Empadronamiento in Spain.

If you live in Spain you will probably heard of the "padron"?but whatexactly is it?The Empadronamiento in Spain, commonly referred to as "el padron" is a process by which all residents register at their local Town Hall or Ayuntamiento.

It is a simple process and does not require you to have your residency papers in order nor does it incur any additional taxes on your part, (if you own your home you will be required to pay municipal taxes anyway).

However it is for everyone's benefit that you take the trouble to register, whether you own your own home or are renting it, as it is according to the number of registered citizens in a given municipality that funds are allocated to local governments. These funds are then used to maintain the local infrastructure and consequently ensure that rubbish is collected regularly, the sewage system runs smoothly and the your local Post Office and Health centres are adequately staffed.

Unfortunately many municipalities all along the Costa del Sol are under funded with resulting poor services. If all Foreign residents completed the Empadronamiento in Spain then local councils would see a big increase in the amount of money allocated to them and as a result we would all benefit by increased investment in those services which are the responsibility of the Ayuntamiento.

So get down to your Town Hall and complete the simple process of empadronamiento in Spain, it won't cost you anything or make you liable for anything but you could well benefit in the long run.

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