15 terms you need to know to understand Spanish bureaucracy

Almost all foreigners living abroad love to complain about the bureaucracy in their adopted homelands. This is particularly true in Spain, where processes are known to take weeks or even months and the civil servants are infamous for their unpredictability.

READ MORE: What you need to know - The Local's A to Z guide to bureaucracy in Spain

Arriving in a new country can be tough as it is, let alone in a different language, so see our guide to the key terminology you’ll need to navigate Spanish bureaucracy below:

Ayuntamiento - The town hall. Get used to this word and building because it’s a place you’ll no doubt spend a lot of time in when doing any official bureaucratic processes or paperwork.

Empadronamiento - One of the first things you must do when you arrive in Spain (to live) is register at the ayuntamiento on the Padrón to prove you are living in Spain. Normally to get the certificate (el certificado de empadronamiento) you’ll need to provide a rental contract or recent bill.

Padrón – The Register of Spanish Inhabitants at the town hall.

Cita Previa - Literally, prior or previous appointment, a lot of bureaucracy requires you to make an appointment online beforehand. This is particularly true in big cities, but often the online booking systems aren’t the most reliable so hanging around until someone sees you works occasionally in smaller towns.

NIE - Your número de Identificación de Extranjeros, or foreigner’s identification number, allocated to you by the police and is essential to be legally resident, pay taxes, buy and sell property, and open a bank account in Spain. Be warned, the process can be quite laborious and involves going back and forth between the police station and bank to pay various small taxes and have papers stamped.

Cuenta Bancaria - bank account. Although you can technically open a bank account without the NIE, without it you’ll only be able to open a bank account for non-residents which includes extra fees.

Gestor - many foreigners in Spain pay for a ‘gestor’ (like an agent) to handle all their administrative and bureaucratic processes, act as a middleman and help with translating.

Tarjeta Sanitaria - health card.

Seguridad social - social security. You’ll be given a number by your employer, if you have one, or you can get one at your nearest INSS office.

IRPF – Impuesto sobre la Renta de Personas Físicas is the equivalent of Spanish income tax.

Agencia Tributaria – The tax office.

Autónomos - self-employed. Be aware, the tax rates freelancers and the self-employed pay in Spain is a source of controversy and a fluid situation. The government recently proposed changes to the system.

Declaración de la Renta - annual tax declaration.

Homologación - the word for getting your foreign qualifications validatedin Spanish. This might be necessary when applying for certain jobs.

Funcionario - public worker. It is said that Spanish bureaucracy is personalised - the problem is that it isn’t personalised for you but whichever public official or civil servant you see that day. Funcionarios aren’t known to be the most helpful of people, and won’t take kindly to English speakers.