spain
Do you have to re-register yourself on the 'padrón'? Town Halls across the province are in disagreement with each other
07.05.10 - 13:10 -
To renew, or not to renew: that is the question. There is seemingly growing confusion about whether foreign residents need to renew their registration on the 'padrón' (a town hall's official list of residents).
Anyone living in Spain is required by law to register themselves with their local Town Hall in order to let the authorities know how many people live within their municipal borders. Financial, legal and residential status are not investigated and all information is covered by data protection and confidentiality laws.
Town Halls across the region have been keen to promote the advantages of foreign residents’ registering. One of the main reasons for this is that the Central Government allocates funds according to the number of people on the ‘padrón’. Town Halls also stress that by registering, residents become eligible for some income-related benefits and social care as well as discounts on municipal leisure activities; you could save money on property tax; you will be able to vote in local and European elections; and you can carry out various other administrative tasks, including enrolling children in a Spanish school and registering your vehicle with the Traffic Headquarters.
However, recently, some Town Halls are insisting that people need to confirm their place on the system, and failure to do so will result in the loss of voting rights in local elections and the removal of some tax breaks.
Confusion
The grey area stems from the fact that there seem to be differing messages between municipalities as to whether renewal is required or not.
A spokesman from the Fuengirola Town Hall says: "This is a requirement passed down to us from the INE (National Office of Statistics) and has already been enforced in other municipalities. Previously, it was only non-EU residents that had to do this, but now everyone needs to - and that includes people from the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Holland, France, Italy - anyone from the European Union."
In Mijas, it seems to be a different story. "We are yet to receive any order from the INE that we need to ask our residents to register again. We assume that what's going to happen is that each Town Hall will eventually send out notifications as and when they receive the information from Malaga. This is how it currently works with the non-EU residents," says a spokeswoman from the Foreign Residents' Department.
For its part, Benalmádena Town Hall's foreigners' team says: "There is a new law in Spain and as soon as we have the full details of what people need to do to confirm their place on the ‘padrón’, we'll publicise it. A lot of people due to the recession, for example, have moved back to their own countries, so this renewal is just to confirm numbers."
According to the National Office of Statistics (INE), the renewal period will depend on whether you originally registered with a residence certificate or with a passport. If you are a resident, you need to confirm your padrón status after the first five years and every two years if you registered using your passport.
"People shouldn't panic," says Joanna Drozdowska from Benalmádena's Foreigners' Department. "There is always a long time for adaption for new laws such as this when they come in."
