Officially all residents in Spain are required by law to register on the Empadronamiento (padron).  This is simply a municipal register and a way for the Ayuntamiento to know how many people live in their area, any information given is protected by data protection laws.

To register, go to the Padron Office at 3 Calle de la Plaza with official identification such as a passport, your NIE or residence certificate/card, a recent utility bill in your name and the Escritua to your property or a rental contract if you are renting and ask to be registered.

The Ayuntamiento is able to claim money from central government based on the number of people on the padron for providing services such as health centres, police officers, firefighters and schools. You must be on the pardon for a certain period of time to take advantage of some income-related benefits and other aspects of social care available through social services. Also it may be possible to obtain reductions in taxes, depending on the Ayuntamiento, and discounts on courses and leisure/cultural activities. Your pardon certificate will be needed to carry out certain administrative tasks like registering for healthcare, registering a car for Spanish number plates and enrolling children for school.

At the same time, you can ask to be included on the electoral roll to enable you to vote in European and local elections. Ask for a ‘Reclamacion al Censo Electoral’ to be completed which is your application to be included on the electoral roll for ‘foreigners’. You will be notified by the Council as to which Polling Station to attend but at the time of an election, you will need to check that you are included on the ‘foreigner’ list posted at the Polling Station, if not, ask to be directed to the ‘official office’ which is open on the day of voting to deal with any problems.