Padrón registration: how to sign up at your town hall

Everyone who lives in Spain must be on the padrón, the town hall's register of residents, in the municipality where they spend most of the year. It is free. Bring ID, your deeds or rental contract and the town's form, then book an appointment or apply online with a digital certificate.

boe.es · idapadron.ine.es · gov.uk

In short

Do I have to register?
Yes, if you live here. Everyone must be on the padrón of the town where they spend most of the year, whatever their nationality or immigration status. It is how the town counts its residents.
What does it cost and how long does it take?
Nothing. The town hall must answer within 3 months; if it does not, you count as registered from the day you applied. With a complete file, many offices register you on the spot.
Does it expire?
Non-EU nationals without long-term residence, including Americans and Canadians on a visa, must renew every 2 years or are taken off. EU citizens and UK Withdrawal Agreement residents confirm their residence when asked.

Who this is for

  • EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. Bring your passport or national ID card and the green EU registration certificate with your NIE. Under the INE rules, and in Dénia, a passport alone is accepted until you have the certificate; Orihuela asks for the certificate within 3 months or removes you. You confirm your residence every 5 years (in Calpe every 2 years if you registered with a passport only).
  • UK nationals. Register with your passport and the TIE or green certificate. INE told town halls in 2020 that Withdrawal Agreement residents keep the EU treatment: no renewal every 2 years, only residence checks. UK nationals who moved here from 2021 on are non-EU residents and renew every 2 years. After 3 years of legal residence you can vote in local elections.
  • Americans, Canadians and other non-EU nationals. Register with your TIE card (with your NIE) or, until you have it, your passport. The law requires every non-EU national without permanent or long-term residence to renew the registration (renovación de la inscripción padronal) every 2 years. Town halls usually send a letter first, but keep track of the date yourself.
  • Long-term residents (larga duración). No renewal every 2 years. The town hall may ask you to confirm that you still live here (confirmación de residencia); Dénia and Calpe do this every 5 years. Tell the town hall when you get long-term residence.

What you need

  • The town's registration form (hoja padronal / hoja de inscripción padronal), signed by every adult; in Torrevieja it is form MOD.T20
  • A valid original ID: passport or national ID card plus the green EU certificate (EU); TIE or green certificate plus passport (UK); TIE or passport (other non-EU)
  • If you own the home: the deeds (escritura), a recent nota simple from the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) or your last IBI bill
  • If you rent: a current rental contract (contrato de arrendamiento) and your last rent receipt
  • A water or electricity bill for the address, where your town asks for it (Dénia; Torrevieja for tenants)
  • A copy of the owner's or landlord's ID (Alicante, Orihuela, Calpe)
  • If you are not on the contract: the owner's or tenant's authorisation (autorización de empadronamiento) with a copy of their ID
  • If someone is already registered at the address: written consent from an adult registered there who holds a document for the home
  • For children: birth certificate or family book and the other parent's consent; after a divorce, the custody ruling
  • A sworn translation into Spanish (traducción jurada) of official documents in another language (Alicante, Dénia)
  • If someone applies for you: the town hall's authorisation form; Alicante accepts it only with a justified reason and proof of it

Where to apply - by town

Where to go
Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja - Concejalía de Censo y Estadística
Address
C/ Unión Musical Torrevejense, 22, Torrevieja
Appointment
torrevieja.sedelectronica.es
Official page
torrevieja.es
Tip
Registration and change of address by appointment or online (sede electrónica). Since March 2025 the town hall sees without an appointment people who received a renewal letter (non-EU, every 2 years) or a confirmation letter (EU, every 5 years). In May 2026 it told the regional ombudsman (Síndic) of a backlog of about two months.

Torrevieja news

Step by step

  1. Find your municipality You register where you live most of the year. Orihuela Costa (La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig) belongs to Orihuela, and Gran Alacant to Santa Pola. A new registration cancels the old one automatically, so you do not deregister first.
  2. Check your town's list of documents The basic rules are national, but town halls add their own: a water bill in one place, the landlord's passport copy in another; in Calpe your housing papers must show the cadastral reference (referencia catastral). Check your town hall's page (links below).
  3. Choose: online or in person Online applications go through the town hall's e-office (sede electrónica) and need a digital certificate or an electronic DNI; every signed document is then signed electronically. Calpe only registers in person.
  4. Book an appointment (cita previa) Almost everywhere you need one: online, by phone or by WhatsApp (Santa Pola). Book for the ID you will bring - Alicante turns you away if it does not match. Benidorm currently sees people without an appointment.
  5. Go in and sign the form Every adult being registered comes in person and signs. With a complete file the registration is often done the same day. If the town hall has doubts, it can check the address, for example through the Local Police.
  6. Get your padrón certificate There are two kinds: the volante (informative, sometimes called informe) and the certificado (certified, for official procedures). Get it at the town hall or online through the sede electrónica with a digital signature; Alicante also has street kiosks (ciberkioscos).
  7. Keep track of dates and moves If you renew every 2 years, note the date. When you move within the same town, register the change of address (cambio de domicilio); when you leave Spain, deregister at the town hall.

Fees and times

Registering
Free - stated by Alicante, Dénia and Calpe town halls
Longest time for a decision
3 months. With no answer, silence means yes (silencio positivo) and you are registered from the day you applied (INE instruction, BOE 02.05.2020)
In person with a complete file
Usually done at the appointment (Dénia registers you during the visit)
Torrevieja backlog
About 2 months for online and in-person applications (town hall figure, May 2026, Síndic ruling)
Certificate through the sede electrónica
Immediate or within minutes with a digital signature (Orihuela, Alicante, Torrevieja, Santa Pola)
Renewal for non-EU nationals without long-term residence
Every 2 years from registration or the last renewal; otherwise you are removed (Ley 7/1985, art. 16; BOE 02.05.2020)
Confirmation for EU citizens and long-term residents
Every 5 years (Dénia, Calpe); in Calpe every 2 years if registered with a passport only
Voting in the May 2027 local elections
EU citizens: register your wish to vote by 30 December 2026. UK nationals with 3 years' legal residence: apply 1 December 2026 - 15 January 2027 (Torrevieja town hall, 06.10.2026)
How recent a certificate for the SIP card
The regional health service recommends a certificado no older than 6 months (san.gva.es)

Common mistakes

  • Registering at a holiday home while living mainly in another country. The padrón is for the town where you live most of the year.
  • Letting a 2-year renewal lapse. Non-EU nationals without long-term residence are removed without a separate warning, and a broken padrón history is harder to use as proof of residence later.
  • Turning up with the rental contract only. Many town halls also want last month's receipt, and Dénia and Torrevieja a water or electricity bill for the address.
  • Booking for one ID and bringing another. Alicante will not see you.
  • Registering a child without the other parent's written consent. If the parents live apart, bring the custody ruling.
  • Expecting island resident discounts on flights and ferries. The state resident discount (descuento de residente) is for residents of the Balearic and Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, not the mainland.

This is a general guide, not legal advice. If your case is unusual, check with the office or a gestor.

Checked against

History of changes

  • - Checked against official sources and published.

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