Padron

My partner went to Orihuela to do his padron(after a few weeks of waiting for an appointment) only to be told he has to be a resident before he can get on the pdron. Had anyone else had this recently?

Officially you must be a resident to be on the padron. Only those whose main home is in the municipality can sign on the padron and they are tightening up on it.

The only way to get on the padron without being a resident is to get a temporary one valid for 3 months which enables you to apply for residency.

Some towns do allow you to sign on the padron as a non resident and they are questioning the "main residence" as being interpreted as it being your main residence in Spain but these are very few and far between. Legally, main residence is being interpreted as where you spend most of your life so you need to be a resident first.

(This has been going on for many years. Councils get a grant for everyone on the padron and some towns would collapse due to the huge amount of non full time residents in their area).

But your one is correct. Full time residents only should be on the padron.

This keeps coming up. Nothing to add to Mariedav's reply, but as always, I have to ask "why" do people want to register on the padron (the equivalent of the UK's electoral register) if they are not residents? And are people aware that by registering themselves as having their principle residence in Spain, they are potentially inviting the Spanish tax authority to classify them as fiscal residents by default?

They probably want to register on the Padron because Mr Barstool has told them they need to in order to apply for residency. But must you obtain a 3 month temporary Padron to apply for residency? Or is it just pot luck on application.

In the Alicante foreigner's office, if you are applying for residency and a TIE, the instructions on what to bring with you include a padron in date within 3 months along with the EX20.

If applying to change your registro (the green card) and get a TIE you must bring a padron in date within 3 months if the address on the registro is different to the one you are applying for with an EX23.

So, yes, you do need the padron if applying for first residency.

For the EX23

Certificado o Volante de empadronamiento actual en caso de que haya cambiado de domicilio, (expedido en los tres últimos meses). Original y copia

For the EX20

Certificado de empadronamiento actual (expedido en los tres últimos meses). Original y copia