Contact
- Address
- Ajuntament d’Altea
Plaça de José María Planelles 1
03590 Altea (Alicante)Show on the map - Telephone
- +34 965 84 13 00
- Mayor’s office
- alcaldia (at) altea (dot) es
- Online services
- altea.sedelectronica.es
- Website
- altea.es
Opening hours
| Period | Public opening |
|---|---|
| 1 October – 31 May, Monday to Friday | 8:30–14:00 |
| Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays | closed |
| Online services | around the clock |
Summer hours (June to September): see altea.es. Counter hours are short. Come in the morning, and allow for local public holidays, which differ from the national ones.
Opening hours change. Please check before going: altea.es
Departments and contacts
- Registro GeneralIncoming register for applications and documents
- Padró d’HabitantsPopulation register: registration, certificates, changes
- Atenció al CiutadàGeneral enquiries and referral to the right department
- AlcaldiaMayor’s office, appointments by arrangement
Step by step: registering on the padrón
- Gather your documentsPassport or identity card, NIE if you have one, and proof of address — title deed, rental contract, or a recent utility bill in your name.
- If you are a tenantBring the rental contract and, in many cases, a signed authorisation from the owner. Ask beforehand which form the town hall accepts.
- Go to the counterIn the morning, with originals and photocopies of everything.
- Receive the certificateThe certificado de empadronamiento is usually issued on the spot or within a few days. Ask for more than one copy.
- Keep it freshThe certificate does not expire; how recent it must be is set by whoever asks for it (the SIP health card, for example: six months). With a digital certificate you can request a new one online at any time.
What is handled here
- Empadronamiento — registration, de-registration, change of address
- Registration certificate — needed for almost every further step
- Civil marriage — booking and ceremony
- Resident parking permit
- Permits for events and market stalls
- Complaints and requests to the municipality
- Electoral roll — including the CERE for foreign residents
What to bring
- Passport or identity card, original and copy
- NIE, if already issued
- Title deed, rental contract or recent utility bill
- For tenants, often the owner’s written consent
- For children, birth certificate and the family book if you have one
- Where someone acts on your behalf, a written authorisation
The documents required change with the rules. Current list: altea.sedelectronica.es
Good to know
Registration is the key to everything else. It is required or recommended for many things: as proof of address for the SIP health card, as a points criterion for proximity in school admissions, and as the condition for joining the electoral roll. It is also how the municipality counts its residents, which decides how much money Altea receives from the state.
Registering does not by itself make you tax resident. That is decided by the 183-day rule and other criteria. Taxes
If you move within Altea, register the new address. Otherwise decisions and bills go to the old one, and deadlines run whether you read them or not.
Fees and charges
As far as we know, the municipality charges no fee for registration itself. Fees for certificates and the municipal charges collected by Suma — property tax, refuse, vehicle tax — are set out in the municipal bylaws: altea.es → Ordenanzas fiscales.
Frequently asked questions
As an EU citizen, may I vote here?
In local elections, yes. You need to be registered in Altea and enrolled in the CERE, the electoral roll for foreign residents. Enrolment must be applied for once and does not happen automatically with registration — miss it and you will not be on the list on polling day. For the local elections on 23 May 2027 the declaration must be in by 30 December 2026. Nationals of 13 countries with a reciprocity agreement (including the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland) may also vote, but must additionally show several years of legal residence (UK and Norway 3, the others 5) and apply before each election. Only Spanish nationals vote in general elections.
Do I have to register if I am only here part of the year?
You register where you habitually live; with more than one home, in the municipality where you spend most of the year (art. 15 of Law 7/1985). For holiday stays it is neither required nor possible.
Can I register without a rental contract?
It is more difficult but not impossible. The town hall may accept other evidence; ask at the counter about your particular situation.
How long does the certificate stay valid?
It does not expire. How recent it has to be is decided by whoever asks for it; for the SIP health card, for example, six months.
Map
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Related pages
- Settling in Altea — where this fits in the order
- Immigration office — residence and NIE
- Suma — municipal taxes and charges
Address, telephone and opening hours checked October 2026. Hours and required documents change — check with the municipality before you go. Sources: boe.es (padrón rules, Law 7/1985), ine.es (CERE), san.gva.es (SIP card), altea.portalemp.com (ACCV certificate).