Registering your Madrid address
Empadronamiento in Madrid
Your padrón certificate opens the door to your TIE, your health card and school places for your children. In the city of Madrid it means an appointment at a Línea Madrid citizen service office; in other towns of the Community, each town hall has its own system. We prepare it all, including when the lease is not in your name.
What it is
The padrón municipal is the list of residents kept by each town hall. In the city of Madrid, registering for the first time or changing address is done at the Oficinas de Atención a la Ciudadanía Línea Madrid, with an appointment booked on madrid.es or by calling 010 (914 800 010 from outside the city). Towns such as Alcobendas, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Las Rozas or Getafe run their own registers and procedures.
The certificate you get afterwards, the certificado de empadronamiento, is requested by the police for your TIE or EU certificate, by your health centre and by schools, and it later proves how long you have lived in Spain.
Who needs it
- New arrivals in Madrid who need the certificate for their TIE or EU registration.
- People renting a room in a shared flat where the main lease is in someone else's name.
- People living in a home owned by a partner, friend or family member.
- Residents who have moved within Madrid and must update their address.
- Families registering children for a school or the regional health service.
Documents you will usually need
- Your passport, NIE certificate, TIE or EU identity document.
- The town hall registration form, signed.
- Proof of the address: rental contract or deed in your name, or an authorisation signed by the owner or main tenant with a copy of their ID and contract or deed.
- For children, the parents' documents and the birth certificate or family book.
The City of Madrid and each town in the Community decide which documents they accept. If the lease is not yours, the authorisation from the owner or tenant has to be complete.
How we do it
- Address check. We confirm who holds the lease or deed and which town hall you belong to.
- Forms and authorisation. We prepare the form and, if needed, the authorisation for the owner or main tenant.
- Appointment. In the city of Madrid we book your slot at a Línea Madrid office; elsewhere we follow your town hall's procedure.
- Certificate. We tell you which certificate to ask for (individual, collective or historical) depending on your next step.
How long it takes
In the city of Madrid the wait depends on Línea Madrid appointment availability, which varies by office and by time of year. Other municipalities in the Community can be quicker or slower. Once you are registered, certificates are usually easy to obtain.
Price
From 60 € + VAT. Town hall certificates are often free. When the padrón is part of a TIE or EU certificate procedure with us, it is quoted as a pack.
Questions we often get
How do I book a padrón appointment in Madrid?
In the city of Madrid, through the City Council's appointment system on madrid.es or by calling 010 (914 800 010 from outside Madrid). We can do it for you and prepare the paperwork.
I rent a room. Can I register?
Yes, if the owner or the main tenant signs an authorisation and provides the documents the town hall requires. We draft it for them.
I live in Alcobendas, not in Madrid city. Is it the same?
No. Each town in the Community of Madrid has its own padrón procedure and appointment system. We check yours.
Does the padrón prove I am legally resident?
No. It only records where you live. It is, however, required for most residence procedures in Madrid.
More services in Madrid
Get in touch
Moving to Madrid? Tell us what you need
Write to us with your nationality, your current situation and where in the Community of Madrid you will be living. On working days we usually answer within one business day, with the route that fits and a fixed quote.
- WhatsApp+34 673 374 567
- Phone+34 673 374 567
- Emailcontact@expatinmadrid.com
- WhereOnline service: we handle your Madrid paperwork remotely and book your appointments
