What you can do with it
The digital certificate replaces your physical presence before the administration. With it, from home and at any hour:
- File immigration applications and renewals without hunting for an appointment.
- Check and download your work history and manage your social security records on Importass.
- File taxes and forms with the Tax Agency and register as self employed.
- Sign PDF documents with legal validity.
- Request town hall certificates such as the padrón.
- Receive and read electronic notifications, which for many procedures are now the only channel.
It is free. The FNMT issues the individual certificate free of charge. Any site charging you to "process" it is charging for filling in a form you can fill in yourself.
The four ways to obtain it
| Route | When it suits you |
|---|---|
| Video identification | You do not want to travel and you accept a video verification process. The most convenient route if you have no working electronic ID. |
| In person at a registration office | You prefer to identify yourself in person. The classic route and the one that gives the fewest technical problems. |
| Using your DNIe | You hold a Spanish electronic ID card with valid certificates and a card reader. Fully remote. |
| Using your mobile device | You want to do it from your phone. Check the technical requirements before you start. |
All four share the same sequence: prior configuration, request, identity verification and download. The order is not negotiable, and the step most people skip is the first one.
The mistake that ruins half of all attempts
The download must happen on the same computer, in the same browser and under the same system user used for the request. If you request it on a work laptop and then try to download at home, it will not work, and the request code is lost.
Second common mistake: not backing it up after downloading. If you reinstall the operating system or the machine breaks, the certificate goes with it.
Digital certificate for foreign nationals
You can obtain it with your NIE. The requirement is not nationality, it is holding a valid identification number and being able to prove your identity through one of the four routes. With a valid passport and NIE the process is the same as for a Spanish citizen.
If you do not have a NIE yet, that is the first step.
What the certificate actually unlocks
This is not an abstract «electronic signature» but a concrete list of things that stop requiring an appointment and a queue:
- Social Security: your working life report (vida laboral), certificates of no outstanding debt, contribution records. One minute to download, and needed in almost every immigration file.
- Tax Agency: tax certificates, filings, notifications, refund status.
- Immigration: filing applications electronically and checking the state of your file.
- Town hall: padrón certificates, including the historical and collective one required for arraigo.
- Traffic authority: fines, vehicle records and part of the vehicle procedures.
- Signing documents: contracts, applications and powers of attorney with full legal effect.
The arithmetic is simple: one trip for identity verification against dozens of trips and appointments over a year.
Three ways people lose their certificate
Downloading on a different computer. The FNMT ties the request code to the key pair generated in that specific browser. Changing computer, browser or even user profile between request and download voids the process, in-person verification included.
Clearing the browser in between. Wiping data, resetting the browser or using private mode destroys the private key. If a week passes between the two steps, leave that browser alone.
No backup. The certificate lives as a file on your machine, not in an FNMT cloud. A formatted disk, a dead laptop or a move to a new computer without an exported copy means starting over from scratch. Make the backup the day you download it, always with the private key, and keep it away from the computer itself.
Alternatives while you do not have one
Cl@ve covers part of the tax and social security procedures and is simpler to obtain. DNIe works for those who already hold a Spanish DNI. And if what you want is for someone to handle it for you, a power of attorney or an electronic authorisation is enough: we act with our own professional certificate and you need none.
Would you rather not fight with the configuration?
We request, verify and install your certificate on computer and phone, and we test it on the government portals before calling it done.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the digital certificate cost?
Nothing. The FNMT issues the individual certificate free of charge. Websites that charge for it are intermediaries.
Can I get it as a foreign national?
Yes, with your NIE. You need a valid identification number and the ability to prove your identity through one of the four FNMT routes.
Do I have to go in person?
Not necessarily. The FNMT offers four routes: video identification, in person at a registration office, with the Spanish electronic ID card, and with a mobile device. Only one of them requires travelling.
Can I download it on a different computer?
No. The download must be done on the same machine, browser and system user used for the request. Changing device breaks the process.
How long does it last?
It has an expiry date, visible in the certificate itself through your browser's certificate manager. Renewal is possible during the 60 days before that date.
Is it the same as Cl@ve?
No. Cl@ve is a password system and the digital certificate is a cryptographic file installed on your device. Both identify you, but the certificate also lets you sign documents and covers more procedures.
Legal basis
- Law 6/2020 regulating certain aspects of electronic trust services
- Law 39/2015 on Common Administrative Procedure, art. 14 on electronic dealings with the administration
- Royal Decree 203/2021, Regulation on public sector action by electronic means
Official sources
- FNMT: individual certificate
- FNMT: renewing the individual certificate
- Importass, Spanish Social Security Treasury portal
- Spanish Tax Agency e-office
Written by Irina Klein. Reviewed by Elena Alonso Volostnova, registered gestora administrativa (ICGA Valencia). Updated on 18 August 2026. This page is general information and does not replace personalised advice on your case.