Spanish Paperwork: Save Time & Do Online

Spanish bureaucracy is notoriously slow: not ideal news for foreign nationals who want to move quickly! From securing Spanish residency to registering your property and paying your annual taxes, the amount of paperwork involved in living in Spain can sometimes feel overwhelming. In fact, despite the many incredible reasons to live in Spain, many expats would rank dealing with the bureaucracy at the very bottom of that list.

The good news is, it is now possible to complete many Spanish official processes digitally, easing the amount of time you spending waiting for official appointments or standing in queues. Here is comprehensive list of all of the Spanish paperwork that you can now complete online:

Get a padrón certificate online

One of the first things you have to when you arrive in Spain is visit your local town hall and register on ‘el padron’: this is essentially a Spanish population register or census, giving local officials clear data about how many people live in each region.

In some regions, it is possible to conduct this process entirely online. These include Madrid, Barcelona and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria where you can submit the relevant documentation and secure your padron certificate without ever setting foot in the town hall.

Get a Cl@ve account for your online taxes

The Spanish government’s Cl@ve system is one of the main tools you will need if you wish to speed up and simplify processes by doing them online. Ironically in order to do this, you have to go to the local public administrations in person to receive a Cl@ve account. Sorting this out is key, though, because a lot of the online processes listed below can’t be accessed without having a Cl@ve account. Once you have secured your initial account, you can renew or update your digital certificates through Spain’s National Currency and Stamp Factory (FNMT) which is available online here.

Get an appointment at Spain’s immigration office

If you need an appointment at your local foreigners office then you can’t simply pop in any more: you need any appointment in advance, and you need to book this online. Save yourself the time and hassle by booking your first appointment online: you can do so here.

Pay extranjería fees

If you have your Cl@ve digital certificate then you can pay the fees for your residency registrations (fee 052) or work permit (062) can be paid online. You can also both partially or completely renew these work permits and residency certificates online: sadly, first timers will have to go through the process of completing these applications in person.

You can also find out if any requests made to the Spanish immigration authorities have been approved or denied, or if your request is still being processed, online. And if they ask for any extra documents? Well, you can submit those online too! Find out more about how this online process works, and upload your extra documents, here.

Better Organise Your Working Life

You can’t claim benefits in Spain unless you have contributed to the system. A working life report (informe de vida laboral) is a document that contain information about the number of days you have worked and how much you’ve paid into the system. You can request it from Spain’s General Treasury of Social Security here. You can also find your Spanish social security number (known as a Número de Seguridad Social-NUSS or Afiliación-NAF, online with relative ease.

Apply for Minimum Income and Unemployment Benefits

If you are one of the most vulnerable households in Spain, or at risk of poverty, then you can a benefit called  ‘ingreso mínimo vital’, or minimum vital income. This benefit can be applied for online here. You can also request or renew your unemployment benefits online if you have the Cl@ve account mentioned below: you can do so here.

In order to work in Spain you must be registered with Spanish social security: you can do this, and you can also check your employment status, all online. You can also register for alerts and notifications from the country’s State Employment Service: you can do that here.

Check Your Current Driving Status

You can check many things online that will help make driving in Spain much easier. Firstly, you can check if you have received any traffic fines and you can also adjust how you receive notification that you have been issued a traffic fine too: this could be from SMS or in the post, for example. You can do this via the Directorate General of Traffic’s website here.

On the same website, you can also check how many points you have on your driving license, and if you’re trying to exchange your foreign driving license for a Spanish one, you can start this process and submit some of the documents needed online here.

Apply for a birth certificate

Having a baby is one of the most exciting things you can do, but it is also busy and overwhelming. The Spanish authorities make this a little easier by enabling you to get your baby’s birth certificate from Spain’s Civil Registry online. You will need this for all civil matters, so it’s important to do so: you can claim this online here.

Make a Doctor’s appointment

No need to call and speak to a nosey receptionist every time you need a doctor’s appointment: in Spain, you can book your appointments online! Each region has its own website for bookings, so use your preferred search engine to look for “cita previa medico” and then your region’s name and then click on the website that starts with “sede”: this will allow you to book with ease.

 Are you thinking of taking the plunge and moving to Spain? Don’t let the paperwork put you off: there’s plenty of wonderful reasons to make this beautiful country your home! Why not let our local property experts help you with your property search: get in touch today. We’re perfectly placed to help you turn your dreams of Spanish homeownership into a reality.