Padron

The Padrón is the municipal Civil Register of people living in the town.
Its contents are confidential and are kept so.

WHY BOTHER to register on the PADRÓN?

By law, you should be on the Padrón if you spend most of your time in Spain each year.
There are advantages for you: -

  • You comply with the law.
  • You need to be on the Padrón for various official actions, say buying a new car.
  • People aged 65 and over, on the Padrón, get free municipal bus passes.
  • Being on the Padrón can help minimize Inheritance Taxes

Other advantages: -

  • Central government pays the local council €193 each year for each person on the Padrón. Only half of those that could be are actually on the Padrón.
  • These “missing” people are losing Jávea some €2 million each year (or roughly 6% of Town Hall income)
  • The number of people on the Padrón determines the size and scope of the local Services: Health, Fire Fighting, Post (Correos), and Police etc.
  • Increasing numbers on the Padrón could improve the services you need by that much more

2 The Censo Electoral

If you are already on the Padrón remember that this does not NOT automatically entitle you to vote in local elections. To vote, you must also be registered on the Censo Electoral (the List of Voters)

  • Your right to vote in Local or Euro elections is enshrined in Spanish and European law
  • Your vote will influence the quality of municipal services
  • Your vote will influence how local taxes are spent
  • Your vote will influence the type and style of local government

3 Register your name

You can register on both the Padrón and the Censo at the same time. Since August 2011, this is done at the Public Attention Office (above Portal del Clot car park)

For the Padrón:
You will need to take to the Public Attention office Portal del Clot, Avda. Amancer 2 Monday to Friday, 9.00 till 2.00pm
Passport OR Residencia + your last Rates receipt (I.B.I.) OR Water/Electric bill in
your name OR your escritura OR rental contract: -

For the Electoral Role:
To be registered on the Padrón, and your NIE

Need help?
The officials will help. Instructions in Valencian, Castilian, English, German, Dutch and French are available.

PADRÓN FAQs

A guide to the ‘padrón’ for foreign residents (from José Chulvi Facebook)

WHAT IS ‘’THE PADRÓN’’?
‘’The Padrón’’ is a list of everyone who lives in a town, or spends the majority of the year there. Your details are proof of residence in the town. By law everyone living in Spain is obliged to register in the municipality where they reside, or spend the majority of the year.

I’M NOT A LEGAL RESIDENT – CAN I REGISTER ON THE PADRÓN?
Even if you are in an ‘irregular’ situation you shouldn’t be afraid to register. The Town Council has no control over the legality or illegality of the people residing here. It is just a list of who is living in the town.

I OWN A PROPERTY IN SPAIN BUT I DON’T LIVE HERE ALL YEAR – DO I NEED TO REGISTER?
If you spend more than half the year in your holiday home – so 183 or more days/six months a year – then yes, you need to register on the padrón.

I LIVE IN SPAIN BUT I RENT MY HOME – DO I NEED TO REGISTER?
Yes. It doesn’t matter if you rent your home. If you live here, you need to register on the padrón.

DO MY CHILDREN NEED TO REGISTER?
Yes, everyone living at the property needs to register.

WHAT IS ‘’THE PADRÓN’’ FOR?

It is a document which confirms how long you have spent in Spain, regardless of your nationality or legal status, i.e. regardless of whether you are legally registered as resident, or whether you are waiting to be registered. Registration on the ‘padrón’ confirms you as a resident of the town.
You will need to be registered for: Registering as resident; Applying for a health card; Exchanging your driving license; Access to social services support; Registering your children in school; Accessing certain discounts for pensioners.
Also, the town receives funds from central government for every person living there & registered on the padrón. It is estimated that in Jávea, if everyone who should be registered on the padrón, was, the town would receive an extra 2 million euros a year. These funds are used for various town services such as the local police, fire fighters, correos, and healthcare.

WHERE DO I REGISTER?
You register at the offices of the Town Hall/Ayuntamiento. In Jávea the ‘padrón’ office is at the ‘Portal del Clot’ Avda. Amanacer, 2.

DO I NEED AN APPOINTMENT
You don’t need an appointment in Jávea & it’s unlikely that you would need one elsewhere.

WHAT DOES IT COST?
Registering on the padrón is free in most offices. There is usually a small charge for a copy of the certificate.

HOW DO I REGISTER?
Take your passport or your national ID card & your escritura (property ownership papers) or rental contract. It’s always a good idea to take photocopies too, as some offices won’t copy them for you.
If you have an informal agreement for your address, for instance if you are staying with family or friends & don’t have a rental contract, the person you are staying with can sign a form to say that you are living at that address.

DO I HAVE TO RENEW THE PADRÓN?
If you need a copy of the certificate then it must be less than 3 months old. You only need to have a current certificate if you need to show it for something official – if you are an EU citizen you must renew very 5 years. Non-EU citizens have to renew every 2 years.

However, the Town Hall may periodically contact individuals to ask them to confirm that the details held are correct. Many Town Halls, especially those with a high percentage of foreign residents, will do this as a matter of course & on a regular basis. This is simply because foreign residents are often unaware of the requirements to ‘de-register’ when they leave or to keep their information up to date.
It is your responsibility to inform the Town Hall of any changes so that records can be kept up to date. Therefore, if you have a baby, marry, divorce, move house, someone dies, or if you leave the country, or any other obvious change occurs, you must inform the Town Hall. If you are moving within Spain, when you register on the padrón in the new municipality, that office will inform the previous one & you will be automatically removed from the padrón at your previous address.

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