Empadronamiento registers you at your address with your local Ayuntamiento (city hall). It’s a prerequisite for your TIE application, public healthcare, school enrollment, and often for opening some bank accounts and setting up utilities. Do this early — almost everything else depends on it.
Madrid
Book via cita previa on madrid.es at any OAC office. Takes about 15 minutes once you’re seen; most institutions want a certificate issued within the last 3 months.
Barcelona
Book via cita previa on the Ajuntament de Barcelona site. Barcelona also runs a specific process, through social services, for people without a fixed address yet — useful if you land before securing a lease.
Documents (both cities)
- Passport (+ visa/TIE if you have one)
- Proof of address: a rental contract of at least 6 months is preferred, plus your latest rent receipt, or the landlord’s written authorization plus their ID and proof of residence if you’re not on the lease, or the property deed if you own
- The completed official application form
⚠ You can sign a lease with just a passport before you have your NIE — the NIE isn’t required for housing. But you’ll need the signed lease to get empadronado, and empadronamiento unlocks most of what comes next. Clarify with your landlord upfront whether they’ll cooperate; some resist it out of a mistaken belief it affects their taxes or gives you extra tenancy rights.
Next step: with your empadronamiento certificate in hand, book your TIE appointment.