El País has uncovered a flourishing underground business in Spain’s capital that sells municipal ‘padrón’ registrations—the essential certificate proving a resident’s local address—to undocumented migrants for fees ranging from €50 to €300, despite the service being free by law. Advertisements circulate on WhatsApp and Facebook offering instant registration at overcrowded flats or vacant storefronts. In several apartments, authorities found dozens of people officially registered at the same address.
Being on the padrón is a gateway to Spain’s public healthcare, schooling and, crucially, regularisation pathways such as social arraigo. Desperate to start the legal-residency clock, many newcomers are willing to pay. Fraudsters typically coach clients on how to answer municipal clerks’ questions and book scarce appointments. Some even forge lease contracts or utility bills.
![Black-Market Padrón: Madrid Rings Alarm Over Illegal Registration Scheme Charging Migrants €300]()
City Hall says it processes registrations “normally,” yet NGOs claim appointment calendars open briefly at dawn and vanish in minutes, driving demand for illicit brokers. The surge coincides with a nationwide immigration reform that will allow up to 300,000 undocumented migrants a year to regularise through training and work pathways, making padrón proof even more valuable for applicants.
For companies, the scandal highlights compliance pitfalls. Employees hired under Spain’s new flexibility rules must still demonstrate local registration for tax and social-security enrolment. HR departments relying on third-party relocation firms are advised to vet housing documents carefully to avoid unknowingly sponsoring fraudulent padrón entries.
Madrid’s municipal police have launched an investigation into at least three neighbourhood “gestorías” suspected of orchestrating the scheme. Penalties include fines and, for repeat offenders, prison terms for document fraud. The city is considering pop-up registration offices in high-demand districts and an outreach campaign reminding landlords they can register tenants without jeopardising their own tax status.
Being on the padrón is a gateway to Spain’s public healthcare, schooling and, crucially, regularisation pathways such as social arraigo. Desperate to start the legal-residency clock, many newcomers are willing to pay. Fraudsters typically coach clients on how to answer municipal clerks’ questions and book scarce appointments. Some even forge lease contracts or utility bills.
City Hall says it processes registrations “normally,” yet NGOs claim appointment calendars open briefly at dawn and vanish in minutes, driving demand for illicit brokers. The surge coincides with a nationwide immigration reform that will allow up to 300,000 undocumented migrants a year to regularise through training and work pathways, making padrón proof even more valuable for applicants.
For companies, the scandal highlights compliance pitfalls. Employees hired under Spain’s new flexibility rules must still demonstrate local registration for tax and social-security enrolment. HR departments relying on third-party relocation firms are advised to vet housing documents carefully to avoid unknowingly sponsoring fraudulent padrón entries.
Madrid’s municipal police have launched an investigation into at least three neighbourhood “gestorías” suspected of orchestrating the scheme. Penalties include fines and, for repeat offenders, prison terms for document fraud. The city is considering pop-up registration offices in high-demand districts and an outreach campaign reminding landlords they can register tenants without jeopardising their own tax status.
