Applies to: Municipal procedure; document formats and booking methods vary by town hall.
Before you start
- Accepted identity document for each person registering.
- Proof of use of the home or the municipality’s alternative evidence.
- Completed municipal application and any occupier/representative authorisation required.
The steps
Find your municipality
Use the town hall responsible for your actual address, even if the nearest large city has a more familiar name.
Check the housing evidence
Read the local checklist for tenants, owners or people living with someone else. Ask the town hall about your situation rather than assuming a landlord’s refusal makes registration impossible.
Submit the registration
Apply online if offered and eligible, or book the local appointment. Include children and household members using the required representation documents.
Request the right proof
A volante, individual certificate, collective certificate and historical certificate serve different purposes. Ask the receiving authority which it needs.
Keep it current
Update moves and answer municipal verification requests. Some non-EU residents without long-term residence must renew registration every two years.
Important details
Immigration status
Padrón records where a person lives. It does not grant residence or work permission and is not restricted simply to people with a current residence card.
Residence-history evidence
A historical padrón can help document presence but is not the whole immigration test. Two years registered does not automatically create an arraigo entitlement.
See the bigger picture
Pair these practical steps with the Spain-wide essentials.
Sources & next steps
Reviewed 30 September 2026. This independent guide provides general information. Requirements, fees and office arrangements can change; the responsible authority’s current instructions control your application. Commercial service links explain products, not official rules.