Empadronamiento in Barcelona: how to register on the padró

§1Three ways to register

• In person at an Oficina d’Atenció Ciutadana (OAC), with an appointment booked online beforehand. Same-day appointments are not possible and the booking must be in the name of the person who attends. You are registered on the spot.
• Online, through the Ajuntament’s Oficina Virtual de Tràmits, with a digital identity: idCAT Mòbil, Cl@ve or DNIe, or an FNMT certificate. Confirmation arrives by email after about a week.
• By phone on 010: the Ajuntament posts the form and instructions to your address, and you send them back by post within a month.

SourcesAjuntament · cita prèvia OACAjuntament · online registrationBarcelona International Welcome · padró

§2The documents

• Your identity document, original. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals: the EU registration certificate, the passport or the national ID card (a NIE certificate only together with the passport or ID). Other nationals: the TIE or the passport.
• Owners listed on the IBI property-tax bill need no proof of the home, which the Ajuntament checks itself. Other owners: a deed or private sale contract less than a year old, an inheritance acceptance deed or a land-register extract.
• Tenants: the current tenancy agreement for at least three months (or an extended one with its extension), or the last rent receipt paid within two months, or the last electricity, water or gas bill in your name paid within three months, with proof of payment.
• Living in someone else’s home: the holder’s signed authorisation, their identity document and proof of their right to the home.
• Documents in a language other than Catalan or Spanish need an official translation, sworn or consular.

SourceBarcelona International Welcome · padró

§3Which office

The Ajuntament runs Oficines d’Atenció Ciutadana in its districts, from Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Gràcia to Sants-Montjuïc, Les Corts, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu and Sant Martí, plus Zona Nord, and two central offices, OAC Monumental and OAC Plaça de Sant Miquel. You pick one when you book.

SourceBarcelona International Welcome · padró

§4Renewing your registration

Non-EU nationals without long-term residence renew their registration every two years. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals renew every five years if they hold the EU registration certificate, and every two years if they do not. Put the date in your calendar the day you register.

SourceBarcelona International Welcome · padró

§5The padró and your NIE file

For the green certificate, Barcelona International Welcome notes that the padró is generally not required unless your address differs from one you gave before, as on a white NIE, and that some officers may still ask for it. Registering first is rarely wasted effort.

SourceBarcelona International Welcome · green NIE