Change of Address in Spain

If you have recently moved, or are planning to move in the near future, make sure you add “Change of Address in Spain” to your ToDo list.  There are several places where this needs to be done, and this post will cover the most common places where the change of address needs to be performed.

We’ll cover each of these in detail, but the following list will get you started:

• Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) Registration
• NIE
• Social Security (which covers health centers and hospitals)
• Driver’s License (DGT/Trafico)
• Car Registration (DGT/Trafico)
• Tax Office (Agencia Tributaria)
• Bank
• Bills

Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) Registration

If you would like to register as a resident of this town, you need to go to the town hall for your Empadronamiento or padrón.  The best place to start the whole change of address process is with the Ayuntamiento.  Whether you’re changing towns or not, it’s a requirement that you notify the Ayuntamiento of your new address.  They will provide you with a new empadronamiento or “padrón”.

To make the change (Empadronamiento y Cambios de Domicilio) remember the following rules:

• Foreign residents from the EU are required to renew their padrón every five years
• Foreign residents from outside the EU must renew every two years.

If you have changed your address during that time, you’ll need to bring documents with proof of the new address.  These type of documents are usually a rental contract or purchase document which shows the new address with your name.

Most of the remaining places you’ll be contacting will want to see the updated padrón in order to make a change.

Buy the detailed padrón process and procedures  (10€ + IVA)

Change of Address Online tool

Once you have registered on the padrón of your new home town, you can communicate your change of address to a list of authorities, through the electronic office of the Spanish government, all in one go.

Fortunately, there is a “Change of Address Communication Service” that is provided which will communicate your change of address with several government agencies without having to go to each of them in person:

• General State Administration (Administración General del Estado)
• General Directorate of Traffic (Dirección General de Tráfico – DGT)
• Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria)
• General Directorate of the Police (Dirección General de la Policía)
• Social Security (Seguridad Social)

You need a digital certificate, a Cl@ve Pin, or Cl@ve Permanente to access the service.  I tried with my digital certificate and it took a couple of tries to get through, so don´t give up if you get an error message the first time around.  If you have problems using the digital certificate, the Cl@ve Pin is very useful, but it does require you to install an app on your mobile phone.  It’s much easier to use Cl@ve Pin instead of the digital certificate.

The only disadvantage the system has is a 2 month process time from your change of data on the padrón, so if you try to access the service before, your data might not have been updated yet.  So while the benefit of using the change of address service is easy, the downside is the time it takes for your data to propagate through the system.

Driver’s License

Changes to your driver’s license can be made at the provincial headquarters where you live.  The DGT provides a list of offices by province. For Almuñécar, the office details in Granada are listed here.  We recommend you save yourself some time and use the online service listed above.  Who wants to wait in line?

Car Registration (DGT/Trafico)

The website which handles this is located here.  This also looks like it can be done locally at the Almuñécar Town Hall.  You can email (almunecar@dipgra.es) or call (958 838 600) for further information about obtaining new documentation for your car.  You’ll need to provide identification (NIE/passport), Padrón, Permiso de Circulación, and the ITV document.

NIE (TIE)

What we’re really discussing is not the number, but rather the TIE (the actual card itself).  If you used the online change of address service listed above, then your address information automatically updated.  What you may be interested in is obtaining a new TIE (card) with your updated address.

When you change your address, this doesn’t update your TIE Resident card.  You need to follow the TIE renewal process to obtain a new card.  This can be done at the Oficina de Extranjero or the local police department can provide with the correct process.  It will require the application to request a TIE card, payment of the fee at the bank, and an appointment for your fingerprints.

The key is to make sure your information is properly updated in the Spanish system.

Social Security (Seguridad Social)

As with the other services, using the online change of address instructions listed above is the recommended choice, however, if you want to manually update your information in the Seguridad Social system, you can go here.  Once again, you’ll need the Digital Certificate, Cl@ve Pin, or Cl@ve Permanente., with the Cl@ve Pin being the easiest method of proving your identity.

This should also update your records for the local health center or hospital.  If you are using the Spanish healthcare system, you will want to be sure your new address is in the system with the Centro de Salud.

Tax Office (Agencia Tributaria)

The Agencia Tributaria provides a webpage that allows you to update your address for the purposes of updating your tax address and-or your notification address.

Bank

Most banks are probably going to have the same requirements for changing your address, but it’s best to contact them or look on their website for a list of the required documents.  Most likely you’ll need your bank card, NIE/passport, and the padrón.

Bills

This is the one that can be a bit tricky as it can be easy to forget, especially if you’re auto-drafted from your bank account.  We’ll mention a few just to help remind you:

• Water
• Electricity
• Mobile Phone
• Internet
• Car Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Butane/Gas Delivery

How Can We Help?

We have an ebook that details the padrón processes and procedures, and you can purchase it for 10€ + IVA.  We also have connections with local agents and gestors, who can help you with the process if needed.

Address Format In Spain

Correos advises that address format in Spain is as follows:

• Full name of the recipient, or company name
• Type of street, name of street, building number, flat number, entrance number.
• Post code / Zip Cost ,  town name
• Name of province,  (also country if international)

Examples:

Home

Pedro Sanchez
Avenida Costa del Sol 4
18690 Almuñécar
Granada

Apartment

Pedro Sanchez
C/ Seville, 20, 5°, 3B
18690 Almuñécar
Granada

Which can be understood as:
C/ is an abbreviation for Calle (street), therefore it is – Calle Seville (Seville street)
20 is the street number of the building – 20 Calle Seville
5° indicates that it is the fifth floor  (the number with the degree sign)
3B indicates that it is apartment number 3B
Speaking this sample address out loud you would say “Calle Seville veinte – quinto, tres b”.

Why is it important to keep your address up to date?

Do you know what your fiscal address is in the Spanish Hacienda (the tax office)?

Do you know the important consequences if said fiscal address is incorrect or out of date?

This is especially for all of you who are new residents in Spain, and for sure for tax residents, read this post carefully.

Learn how to say “address” in Spanish

Address in Spanish is “la dirección”.

To ask “what is your address?” in Spanish =  “¿Cuál es tu dirección?”
To ask “how do you write your address?”  = “¿Cómo se escribe su dirección?”

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