Municipal licence to keep a dog (all breeds)

What you need to have to hand

1. Cl@ve, certificado digital or DNIe if you do it online.
2. Civil liability insurance for the dog (ask for a certificate with the nº de microchip).
3. Microchip and vaccinations up to date in the cartilla.
4. Empadronamiento in the municipality.
5. Some time: your Ayuntamiento's sede can be slow.

Documentation

• DNI/NIE of the holder.
• Volante de empadronamiento or an accepted proof of address.
• Cartilla veterinaria with microchip and vaccinations up to date (rabies depending on your CCAA).
• Proof of registration of the microchip in the registro autonómico (the vet usually files it; attach the resguardo if you have it).
• Policy and certificate of the RC insurance that includes the dog (better if it shows the nº de microchip).
• Municipal form for licence/censo (online or PDF from the Ayuntamiento).
• Payment of the tasa and its receipt.
• Adoption/transfer contract, if applicable.

Step by step

1. Buy the RC insurance and demand from the insurer a nominative certificate that shows your dog and its microchip.
2. Check the cartilla: microchip implanted and vaccinations up to date. If something's missing, visit the vet and update the registro autonómico.
3. Go to the sede electrónica of your Ayuntamiento (ej.: sede.madrid.es, seu.barcelona.cat) and look for “Censo/Registro de animales de compañía” or “Licencia de tenencia de perro”.
4. Fill in the application with your data and the dog's data. Attach DNI/NIE, empadronamiento, cartilla, registro autonómico receipt, policy/certificate of the insurance.
5. Pay the tasa in the municipal payment gateway or generate a carta de pago and pay it at your bank. Save and upload the receipt if asked.
6. Sign and submit with Cl@ve, certificado digital or DNIe. If you go in person, print and hand in everything at the Registro of the Ayuntamiento.
7. Download the confirmation of registration/licence from your carpeta ciudadana or from the email. Keep it on your phone.
8. Update the licence if you change municipality, holder or address. Deregister from the previous Ayuntamiento and register in the new one.

Time-savers

• Ask the insurer for a PDF certificate with microchip and expiry date: that's what they check.
• If the sede errors when signing, use Cl@ve PIN on your phone or switch to Chrome. Clear cache if it persists.
• Compress PDFs to <5 MB. Many sedes choke on large files.
• The responsible-ownership course isn't active in many places yet. If they ask for it, ask about temporary exemptions or deadlines.
• Some Ayuntamientos charge censo and licencia separately. Read the procedure carefully to avoid paying twice.

Common mistakes that will mess up the procedure

1. Not putting the microchip number in the insurance or the application: they'll reject it.
2. Home insurance with fine print that doesn't cover pets outside the home: they won't accept it.
3. Outdated empadronamiento or an address that doesn't match: you'll get a requerimiento and lose days.
4. Uploading the policy without the specific certificate: they usually ask for the certificate, not just the policy.
5. Paying the wrong fee (censo vs licencia): you'll need a refund and have to start again.
6. Submitting after the deadline from when you got the dog: some Ayuntamientos are strict and a fine can follow.