Empadronamiento in Valencia before TIE appointment?
Do it now. You need the padrón for basically everything. I went to the office near Plaza del Ayuntamiento with my passport and 12 month lease. They didn't ask for a NIE at all. Just make sure the lease is signed by all parties.
Wait, did you have to get a specific type of appointment for that? Every time I check the website for a 'Cita Previa' there are zero slots available for the padrón. I have been checking at 8am every day.
Actually you can register with just the passport. I did mine in the Tabacalera building last month. They will put your passport number on the certificate. When you finally get your NIE card later, you just go back and update the record. It is a standard procedure.
honestly the whole system is a mess. i was told by a lawyer that you can't get it without the tie but then i went anyway and they gave it to me in five minutes. it really depends on which official you get at the gate. just bring every single piece of paper you have. the dnv approval letter is basically your temporary id so it should work legally. check if your lease is for less than 11 months though. some offices reject short term rentals.
this is true. if it is a seasonal contract under 11 months you might need a letter from the landlord saying you are staying longer. valencia is getting stricter about tourists trying to get on the padron.
I had a different experience in the Saïdia district office. The clerk was being very difficult and told me I needed the NIE. I had to show her the actual law on my phone before she would process it. Standard Valencia bureaucracy issues honestly.
Make sure your lease is translated if it is not in Spanish or Valencian. Also bring a copy of the landlord's ID if you can. Some offices are picky about that even if it isn't strictly listed as a requirement.
just a warning about the ruzafa area because it is super popular. the local office there is always fully booked. you can actually go to any padron office in the city, it doesn't have to be the one in your neighborhood. i went to one on the outskirts and got in much faster. you just need the passport and the uge approval. don't wait for the tie card or you'll be stuck in a loop.
valencia is a bit more relaxed than madrid about this but don't take it for granted. i used my approval letter and the lease for a place in cabanyal and had no issues. the trick is making sure the lease specifically mentions your nie or at least your passport number accurately. if there's a typo they will send you back to get the contract amended and you'll lose your slot.
the madrid situation is a total outlier compared to valencia. the police in valencia literally cannot process your tie without the certificate of empadronamiento that is less than three months old. use your passport and the dnv approval. the approval letter has the digital signature code at the bottom which they use to verify it is real. if you have your lease ready just go for it as soon as you get a slot.
The law says passport is enough for EU and non-EU citizens for the padrón. The clerk you had was probably just having a bad Monday. Persist or try a different office.
i had a different experience. they told me the uge letter wasn't enough because it didn't have a local address on it. i had to show them the actual lease and a bank transfer receipt for the first month's rent. make sure the lease is in spanish or valenciano. if it is only in english they will definitely reject it and tell you to get a sworn translation which is a huge waste of money.
who signs a lease in only english in spain? that sounds like a recipe for getting scammed anyway. stick to the standard spanish contracts and you should be fine for the padron.
i did this in valencia last november and it was straightforward. you definitely need the padron before the tie appointment because it is a required document on the list. the ajuntament will accept your passport and the official dnv approval document. just make sure your lease is signed by all parties and you have a copy of the owners id. they usually want to see a utility bill too if the lease is dated more than a month ago.
do they still require the original paper copy of the lease or is a digital signature okay? i read some people got rejected at the office in ruzafa for having docusign logs instead of wet ink signatures.
you should book the appointment for the padron right now. it's actually harder to get a padron slot than a tie slot lately in valencia. go to the sede electronica website early in the morning. the approval letter is enough since it has your assigned nie on it. they don't care about the physical card at the city hall level because they just need to know you live at that address.
just a heads up, the padrón expires every two years for non-EU citizens. Put a reminder in your calendar or you might find out it's invalid when you go to renew your residency with the UGE in three years.
Does the lease have to be for a full year? I have a six month contract in El Cabanyal and I am worried they will reject it for the padrón because it is too short.