Today, a digital certificate is required for many administrative acts, such as filing declarations with tax authorities and applying for a certificate from the municipality.
This digital certificate is mandatory for companies and is linked to the director of the company. The digital certificate is optional for private individuals, although this makes communication with the municipality a lot easier and more direct. With it, letters can no longer “disappear in the mail”, as often happens in the case of non-residents.
A digital certificate is a login or online identifier that is linked to your Spanish ID number or NIE.
The certificate is generated by the government and can be installed on any computer with the correct password. It´s use is very extensive. You can digitally sign documents with the digital certificate, see if you have paid the road tax on your Spanish car, request the value of your home from the register (Catastro), file annual or quarterly tax returns and much more.
The digital certificate can be requested from the FNMT (Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre) and is valid for three years for natural persons and two years for companies. For the first application for natural persons, you must register at an FNMT office in your area. A company’s digital certificate can be requested online with the director’s digital certificate. You can then renew the certificate online within this period. If you want to renew after the term has expired, you must submit a new application to the government.
Selena Escandell