What is the census in Barcelona?

When a foreign student decides to study in Barcelona, there are many procedures to be carried out and documents to be submitted, such as the registration.

Among these procedures is also the search for student housing in Barcelona, a procedure that sometimes is not easy, but from student apartments in Barcelona, we make it easy for you by entering our section of apartments and contacting us.

Another one of those procedures, as we mentioned at the beginning, is the registration and we are going to tell you what the registration in Spain is and what the process to get it consists of.

Registration in Barcelona

The municipal census in Spain is the administrative registry in which people who usually live in a house, in a city or municipality, appear.

It should be considered as the habitual residence in which one resides. In the case of temporary housing (tourism), it is not necessary to register.

To register in Barcelona, you must do so directly with the City Council and there are many options for doing so.

The most traditional way is to attend in person, going to the Citizenship Office, although this is not the most advisable way, as there are other options much more convenient for students without the need to travel, making the procedure online, by phone or even by mail.

Without a doubt, an international student will prefer to carry out this procedure online, since it is the most comfortable and fastest way to obtain the registration certificate.

What is the purpose of the registration?

The registration is a procedure that has many advantages and no disadvantages. It is a free process, although some City Councils charge for this procedure.

The advantages of registering are greater the longer you stay in a house. In Barcelona it is obligatory to register when there is an intention to live in that accommodation indefinitely. It is the same if the address in which you are living is an accommodation with a monthly contract or the purchase of the house, the procedure must be the same.

The advantages that it brings you, among others, are the following:

• It allows you to apply for residence and work permits.
• It gives you the right to apply for a health care card.
• You will be required to validate your driving license.
• Use of all municipal services: library, swimming pool, sports centre, etc.
• Procedures for foreigners.

Necessary documentation

It is a simple procedure, for which you will need basic information and easy to get:

• Individual or group registration form. This is the form that each Town Hall gives you to fill in to apply for the census.
• Photocopy and original of your passport.
• Photocopy and Original of the Accommodation Rental Contract. If you do not have a rental contract, an authorization signed by the owner of the property is also valid.
• In case you have children, you must present a photocopy and the original of the passport of each one of them, and the family book.

From student apartments in Barcelona, we help you to carry out this and many other necessary procedures for any foreign student in Barcelona.