Change of address in Spain after moving: padrón, TIE, DGT, tax and Social Security
A change of address in Spain after a move starts with the padrón, the town hall register: once you are registered at the new flat, everything else follows from it. If you are a foreign resident, you must tell the police within one month; the DGT (traffic authority) wants your new address within 15 days for your licence and your vehicles; the tax office within three months (form 030 if you are not self-employed); and Social Security is updated online in Import@ss. All of it is free, and most of it can be done online with Cl@ve, Spain’s electronic ID system.
If you are still planning your apartment move in Valencia, save this list for your first week in the new place. Below is a table of every step with deadlines, the order that saves appointments, and what is different if you hold a TIE or a DNI. The information comes from the BOE (Spain’s official gazette), sede.dgt.gob.es, the Agencia Tributaria online office, the Import@ss portal and dnielectronico.es, checked in October 2026; confirm the details there before each step.
Change of address in Spain: steps, deadlines and cost
| Step | Where | Deadline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Padrón (new registration or change of address) | Valencia City Council, by appointment or on sede.valencia.es | First, as soon as you live there | Free |
| Police: foreign residents | Police station (Comisaría) | 1 month | Ask the police |
| DGT: notification address | sede.dgt.gob.es, miDGT app, 060 or a Traffic office | 15 days | Free |
| DGT: tax address of your vehicles | The same DGT service | 15 days | Free* |
| Tax office: tax address (form 030) | Agencia Tributaria online office, or on paper | 3 months (or in your tax return, if due sooner) | Free |
| Social Security | Import@ss, Personal data section | As soon as possible | Free |
| DNI (Spanish nationals only) | Police ID office, by appointment | No set number of days, but required | Free if the DNI is valid |
* Except vehicles brought from the Canary Islands, Ceuta or Melilla to the mainland or the Balearics, which pay an import fee according to the DGT.
1. Padrón first
Everything rests on the padrón. The DGT checks your new address against the INE padrón (Spain’s statistics office keeps the national copy), and other agencies ask for the padrón certificate as proof. If you move within Valencia, the procedure is a change of address (cambio de domicilio); if you come from another municipality, it is a new registration (alta), and the old town hall is informed between administrations.
It is free, you book an appointment on valencia.es or by calling 010, and you need your ID (passport, TIE or EU identity document) plus a document for the home: deeds, a rental contract of more than six months with the latest receipt, or written permission from the person who holds the contract. The full document list is in our guide to empadronamiento in Valencia after moving.
2. If you are a foreign resident: tell the police within a month
Spain’s Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024, article 213) requires foreign nationals authorised to stay in Spain to notify the police station (Comisaría) where they live of any change of nationality, habitual address or marital status, within one month at most, with documents that prove the change. The padrón certificate is the obvious proof of the new address, which is one more reason to register first.
If you are an EU citizen with a registration certificate (certificado de registro), ask the Immigration Office (Oficina de Extranjería) or the police how to update your address. Rules and appointment systems change, so check the current procedure before you go.
3. Change of address with the DGT: 15 days
If you drive in Spain, Traffic needs two separate updates, both within 15 days:
- Notification address for your driving licence. This is where fines and manufacturer recall notices are sent. It does not mean a new licence.
- Tax address of your vehicles. It decides where you pay vehicle tax (IVTM): you pay it in the municipality of the vehicle’s tax address on 1 January, and that must match the municipality where the owner is registered on the padrón. If your vehicle registration document is an old format with the address printed on it, you get a new one free of charge.
Both are done from the same DGT service: online with Cl@ve, a digital certificate or electronic ID, in the miDGT app, by phone on 060 (they check that the address matches the INE padrón) or in person with an appointment at a Traffic office or a town hall with an agreement. If your new address is not yet in the INE records, you will need to send the padrón certificate; you can check this in Mi Carpeta Ciudadana. To stop relying on post altogether, the DGT also offers electronic notifications through the Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV).
4. Tax address with the Agencia Tributaria
If you are not self-employed or running a business, you report your new tax address with form 030 (modelo 030), online at the Agencia Tributaria or on paper (at the office or by registered post). The deadline is three months from the move. If your income tax return is due before then, you give the new address in the return itself, unless you have already reported it.
If you are self-employed (autónomo) or a professional, form 030 is not the route: the change goes through the census declaration for businesses and professionals; check deadlines on the Agencia Tributaria website.
5. Change of address with Social Security
If you work or are registered with Social Security, update it in Import@ss, the online portal of the Social Security Treasury. The Personal data section lets you change your address and contact details (landline, mobile and email). You log in with electronic ID such as Cl@ve.
Shortcut: according to the DGT, the government’s General Access Point (administracion.gob.es) lets you change your address with several agencies at once, such as the Tax Agency, the National Police or Social Security, using a digital certificate, electronic ID or Cl@ve. Afterwards, check with each one that the change has gone through.
6. Spanish nationals: the DNI
If you hold a Spanish DNI, Royal Decree 255/2025 places the address on the back of the card (article 12) and says it must be renewed when the data on it change (article 8.3). There is no deadline in days, but it is compulsory. It is also free while the DNI is valid: Law 84/1978 exempts renewals required by a change in the card’s data. You need an appointment at citapreviadnie.es, your current DNI, a recent colour photo (32 × 26 mm, plain white background, no older than 2 years) and a padrón certificate or volante less than 3 months old. The certificate is not needed if you allow them to check the INE padrón and you have been registered at the new address for at least two months.
The order that saves appointments
- Register on the padrón at the new address (appointment on valencia.es or 010).
- Get the padrón certificate and keep a copy: the DGT, the police and the Immigration Office may ask for it.
- Foreign residents: notify the police within one month.
- Update the DGT within 15 days: notification address and vehicles together.
- Tax office and Social Security, separately or in one go via the General Access Point.
- Spanish nationals: book the DNI renewal. After two months on the padrón, they can check it directly and you do not need the certificate.
Beyond the government there are the bank, the electricity, water and internet providers, and your health centre; put them on your moving checklist so nothing slips.
Before the paperwork comes the move
All of this starts once you are living in the new flat. If you are still pricing the move, the reference rates are simple: van with driver €55/h with a two-hour minimum (from €110) and €20/h per mover; with a lift, carrying to your floor is included; without a lift, we take the floor and the stairs into account in the quote, with no extra charges on the day. we confirm the price before starting. And if you are arriving from abroad, see international removals to Valencia.
