The local town hall / council office is the normal gateway to Spanish social care or route for contacting Social Services’ team of support professionals. To access much of the social care or benefits, it is necessary to have been registered on Spanish town halls’ ‘padrón’ census registers for a minimum period of time; generally from one to five years in total depending on the type of support or benefit requested, although this can vary according to local policies.

Therefore, it is important that residents and their families think ahead and always register on their town ‘padrón’, and keep their details updated (see also Helpful Topics: Understanding the System on this website). (If a UK national resident is not registered on the ‘padrón’, in extreme cases some short-term emergency help may be available, but this is ad hoc, cannot be predicted and varies by municipality.)