Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.
If you use the GTS, you don't need it, but for everything else you do.
It's easy to get one:
Go to the bottom of a Pokémon center to receive your Pal Pad. Log in into WiFi and you should find your friend code in the Pal Pad.