Digital certificate and electronic signature for companies and the self-employed in Spain

A digital certificate is an electronic file, issued by a trust service provider such as the FNMT (the Spanish Royal Mint, the public body that issues digital certificates), that proves the identity of a person or of an entity before the administration and before third parties. It is the basis on which you then sign and seal.

It is worth keeping three concepts apart. The certificate identifies. The electronic signature is made by an individual (the signatory) and expresses their will regarding a specific document. The electronic seal is linked to the legal entity (the company) and guarantees the origin and the integrity of the document, normally in automated or high volume processes, without a person taking part in each operation.

For a company, digital identity is built from three pieces: the representative certificate (with which your representative signs on behalf of the company), the company electronic seal (for automated procedures) and, where the highest legal value is needed, the qualified eIDAS electronic signature.

Companies (SA, SL and other legal entities) are required to deal with the public administration by electronic means (Ley 39/2015, the Spanish Public Administration Procedure Act, article 14.2). In practice, without a certificate they cannot file taxes or receive notifications.

If your company has a sole director or joint and several directors (administrador unico o solidario) registered at the Registro Mercantil (the Spanish Companies Register), the certificate that applies is the representative certificate for a sole or joint and several director. All other entities, and apoderados (authorised representatives holding a power of attorney), use the representative certificate for legal entities.

An autonomo is an individual: for their own procedures they use the FNMT individual certificate (free of charge), not the representative one. In addition, the self-employed have been required to deal electronically with the Seguridad Social (the Spanish social security system) since 2018. Managora tells you exactly which certificate applies to you according to your legal form.

Filing and paying taxes on the website of the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT, the Spanish tax authority, commonly called Hacienda): VAT with the modelo 303, withholdings, corporate income tax, tax register filings, and checking your tax data.

Receiving and reading electronic notifications through the Direccion Electronica Habilitada unica (DEHu, the single official electronic notification address). For legal entities notification is always electronic, so without a certificate you never find out about requests for information or deadlines.

Taking part in public procurement: submitting bids and documents on the Plataforma de Contratacion del Sector Publico (the Spanish public sector contracting platform) requires an electronic signature. It also lets you deal with the Seguridad Social (Sistema RED, the TGSS website), the Registro Mercantil, regional and local administrations, sign contracts and issue electronic invoices through FACe.

Managora handles the company electronic seal and the qualified eIDAS signature from start to finish, and the current price is shown on the service page for each one.

The FNMT process has four stages: setting up your computer beforehand, the online application (which generates an application code sent by email), identity verification, and downloading the certificate roughly one hour after verification.

Identity verification can be done online or in person. Online (recommended) is available for entities whose NIF (the Spanish tax identification number) starts with A, B, C or D, but it requires the representative to already hold a valid FNMT individual certificate (obtained in person or by video identity verification, less than 5 years old and not the result of an online renewal). Without that earlier certificate, verification is in person, at a registration office (Agencia Tributaria, CNMV, the Spanish securities regulator, and others). A sole or joint and several director can also verify their identity by video identity verification (video-identificacion) and obtain the certificate entirely online using an FNMT individual certificate or the electronic DNI (the Spanish electronic national ID card).

Usual documents: the NIF of the entity, the deed of incorporation, valid registered powers of attorney and a certificate from the Registro Mercantil regarding the office held where applicable. Managora gathers the documents, submits the application and hands you the certificate installed and with a backup copy.

The representative certificate (legal entity and sole or joint and several director) is issued with a validity of 2 years. The entity electronic seal can be issued for 1, 2 or 3 years. The public administration electronic seal has a validity of 36 months.

The company representative certificate cannot be renewed online: neither the sole or joint and several director certificate nor the legal entity certificate allows online renewal. To keep operating you have to apply for a new certificate before the one you hold expires. The quickest route is online identity verification (NIF starting with A, B, C or D), provided the representative already holds a valid FNMT individual certificate; otherwise, verification is in person. Do not leave it until the last minute: if the certificate expires, you can no longer sign or file, and in any case you have to apply for a new one from scratch.

Managora keeps an eye on your certificate expiry date and applies for the new one in good time, so that your company is never left without access to taxes or notifications.

The eIDAS 2 reform (Reglamento (UE) 2024/1183, the EU digital identity regulation, in force since 20 May 2024) amends Reglamento eIDAS 910/2014 and creates the European digital identity framework.

Before 24 December 2026, every member state must offer at least one European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) and public administrations will have to accept it. In Spain it is called Cartera IDUE and the FNMT takes part as an issuer in the pilot environment.

Your current certificate and seal remain valid. The digital wallet will be added as an extra option, without replacing FNMT certificates or the Cl@ve system (the Spanish government identity system for online public services) overnight.