{"id":2057,"date":"2026-08-12T06:34:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T06:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/achetermalincostabrava.com\/acheter-une-maison-sur-la-costa-brava\/faut-il-sinscrire-a-la-mairie-empadronamiento\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:05:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:05:37","slug":"should-you-register-at-the-town-hall-empadronamiento","status":"publish","type":"amcb_kb_question","link":"https:\/\/achetermalincostabrava.com\/en\/buying-a-house-on-the-costa-brava\/should-you-register-at-the-town-hall-empadronamiento\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you need to register with the town hall (empadronamiento)?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The empadronamiento is registration on the municipal register of inhabitants, the padr\u00f3 in Catalan. Do you need to do it? It all depends on a simple question: do you live in the town for most of the year, or do you come here on holiday?<\/p>\n

The principle<\/h2>\n

Anyone who normally lives in Spain must be registered in the town where they live. So it is linked to where you live, not to your status as an owner.<\/p>\n

For a second home<\/h2>\n

If your main home remains in France and you come to the Costa Brava for a few weeks or months a year, the empadronamiento does not normally apply to you. Owning a property does not oblige you to register. Some towns do reserve benefits for registered residents, for example for parking or certain services: ask at the town hall, bearing in mind that registration can be taken into account when assessing your tax residence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you move here for good<\/h2>\n

Registration then becomes essential. It opens the door to many services and procedures: health card<\/a>, school enrolment, the EU citizen registration certificate for stays of more than three months, and many administrative procedures.<\/p>\n

How does it work?<\/h2>\n

You apply at your town hall (ajuntament), often by appointment or online. You will usually be asked for:<\/p>\n