Registering on the Padron

Georgia - "The padron is there for anyone to sign on regardless of whether you are resident or non resident,it basically means that at some point you will occupy a property within an area and will need use of facilities at some point in the year."

Just plain wrong!!!  Non-residents are not entitled to sign on the padron.  Simples.

Hey Guys,

I'm astonished about all your post's, some of them being resident in Spain, other on Holidays and other that are Spanish (that shokes me even more) I'm Spanish and live since many many many years in the UK, and honestly, im jelous some of you live thare, but you guiys should come back to the UK and perhaps you would be more happy and complain less about the "wonderfull" burocracy there is in Spain as some say in the UK it's all black and white it's more frustrating than being in Spain and more how things are going now with the new lovely elected Governement.

What I have realised since Im dealing with the Brittish, and let me tell you thats more than some of you have ever done with the Spanish,is that they are a wonderfull species that complains about anything and everything even when a dust particle hits their eye's.

So, if your not so happy being there with all the mess why you just not leave go to Auzzi land they will like you more...or ist becouse we have the so called "la buena vida y comida" that you all seek for and cant get anymore in the UK.

Shoking, the Enlgish hate the Welsh, Scotish, Irish, Germans (dont mention the war), French, Pakistanies, Indians and dislike the Auzzies and South African's dont really want to mention who loves the English, is there anybody...boooo????

A British Admirer

Nemojazz,

Love your post. Made me Laugh Out Loud.

I'm British and proud of it.

I live in spain and love it. I chose to live here.

And you're right, because I can't speak spanish or catalan very well, I can't interact well with your felllow country-men. I do how ever like them very much. 

Take care, Febe

Nemojazz

Great to get a Spanish perspective on this! 

Like Febe, I'm British (actually English, with a Scottish husband) and love our life in Spain.  We are trying to learn Spanish, and many Spanish people we know who live in Jumilla want to improve their English, so we have started a language intercambio once a week.  Most of our British friends live here permanently so are on the padrón, and most of them love living here and do not want to return to the UK.  There is one exception, but to be honest if she returns to the UK we reckon she will still be moaning!  Some people are like that.  All of us have wonderful Spanish neighbours, who are very patient with our slow, probably ungrammatical, Spanish! 

The major benefit for us being on the padrón is that we get free Spanish lessons at the local Adult Education Centre.

Sue

Suemac/Febe

Please dont missunderstand me im not having a go at anybody, im not a racist, and also I have to say that I'm greatfull on having the chance to improve my career in Britain as my country was not able to give me that oportunity. Im married to great British woman, even Spanish ones have more umpff...but she has given me a wonderfull daughter and is a good mother to here. I like the UK, lovely country lots to take in and has great places, lots of culture but the problem I see in this 12 years is what the past Governement has allowed and tolerated to its amazing, no other country would tolerate this. 

I lived in many place US, Spain, Switzerland and UK now and allways followed the rules in those countries, with some mistreatment being a foreigner in some places that I dont want to mention but I never felt so low as a foreigner like in the UK even being such a multicultural country. You cant even put your point accros that you feel like somebody wants to kill you, I have many stories.Also the huge envy of works collegues or other being a bit better than them seems to kill them inside there gut's.

What also disturbs me is that more and more non Spanish resident's have created their comunity and trying to push things like in their own country and pushing Spanish to follow this...that sounds familiar in the UK.

In Spain i can say to somebody in his face "que te jodan" without never, never being afraid he is going to take a knife or a gun. I can say to a work collegue woman mentioning how sexy she is without being persecuted on sexual harassement.

Anyway I miss my country and my poeple (more the food) and I'm glad we are so open and culturate to have anybody that respects and tries hard to integrate.

Viva Espana

 Mucho gracious Maria..bonito painting!

Thank you Val,

Regards

Jeanie 

Just a final say on the padrón / residency issue; according to my padrón certificate, "Este documento tiene carácter informativo en relación con la residencia y el domicilio habitual en este Municipio, de acuerdo con lo establecido en el arículo 61 del R.D. 2612/1996 blah blah blah......"

Personally, I don't give rat's ar5e who signs on the padrón, but IMHO, it's pretty clear: a holiday home is not your habitual domicile.

nemojazz: bienvenido a este foro. ¡Que interesante a tener tu punto de visto!

Hi again,

Roberto your 100% right your Holiday home is not your habitial home.

fpegman thumbs up your 100% right about Padron and Empadronamento with your well explained calrifications below on why and also taking advantages on getting the benefits. Empadronarse is officialy living in Spain like in the UK, I had to go to the council and register myself that I live in the UK, getting the NI no. cert. and be fully able to work legitimate and pay lots of Taxes !!!

The padron is an alternative but similiar like the Empadronamiento so that the council in Spain knows who lives legitimate this avoids the problem like in the UK having so many iligel Emigrants.

One other point I saw regarding driving licenes UK - Spain. The rules is the EU rule for all EU countries. I had a Spanish driving licenses and after 6mth I was stoped by the police and advised that I was oficiali living over 6mth and I was obliged to get a UK driving license and give up my Spanish one. (lukely I had also a swiss one that I dident needed anymore so I gave that one in) So if your live there for over 6mth you will have to do the same being an oficial Spanish resident. The problem is the spanish country checking system "Trafico" it's not that transparent like in the UK the DVLA. Police in the UK can check you personal detail with the DVLA and straight away they will know how long you live in the UK. The police in Spain, well lets not go there.

Just to clarify I have also since 5 years a Holiday property in Benahavis (Los Arqueros) and it was for me very frustrating everything even being Spanish but I had a top service that I still have from Lawyer of Spain very professional and very very good.

I lived in UK and drove for 15 years and never had a UK driving license. I enquired once and was told that was fine.

Likewise in Spain you can remain on non Spanish driving licences even if you are a national and resident.

I live in the EU and I see a lot of people who could be argued to be resident in any of 3 countries becuase they come and go so much.

Maybe it should be as long as you pay your taxes in one country, have paid road tax in any one country etc - afterall we were promised tax harmonisation ...................open borders, freedom of movement etc

Faro

c'mon, you are real danger of assuming common sense might be applied?  You know that's not how it works!

Faro let me get you the facts right my friend I think you dident understand my comment: The coming and going its not the smae like living permantly over 6mth as a Spanish resident or UK resident and btw ur a lucky man/woman driving so long and getting away.

Your British driving licence is valid throughout the European Economic Area (the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). If you are planning to stay abroad long-term, however, it will probably be worth converting your UK driving licence into one issued by the country you move to permanetly. In some countries, staying beyond a certain length of time, or incurring penalty points on your licence (how will they put in Spain points in your UK license?????), will require this. Normally, you will be able to convert your British licence just by paying a fee at a government office. In some countries, you will have to undergo tests or classes first, however.

Just because your driving licence is accepted, though, don't think there are no differences between road regulations in Britain and elsewhere - and it amounts to considerably more than just driving on the other side of the road. In fact, there are so many differences that you really will need to spend time studying the distinctive characteristics of law and practice related to driving in the country you plan to emigrate to. It's impossible to go into all of the specifics in a general article. However, here are some key differences you should be aware of :

• The minimum driving age is higher in some countries than in Britain.
• In Austria you're required to carry a first-aid kit.
• Most countries on the continent require you to carry a triangle reflector you can use to warn other motorists of a potential hazard.
• Some countries require you to carry reflective jackets which you must put on if you need to be active outside the car, for example to replace a tyre.
• If you're taking a car from Britain to your new home, you will need a headlight converter to adjust the intensity of your headlights for countries where cars drive on the other side of the road.
• In some countries, such as France, you're required to carry your driving licence, insurance documents and vehicle registration with you at all times while driving.

Getting a Spanish driver’s license can be expensive because you have to join a driving school and take classes. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have driving in your own country. Driving in Spain is considered a different animal, and of course, you’ll need the driving school’s car to take the behind-the-wheel test.

Then you’ll need to pass a medical and eye exam. Fortunately, this part won’t be too difficult. “The doctor certified me as fit because I was able to open the door to his office,” admits Sal, “and as having good eyesight because I was able to grasp the doorknob without first feeling around for it with my fingertips.”

Next comes the written exam. The good news is that it’s multiple choice and you can choose to take the exam in English or watered-down Spanish if you don’t feel up to the full-blown Spanish deal. The bad news is that the scope of the exam “goes well beyond the standard rules of the road,“says Sal. “Questions pertaining to automobile mechanics, first aid, and technical specifications for vehicles ranging from scooters to quads to automobiles to delivery trucks are not only fair game, but are fairly common. Having taken both the State of Illinois Bar exam and the Spanish written driver’s exam, I can say with certainty that I walked out of the former feeling much more confident that I had passed.”

Finally, you must take a behind-the-wheel exam. Your instructor will sit in the passenger seat and the examiner in the back. “The exam lasts for thirty minutes and takes place in live traffic,” Sal tells us. “Drivers can expect to face such delights as city streets, winding alleys, roundabouts, construction zones, hills, and the universally-despised parallel parking maneuver. If you’re unlucky (and many are), the latter two will be co-mingled.” You’ll receive your results from your instructor once the examiner has gone. Like the written exam, if you fail, you can take it again.

Neverless if you an official "European Driving License" from the UK than ur ok but you have to renew it all the time in the country it was originaly done.....

And that’s all there is to it, folks, believe me Im well contected in Trafico, DVLA and the EU norms

nemojazz

I have neither a UK nor Spanish driving licence. My wife has a UK driving licence. No problems at all.

If the authorities need to apply points they set up a record for you.

I parked incorrectly outside the main police station in Malaga whilst picking up NIE numbers and nearly got shot. They took my driving licence and held me at gun point whilst checking it somewhere and then came back and told me not park there again. In fairness I think there was some type of security alert becuase there was more than normal police. I now use the car park!

I know what you mean about the cost of the Spanish licence as I paid a small fortune for my son to get his - it's all about money!  My son is a Spanish national and has a Spanish driving licence. But he has had to endure Franco law but he grew up in the free world.

The only problem I encounter in Spain is the fact that the Spanish are very poor drivers. They would appear not to know what the indicators are used for and also quite happy to reverse or drive down slip roads the wrong. I must not forget the mongolitos who cause all the crashes. Also generally very poor parking skills and think nothing of bumping into your car in car parks!

How many people have come out of shops to find the side of their car scratched from bad parking!

Going back to the padron.

We registered at the town hall 3 1/2 years ago as we were advised to do so for the benefit of the council and the fact that we might need it.

When we bought a car, we needed an up to date print-out from the town hall to show that we were on the padron, to register the purchase.

Presumably, it's different down Andulucia way, but not up here in the Valencian Communidad.

We would have been snookered when we moved out here if we had no car, as we live in the Huerta..

Residency has never been a priority for us as it is not a legal EU requirement.  Although we will have to do it now for the health care, since the INSS requested it.

Laury

Oh I just remembered something else.

We can vote via the internet. So perhaps the "turnout" figures won't be so crucial?

I was told this by my Spanish tutor's husband who works in the town council.

Laury

I can´t remember who said it but it seems that after all a Padron is needed to buy a car but it depends on what part of Spain you live in, and it has been said ALL persons having a property in Spain(res or  non res) should obtain a Padron to get more services for were we live after all it only costs a couple of cents (where we live anyway).

However with all Forums giving information and with so many people living in  different communties with different rules, i think that people must check on their local communtie areas otherwise some people reading a reply from somebody may get the incorrect information,some  people give the impression they and they alone are correct and everybody has to fall in line with them

It's only natural that forums are full of opinions rather than substantiated facts. I'm no doubt as guilty as the next poster (nobody's perfect!) but I do try to back up my opinions with references to legitimate sources if possible. Perhaps I should have been more specific previously: in the municipality of Torremolinos, the padrón certificate "..........tiene carácter informativo en relación con la residencia y el domicilio habitual en este Municipio, de acuerdo con lo establecido en el arículo 61 del R.D. 2612/1996 blah blah blah......" This is the exact wording on my certificate.

Anybody else actually got one? Does it have this clause or not?

I've never refuted the fact that some municipalities will allow (or actively encourage) non-residents to join the padrón. I also have made it clear that I really don't care whether people feel they should or shouldn't be on the padrón. I simply pointed out that according to the wording on my certificate, it's quite clear that the document testifies that the address on it is my habitual domicile and that I am a resident here.

The law on residency requirements is national law, not regional law.  The law doesn't vary.  You should not be on the padron if you are not resident in Spain for at least three months.  What varies is the enforcement.

Jek - You should not be on the padron if you are not resident in Spain for at least three months. 

From 28 March 2007, Royal Decree 240/07 requires that all EU citizens PLANNING to reside in Spain for more than 3 months should  register in person at the Oficina de Extranjeros

http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-spain/residence-req

http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf1/regulations-eu-citizens

So, if someone arrives with the mindset, even whimsically,  of staying for three months then they can apply for residence. The day they arrive.

Similarly, all so-called "residents" are legally obliged to sign on the padron. So, if you get off the kite at Alicante, thave a sniff around, decide you fancy the place and will stay for a few months, then  you ought to register as a resident and sign on a padron asap.

All the country wants, (be it Spain or any other), is to know  who is going to be staying on their turf potentially long-term. If you own a couple of gaffs around Europe and visit other countries, you might well find yourself with umpteen resident permits - if you are foolish enough to play their game. One thing is for sure, honesty is not the best policy, as you will find no country prepared to register your car, no company prepared to issue insurance for your car, no bank to give you an account, etc......once they discover you do not spend more than six months in one country. You will also have to  spend a few weeks a year filling out tax returns.

I am thinking of renting somewhere in Malta this summer for a few months, maybe six months or more. I am sure they have the same regulations. Why would I want to spend my time registering as a Maltese resident? Why would I want to re-plate my car? Let's not be so anal retentive and enjoy the sunshine.

Jeanie60 - Really all you need to do is decide for you if being on the padron offers you any benefit. If so do it and if not don't bother.

This pretty much applies to everything in Spain and you will rarely get a straight answer to a simple question.  

Everyone has an opinion which varies from region to region and town hall to town hall etc