What is this?
It is the act of registering with the local authority where you usually reside, and it means that the person who does so is considered a resident of that municipality. It is an obligation and also a right.
Who has to do it?
Anyone who comes to live in Barcelona from another municipality in Spain or from abroad must register in the city's municipal register, as must anyone who, for any reason, is not listed in Barcelona's municipal register despite living in the city. To do so, you do not need to be a regular resident of the country.
What is it for?
It facilitates access to certain rights, such as public healthcare or basic schooling for minors, and it is a requirement for most procedures under the Immigration Act (family reunification, social integration and so on).
How do you do that?
In order to register, you must provide documentary proof of your identity and the availability of housing. The documentation providing proof of identity varies depending on the person's nationality, while the documents proving the availability of housing depend on the type of registration.
You can find out more about the documents you need to bring and the procedure by ringing 010, by going to any Citizen Help and Information Office (OAC) in person, or through the Online Procedures Office.
What types of registration are there?
ORDINARY REGISTRATION
You are registered at the address where you live, whether it is a flat, house, rented room, business premises, a factory building or a plot of land. The documentation that must be provided varies depending on whether the person completing the procedure is the owner of the property in which they wish to register or, conversely, lives there as a tenant.
The owner or tenant may also grant express authorisation for other persons to be registered at the address.
You can get more information and carry out the procedure here
REGISTRY OF MINORS
Registration of a minor in the Municipal Register must be done by their legal representative, who must provide the following documentation, as applicable:
- Spanish over 14 years old: DNI or passport.
- Spanish under 14: family book or birth certificate, or, if they have one, DNI or passport.
Foreign nationals over 14: residence card or passport, or identity document from their country of origin (the latter only if they come from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein). In the case of UK nationals, the residence document established by the EU withdrawal agreement is also valid. If the document for the minor does not include the data for their parents, the family book should also be provided (if this exists in the country of origin) or the passport/s of the parents which include all the data for the minor.
Foreign nationals under 14: family book (where this exists in the country of origin) or birth registration or passport/s of their parents which include all the data for the minor, and, if they have one, the residence card or passport (in the case of UK nationals, the residence document established by the EU withdrawal agreement is also valid), or identity document from their country of origin (the latter only if they come from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein).
You can get more information and carry out the procedure here
REGISTERING AS A CITY RESIDENT WITHOUT A FIXED ADDRESS
This option is for people who are:
- homeless,
- living in temporary emergency accommodation,
- not living at the same address all the time,
- living at an address where there is a risk of eviction.
In these cases, to prove residence in the municipality, when applying for registration, it will be necessary to include a Knowledge of Residence Report (ICR), issued by Social Services.
There are two ways to obtain one:
- By requesting one from the municipal social services if you are receiving their support.
- If not, you can request one from a Citizen Help and Information Office (OAC) or the Social and Economic Benefits Office (OPSE).
You will then be registered at the address of a municipal service or centre, where your correspondence will be sent. This type of registration is only available in exceptional cases.
You can start the process of obtaining the report here