route. The owner signs a written consent for you to register at the address. Many town halls want you to use their own form, and some want the owner to come in person.
- Joining an existing household. If people are already on the padrón at the address, the registered person signs a consent or comes with you.
- A sublease or room-rental contract. If the main tenant agrees, a simple written contract in your name may be enough.
- A social services report or home check. If nobody will sign for you, social services can issue a report confirming you live there. Some town halls send municipal staff or police to check instead. This route is meant for informal or vulnerable housing.
- Registration at a social-services address. If you have no fixed home, you can register at an address run by social services (empadronamiento sin domicilio fijo).
What a good authorisation contains
The contents of the owner's authorisation are listed in proof of address. If the main tenant is the one authorising you, some town halls also ask for the main tenant's lease. If your town hall has its own form, use it rather than a homemade letter.
More in Registering your address (empadronamiento)
- What registering your address (empadronamiento) is and why Spain needs it
- Must you register your address, whatever your immigration status?
- How to register your address at the town hall (ayuntamiento)
- Proof of address for registration: contract, deed or owner authorisation
- What to do when your landlord will not let you register
- Registering your address from a hostel, holiday rental or camper
- Registering your partner, children and other household members
- Online or in person: how registration differs between town halls
- Does registering your address put your immigration status at risk?
- Should you register if you split your year between Spain and home?
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