Getting the Spanish disability certificate (certificado de discapacidad)

Terms used

• Centros base — Centros base are the regional offices where teams assess disability and issue the degree.
• Padrón — The padrón is the town hall register of residents, used as proof that you live at an address.
• Baremo — The baremo is the official scale that turns your assessment into a percentage degree of disability.
• DNI — The DNI is the Spanish national identity card.
• NIE — The NIE is the identification number given to foreigners in Spain.
• TIE — The TIE is the foreigner identity card showing your NIE.
• Atención temprana — Atención temprana is early care: support services for young children with developmental difficulties.

Key rules

• 33% threshold: You are legally recognised as a person with a disability in Spain when your recognised degree is 33% or more.
• Region: Apply in the region where you live; each region runs its own assessment.
• Residence: Expect to need legal residence and an ID document; rules for irregular situations vary by region.
• Higher degrees: Some benefits, such as the non-contributory pension, need a higher degree than 33%.

Where you apply

You apply to the disability assessment office of the region where you live, not any other region. Each region runs its own assessment teams, usually inside its social services department. They are often called centros base. In Ceuta and Melilla the national body IMSERSO does the job.

To find your office:

• Search your region's social services website for "reconocimiento del grado de discapacidad".
• Look for the region's online office (sede electrónica), where most regions take applications.
• Call 060 or your region's information line, or ask at your town hall or local social services centre which centro base covers your address.

The steps and the papers you need are in the process and documents sections below.

Who can apply

In practice the certificate goes to people who are legally resident and live in the region where they apply. You will need an ID document (DNI, NIE or TIE). Most regions also ask for padrón registration at your address, and some accept other proof of address. If your residence is irregular, many regions refuse the application. Some accept asylum seekers or people with pending procedures. Ask your regional office about your exact situation before you apply.

How the degree is set

The assessment gives you a percentage from 0 to 100, set by the baremo. It works in two parts:

1. The team rates how your condition limits your body functions and daily activities. This covers physical, mental, intellectual and sensory conditions.
2. They add points for personal and social factors, up to a fixed maximum.

The two parts combine into your final degree.

Why 33% matters

You are legally recognised as a person with a disability in Spain when your recognised degree is 33% or more. At that level you can reach benefits such as larger tax reductions, the job reserve quota, special employment centres, and priority or specific support in housing and education. Employers also get hiring incentives.

People who receive a permanent incapacity pension of total, absolute or gran invalidez level, or a class pension for incapacity, count as 33% by law.

Some benefits need a higher degree. The non-contributory pension, for example, needs 65%.

If your child needs a certificate

Children can have a certificate, and there is no minimum age. A parent or legal guardian applies for them to the same regional body. Children under 6 may be assessed through early-care (atención temprana) services, and the assessment uses a scale made for children. Children's conditions change, so a review date is usually set.

Step by step to your disability certificate

• Find your region's disability assessment office (centro base) by searching your region's social services website for 'reconocimiento del grado de discapacidad', or ask at your town hall or local social services centre: before you start

• Get your padrón certificate (proof you live at your address) or the other proof of address your region accepts: before you apply

• File the application with the regional form and your documents, online or in person: when your file is ready

• Send any missing papers the region asks for after checking your file: when the region contacts you

• Attend the appointment with the assessment team, where a doctor, a psychologist and a social worker see you and may ask for more tests: on the date the region sets

• Wait for the team's proposal on your degree of disability and any extra points for mobility or help from another person: after the assessment

• Receive the regional resolution with your degree, notified to you: usually three to six months after applying; in large regions the wait is often several months to over a year

• If you get no answer, treat it as a refusal and ask the regional body how to challenge it: once the regional maximum time has passed

• If you disagree with the degree, appeal or ask for a review: after you are notified of the resolution

Documents for a disability assessment including foreign reports

• The regional application form

• A copy of your ID document: DNI, or for non-EU applicants the TIE (foreigner identity card) showing your NIE, or a valid passport with your NIE certificate

• Proof of residence: usually the padrón certificate. Some regions accept a visa or a pending-application receipt as proof of legal residence, and asylum seekers can use their red card

• Medical reports from the public health service or private doctors, covering your diagnosis, treatment and test results

• Psychological or psychiatric reports, if your condition is mental or intellectual

• Written authorisation for your representative, if someone applies for you

• A Spanish or co-official-language translation of any foreign medical report. Many regions accept a simple translation for English or French reports, while others require a sworn translation by a traductor jurado

• Any extra papers your region asks for, such as social or school reports

Checklist

• Apply to the assessment centre of the region where you live, not another region.

• Check that you are legally resident and hold an ID document: DNI, NIE or TIE (foreigner identity card).

• Register on the padrón (the town hall residence register) at your address, or ask your region which other proof of address it accepts.

• Ask your regional assessment centre whether your situation is accepted if you are an asylum seeker or have a pending procedure.

• Ask your region for its current procedure, since the assessment rules set the baremo (the scale that gives your percentage degree) but not who may apply.

• Aim for a recognised degree of 33% or more, the main gateway to disability status.

Residence and padrón rules differ by region, so confirm the exact requirements with your regional assessment centre before you apply.

What to watch out for

• Application refused for irregular residence: Many regions refuse applications from people without legal residence, and rules differ by region. Ask your regional assessment centre before applying whether your status is accepted.

• Applying in the wrong region: The application goes to the body of the region where you live, and a request elsewhere will not be processed. Apply where you are registered, and ask whether you need padrón registration or a certificate of residence.

• Degree below 33%: Below 33% you are not legally recognised as a person with a disability, so most benefits do not open. Some benefits need more, such as 65% for the non-contributory pension. Ask the assessment team how your degree was calculated and which benefits your degree opens.

Quick answers on the disability certificate in Spain

Do I need legal residence to apply for the disability certificate?

Yes, in practice you need to be legally resident and live in the region where you apply. Regions ask for an ID document and usually padrón registration. Rules for people in an irregular situation vary by region, and many refuse the application, while some accept asylum seekers.

Can my child get a disability certificate, and who applies?

Yes, children can get a certificate at any age, and a parent or legal guardian applies for them.

Does my disability certificate expire?

It depends on the resolution: a permanent degree does not expire, while a temporary one lapses on its review date unless renewed. Ask for the renewal (revisión) before that date, usually a few months ahead, with updated medical reports.

Is a disability certificate from one region valid in the rest of Spain?

Yes, the degree recognised by one region is valid across Spain, but each region issues its own certificate and card. When you move, register in the new region and ask its disability body to take over your file. Regional benefits such as grants and transport perks must be applied for there.