Have you ever moved to ? for a few months? Do you know you have to let the authorities know that you live in that country? Here’s how I got my Empadronamiento in Las Palmas.

First things first

I moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for a few months, so I needed to get a certificate for this situation at the municipal office. You’ll need it for many different things, but most probably to get discount for public transport in Spain, buy or sell a car, vote, apply for local health insurance, etc. This certificate is called Certificado de empadronamiento.

Now my friend, you might be asking yourself “How do I get one” Well, I’m the perfect person to describe what that process is all about, as I’ve failed miserably many times and presented wrong documents in the wrong places. But I got it in the end, so. And no, I’m not stupid. The problem is, I came to ? to learn Spanish and getting the certificate was one of the first things I had to do. And here, everything is in Spanish. Well, Canary Spanish, or to paint an even better picture, fast Canary Spanish. That’s why you might need some help.

Here’s a very funny video of how it feels to be part of Spanish paperwork procedures. And here are the most important 3 steps which will help you prepare for the fight.

Empadronamiento in Las Palmas step 1:  N. I. E. (Número de Identidad de Extranjero)

Firstly, you need to go to Policía Nacional to the Departamento Extranjería where you have to get your NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero or identification number for foreigners). The office hours are from 9 AM to 2 PM from Monday to Friday.

When you pass through the x-ray and the police officer asks you in Spanish where you need to go, you answer with: “Quería solicitar mi NIE”. The officer should direct you to “Extranjería” which is the department where you get your papers when you’re a foreigner. The NIE document also states, that you’re not a resident. If you need to get the residency, then Policía Nacional is not the right place.

After, you have to wait on a long bench. You might ask: “Quién es el último” before you sit down to find out who’s last in line, because it’s a mess there. Usually, the people either raise a hand to signal it, but if they say “Ustedes” or “Tú” or “Vosotros” it means you’re next. When you finally get attended to you might say something like: “Buenos días, quería solicitar el NIE” which means “I’d like to get my NIE“.

Also, they will ask you for these documents:

• a copy of ID (DNI) or passport (pasaporte) → they will take this
• the real ID card or passport for proof
• a copy of your rental contract (contrato de alquiler) →  you get this back
• a copy of a signed Learning Agreement if you’re an Erasmus student or a signed employment contract (contrato de trabajo) → they will take this

Furthermore, after presenting all these documents, you’ll have to put some information on a form they give you. You can ask for help to complete it. In the end, you will get a piece of paper with your information. MAKE SURE ALL INFORMATION IS CORRECT.  Sometimes, the employees are sloppy and they don’t care about how they fill in the form with your data. In the end, they hand you some more papers.

Empadronamiento in Las Palmas step 2: bank & Policía Nacional

Finally, you’re done with the first step when you receive the papers. Now, you have to pay for the service at a bank (“banco”). Find a bank nearby. Make sure it’s open, so that you can do everything in one day. When you’re done with this part, remember, you still need to get your NIE paper. Then, you have to return to the Policía Nacional building, get attended to again and hand them the papers with the bill saying you paid for it. Only then will they give you the paper with your NIE.

Empadronamiento in Las Palmas step 3: Ayuntamiento

Now you have your NIE and you have to present it at the municipal office.  In Spanish they call it Ayuntamiento. You need to get an appointment (cita previa) to be seen. To do it online (much quicker) click here: Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas  and do the following.

• Fill in the necessary data
• Select the address of the municipality office you want to go to
• Select the date and hour to be seen
• Print out the paper they send you to present it at the office for your appointment

➡️When the day comes, make sure you prepared all the papers, like the girl in the video did. Here’s the list of the documents you’ll need to present to the agent at the desk:

• (the paper for your “cita previa”)
• your NIE → you get this back
• a copy of your passport or ID card →  you get this back
• the real document ID card or passport for proof
• a copy of your rental contract →  you get this back
• a copy of the rent payment for the current month → you get this back

In the Ayuntamiento

Finally, when you arrive to the Ayuntamiento building follow these little steps:

1. First, take out the paper you printed for your “cita previa” and go to one of the small machines
2. Then, you’ll have to write either the number of the printed document or the number of your ID in the machine
3. After, select “imprimir” in the machine to print out the little paper with which you wait in line to get an agent
4. In the end, when your number appears on the screen you’ll get the information of which desk will deal with you

The agent at the desk will ask you for the documents below. Furthermore, they will give you a form to fill in your data. If you need help, just ask them as there’s some specific information about the municipality you’ll have to write.

And finally, if everything’s ok, they will hand you what you came for: your Empadronamiento in Las Palmas.

Wow, just remembering everything was a journey. I wish you tons of to get this done as quickly as possible. Got more questions? Leave a comment in the section below or write us here.

Katja M. B.