Another painless part of immigrating was getting my proof of residency or Padron. I (well, Elena really) made an appointment at our local municipal police station. In our neighborhood, Arganzuela, the local police are conveniently located a short walk through Madrid Rio from our house. We took a number when we arrived just like everyone else, but the web insists that you need an appointment. There is a slightly high-tech, touch-screen ticketing system - you choose your category of service and then sit in a room with enough chairs and free wi-fi for about 20 minutes before meeting your agent.
Knowing approximately how far back in line I was made this wait much easier - a serial ticketing system, wifi, and a status indicator seems pretty easy to implement and can turn unproductive queuing-time into well-boxed working/reading time. The DMV in New York somehow got halfway there and it ended up horrific - no WiFi and a ticketing system that manages to consistently suggest incorrect time estimates by inconsistent amounts of time... constant reinforcement of frustration and schedule-anxiety is pretty much the worst user-experience.
Back to the story - Elena and I presented her signed lease, my passport and visa, two pieces of mail that came to her address, and a filled-out copy of this form. Our agent nodded a few times without really looking at our pile of papers, told us to check our mail in a few weeks, printed out a temporary Padron, and Poof her apartment was our apartment.
For more on my journey to legal residency: