Getting the cadastral reference of a house or property in Spain is relatively straightforward and requires very little paperwork. This unique property identifier can be found through the Spanish Land Registry (Catastro). Whether you need it to complete an administrative procedure, sell or rent a property, or for any other reason, there are several simple ways to find it. Here's a step-by-step guide to locating a property's cadastral reference in Spain.
What is a cadastral reference?
A cadastral reference is an official and mandatory identifier for real estate, including homes, commercial premises, plots of land and other properties. This is publicly available and consists of a 20-character alphanumeric code. Each reference is unique across Spain and serves a similar purpose to a person's national identity number (DNI), allowing a specific property to be accurately identified.
The code is assigned by the Spanish Land Registry (Catastro), the body responsible for maintaining records of real estate throughout the country.
Why is it important to know a property's cadastral reference?
One of the main reasons is that the cadastral reference may be required when arranging utility services in Spain, such as electricity, gas or water supplies.
It also allows you to access detailed information about a property through the Land Registry, including its construction date, floor plan, exact dimensions and other relevant details.
How can I find a property's cadastral reference?
Although the traditional method is to consult the official Land Registry website, one of the quickest and easiest ways to find a cadastral reference is by using the idealista/maps tool. By entering either the property's address or its cadastral reference, you can access a wide range of information about the property.
To use this option, visit the idealista/maps website and enter the property's address or cadastral reference in the search bar.
Once the street name and number have been entered, for example Calle Madrid 25, the details of the selected property will be displayed, together with graphs showing the estimated sale value and estimated rental value. By scrolling further down the page, you can also view the property's cadastral reference and additional building information.
If you only know the street name, the system will display a list of available addresses on that street so you can select the correct property.
Once you have identified your property's cadastral reference, you can obtain a free valuation estimate by clicking here.
Other ways to find a property's cadastral reference
If you prefer to complete the process through the Cadastral Electronic Site, you can search for a property using a form that offers five different search methods: cadastral reference, address, industrial estate, GPS coordinates or the unique registry code (CRU).
Other more traditional ways of consulting the Spanish Land Registry include:
- Visiting one of the territorial Land Registry offices, known as Gerencias del Catastro (Land Registry Offices).
- Using a Cadastral Information Point, which is an authorised centre operated by public institutions in collaboration with the General Directorate of the Cadastre.
