Cadastre ·
How to look up the cadastral reference of a plot
Where to find the cadastral reference of a plot: IBI receipt, deed and the Cadastre's online office. How to read it and what to do if it does not match.
The cadastral reference is the 20-character code the Cadastre (Catastro, Spain’s land and property register for tax purposes) uses to identify a property or a plot. It appears on the IBI property tax receipt, in the title deed and in the land registry extract, and it can be looked up free of charge on the Cadastre’s electronic office by address, by polygon and plot number, or on the map. Here we explain each route, how to read the code and what to do when the plot that comes up is not yours.
What is the cadastral reference?
It is the identification number of a property in the Cadastre. It does not change with the owner and it is used in any procedure that affects the property: a sale, an inheritance, a subdivision, a permit, a survey. If you give a surveyor or a notary “the cadastral reference”, they know exactly which plot you mean.
It has 20 characters, divided as follows:
| Positions | What it identifies |
|---|---|
| First 14 | The plot |
| Next 4 | The unit within the plot, for example each flat in a building |
| Last 2 | Two check characters |
The difference matters. The first 14 characters are common to all the properties on the same plot. The full 20 identify one specific property. If you are going to survey a piece of land, you normally work with the plot; if you are going to declare a building or a home, with all 20.
Where is it written?
Before looking for it online, check these documents, because it almost always appears:
- The IBI receipt. It carries the cadastral reference of the property.
- The deed of sale or inheritance. It usually includes it in the description of the property.
- The land registry extract (nota simple). It also usually states it.
- The plans of a project or of an earlier subdivision.
A warning: the reference in an old deed may not be the current one. If the property has been subdivided, merged or renumbered, the valid one is the one the Cadastre shows today.
How do you look it up on the Cadastre’s electronic office?
The Cadastre’s electronic office (sedecatastro.gob.es) allows you to look up, free of charge, the unprotected data of any property: reference, location, use, area and year of construction. It does not show the owner without identification. There are three ways to get to the reference.
By address
For an urban property, the office lets you search by province, municipality, street and number. If there are several properties at the same address, such as the flats in a building, it shows you the list and you choose yours. It is best to write the street name as it appears in the municipal street directory; if it does not appear, try without articles or with the abbreviated form.
By polygon and plot
For rural land, which has no street or number, you search by province, municipality, polygon and plot. The last two items usually appear in the deed, on the rural IBI receipt or on the plan of the property. It is the usual way when you have farmland or a plot without an address.
On the map
The office also offers a map viewer. You search for the municipality, zoom in to the area and click on the plot: the viewer shows its reference and its data. It is useful if you have neither the address nor the polygon but recognise the place on the map, and it also lets you see which plots surround it.
How do you check that the plot is yours?
The Cadastre returning a reference does not mean it is the property you are looking for. Check three things:
- The area. Compare it with the one in the deed. A small difference is common; a large one deserves review.
- The shape and location. Look on the map to see whether the drawing matches the walls, tracks and neighbours you see on the ground.
- The use and the buildings. If you built a house or a pool, check that it appears. If not, it may not be declared.
Common mistakes when looking for the reference
- Confusing urban and rural. A country plot with a house may have a rural reference for the land and an urban one for the dwelling.
- Using the reference of another property. In a building each flat has its own, even though they share the first 14 characters.
- Taking an old reference as valid. After a subdivision or a merger, references change.
- Mistyping the code. One wrong character takes you to another plot. It is better to copy it from the receipt than to type it.
- Trusting the drawing. The Cadastre has plots shifted relative to the real ground, above all in older urbanisations.
What if the Cadastre does not match reality?
It happens more than people think: the area does not match the deed, the plot appears shifted or the building is missing. The reference is only the key to find the record; resolving the discrepancy is another job.
When this happens, the first step is to compare what the Cadastre says with what the deed says and with what is on the ground. That requires measuring the property. A surveyor measures the real boundaries, compares them with both sources and tells you where the differences are and what can be done about them. Depending on the case, the result comes with a georeferenced plan and a GML to submit to the Cadastre or the Registry. We cover it in cadastral discrepancies and in what documents a surveyor needs to measure a property.
What the Cadastre or the Registry decide depends on their procedures. We do not give legal advice: if you have doubts about which procedure applies to you, consult your notary’s office or your lawyer.
Why will a surveyor ask you for it?
When you commission a survey, the first thing we ask for is the cadastral reference. With it we locate the plot, download its current geometry, see its neighbours and prepare the visit knowing what we expect to find. It is the way to begin working on a property for which you only have an address or a name. We use it from day one in plot and boundary measurement, and in the Cadastre, Registry, GML and IVGA service it is the basis of the whole file.
Frequently asked questions
Is looking up the cadastral reference free?
Yes. Looking up unprotected data on the Cadastre’s electronic office is free and does not require a digital certificate. Official certificates do require you to identify yourself.
Can I find out who the owner is from the reference?
Not directly. The holder is protected data: it can be consulted by the holder or by someone with a legitimate reason, after identifying themselves. For everyone else, only the data of the property can be seen.
Is the cadastral reference the same as the land registry property number?
No. The reference belongs to the Cadastre, which describes properties for tax purposes. The registry property number belongs to the Land Registry, which protects rights over them. A property usually has both, and they do not always match in area or boundaries.
What do I do if my plot does not appear or another one does?
Try another way of searching: address, polygon and plot, or the map. If it still does not come up, check the deed and the IBI receipt. If the discrepancy lies in the Cadastre itself, the property has to be measured and the right document to submit has to be studied.
If you have the reference and want to know whether it matches what is on the ground, tell us about it on the contact page and we will review what is needed.
Written by Vicent Doménech, geodesy and cartography engineer, chartered surveyor no. 8948.
