You can save a Spanish property's public cadastral information and map as a PDF from the Catastro property consultation. The document is called a consulta descriptiva y gráfica. It is different from the certificación catastral descriptiva y gráfica, the cadastral certificate. The authority's own public-access instructions and coordination assistant explicitly distinguish them.
For a buyer abroad, that distinction prevents a common document mix-up: a seller sends a map PDF, while a notary or adviser has asked for a certificate. Both may concern the same property, but they are not interchangeable. Sources checked on 2 November 2026.
Start with the question the PDF must answer
If you want to see which cadastral parcel matches a listing, a public consultation can help. If a professional requests a formal document, keep its Spanish name in your request and ask which version they need. “Official map” is too imprecise to identify the required output.
Keep a short document index: filename, property reference, document type, date obtained and intended recipient. This allows you to separate a map for initial comparison from a certificate requested for a transaction. It also makes it easier for a lawyer working remotely to tell you what is still missing.
Download from the selected property record
Open the Sede Electrónica del Catastro and find the property by reference or location. The official help page describes those routes and the selection of an individual result.
- Open the record for the precise property you are checking.
- Use the Consulta descriptiva y gráfica or consultation PDF-printing function described in the official help.
- Save the original PDF rather than replacing it with a phone screenshot.
- Check that the reference and location correspond to your selected property.
- Record the download date and compare the file with the seller's documents.
A map showing neighbouring parcels does not mean those parcels are included in the sale. Keep the selected property's identity visible when sharing the file. If the offer comprises several parcels, make sure you have identified each one.
What changes when you obtain a certificate
The authority's certificate guide describes the electronic certificate and its Código Seguro de Verificación, or CSV. The code supports verification through the issuing authority's service. The certificate access page explains access for cadastral holders to their properties' certificates.
| Output | Use in your purchase file | Point to check |
|---|---|---|
| Public consultation PDF | Initial comparison of public property information and mapping | It is explicitly not the cadastral certificate |
| Cadastral descriptive and graphical certificate | The certified cadastral document required for the relevant purpose | Correct property, content, verification and recipient's requirements |
| Property Registry information | Review of the registered legal description and rights | Separate document and separate function |
Protected cadastral information is governed by arts. 51–53 of the cadastral law. The ability to search a property's public record does not give every prospective buyer unrestricted access to protected information.
A check you can reproduce from official documents
The worked example here compares two published documents, not two supposedly inspected properties. The public-access help says its PDF is not a certificate. The certificate guide explains the electronic certificate's CSV and separate graphical-validity check.
That comparison establishes a useful point without needing private records: classify an attachment by the document it actually is. A filename containing “certificate” cannot change a public consultation into the certified output.
If an attachment's title and the seller's description conflict, ask the adviser which document is required and have the seller provide it. Preserve the Spanish original even if you commission an English explanation; the original identifiers and document type remain available for comparison.
To compare the identified parcel with available territorial map layers, open the TerrenoCheck map. A report costs €29 in one language or €39 in two; read the sample report first.
Compare areas by their labels
Do not put every square-metre figure into the same spreadsheet column. Record whether a number concerns parcel area, a building or another separately described element. A difference between unlike measurements is not necessarily a cadastral error.
For a transparent hypothetical example, suppose a listing says 1,000 m² of land while the consultation you downloaded shows a graphical parcel area of 940 m². The difference is 60 m², or 6% of the advertised figure. This arithmetic describes the discrepancy only. It does not establish which figure is correct or allow you to assume that a correction is automatic.
Save the listing and consultation together. Ask the seller for an explanation supported by documents. For the relevant formal routes, the authority's coordination assistant explains why cadastral and registry information must be considered carefully rather than overwritten in a buyer's notes.
A clear map still leaves legal and physical questions
A readable map helps identify the land. It does not replace a field survey when the physical boundary is in question. Before accepting a discrepancy that affects your purchase, ask the technical adviser what evidence is needed and have the legal adviser compare that evidence with the transaction's title documents.
Article 3.3 of the cadastral law preserves the priority of the Property Registry's legal findings. Our guide to cadastral and registry differences covers that separate review. The map PDF is one input, rather than the complete purchase check.
If the seller is offering a house and several surrounding fields, do not let the convenience of one downloaded file hide the missing components. List every element and mark which supporting document has been supplied.
If the download fails or the recipient asks for a different document
Return to the individual property record and repeat the PDF retrieval. Check whether you are viewing the general map rather than a selected property. Keep the original downloaded file intact.
If the recipient says the file is insufficient, ask them to specify the required Spanish document name. The certificate page provides an official route for holders; where you are not the holder, request the seller's document or ask your authorised representative to establish the appropriate route. Do not treat access to someone else's login as a substitute for authority.
There is no single processing time or counter-service fee stated here because the service you need has first to be identified. Ask for a quotation for any professional work separately from the public consultation itself.
Once you have the correct parcel, select it on the TerrenoCheck map for an initial review of available territorial information. The sample report shows its scope. This is preliminary screening and does not replace legal advice or a survey.