If you live in Spain, having a ‘certificado digital’, Cl@ve or Autofirma on your laptop or mobile is pretty much a must. You’ll need them to complete official processes online involving residency, tax, driving licences, work, property or more.
Bureaucracy is something you’ll have to get used to when you move to Spain as there are many forms you have to complete and paperwork to fill in for just about every admin process.
You’ll find though that many of these processes can be a lot easier if you can identify yourself officially online. You’ll need this for everything from sending in your taxes to applying for a criminal record check and completing forms at the DGT (Traffic Office).
There are several ways to identify yourself in this way – through the digital certificate, the cl@ve system and the Autofirma.
How to get your digital certificate on your laptop: The digital certificate is a piece of software in Spain that you can download on your computer, allowing you to identify yourself during administrative processes. Find out in our step-by-step guide how to apply for your digital certificate and download it onto your computer.
How to get you digital certificate without a single in-person step: We also have a second article on how to get your digital certificate without having to go into an office in person. Usually you have to go into the office in person to give in your ID and prove who you are to finalise the process, but there is a way that you can do this with online video identification as well.
How to get your digital certificate on your mobile phone: Our next guide on the digital certificate, tells you how to download it onto your phone so that you can complete process and fill out documents while you’re on the move as well. Be aware that you must have it on your computer first before you can get it on your phone.
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The Cl@ve system: Other than the digital certificates, one of the most popular ways to identify yourself online is to get a Cl@ve system. It’s a digital signature system that allows you to do all kinds of official processes safely from the comfort of your home, and a way for the government to know it’s actually you, as you won’t be going into the office in person for them to identify you. Both the Cl@ve Pin and the permanent Cl@ve are fully integrated into the Cl@ve system and fulfil the same purposes. Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to apply for the Cl@ve.
Autofirma: Finally, there’s one more way to identify yourself officially, which sometimes has to be used in conjunction with the digital certificate and or Cl@ve. This is Autofirma. This is again another piece of software that you have to download on your computer. It was created by Spain’s Ministry of Finance and Public Administrations and has the same validity as the handwritten signature for documents online. Read our handy guide on how to install it and what you might need it for.
