Why Having a Digital Certificate in Spain Makes Your Life Much Easier

As public administrations increasingly move toward digital processes, having a Digital Certificate for Individuals has become essential for anyone who needs to interact with government authorities efficiently and securely.

In Spain, many administrative procedures are now carried out online as the standard method. A digital certificate allows you to complete these procedures remotely, saving time, avoiding unnecessary travel, and ensuring full legal validity for all your actions.

What is a Digital Certificate?

Think of it as your official online ID.

It confirms your identity when you access Spanish public administration websites and allows you to complete procedures securely and with full legal validity. In practical terms, it replaces many in-person visits to government offices.

Why it’s so useful in everyday life

In Spain, you’ll often need to interact with different public institutions. With a digital certificate, you can do most of this from your computer or mobile device.

For example, you can:

• Submit and manage tax declarations

• Access your Social Security information

• Download official certificates and documents

• Carry out procedures with the Traffic Authority (DGT)

• Communicate with your local Town Hall

• Receive and respond to official notifications

It saves time and avoids unnecessary hassle. 

One of the biggest advantages is convenience. Instead of booking appointments, waiting in queues, or visiting offices in person, you can complete most procedures in just a few minutes, wherever you are.

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Documents you can obtain instantly

Many official documents that previously required in-person requests are now available online, such as:

• Employment history reports

• Tax certificates

• Social Security records

• Municipal registration (“padrón”) certificates

What used to take days can often be resolved almost immediately.

Electronic signature with full legal validity

A digital certificate also allows you to sign documents electronically. These signatures are legally binding and accepted by all Spanish public administrations.

This makes it much easier to handle contracts, authorizations, and official paperwork without printing or scanning anything.

How to obtain a Digital Certificate

The most common way to obtain it is through the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre. The process is simple but must be completed in a few steps:

    1. Online application

You start by applying on the FNMT website, entering your personal details. Once completed, you receive a code by email.

    2. Identity verification

Next, you must prove your identity in person at an authorized office. This can be done at the Tax Agency, Social Security offices, town halls, or other approved registration points. You will need your DNI/NIE and the application code.

    3. Download the certificate

After your identity has been verified, you can download the certificate from the same computer you used during the application process.

    4. Installation and use

Once installed, you can immediately start using it for online procedures with Spanish public administrations.

Secure and reliable

Although everything is done online, the system is highly secure. The digital certificate uses advanced encryption technology to protect your identity and personal data at all times.

Why it’s worth getting it sooner rather than later

Spain is moving steadily toward a fully digital administration. In many cases, online procedures are already the standard, and in some situations, they are the only option.

Having a digital certificate ensures you are prepared and can act quickly whenever you need to deal with any official matter.

We can help you with the process

At our office, we understand that the procedure to obtain a digital certificate can sometimes be confusing, especially if you are not familiar with the Spanish system or documentation requirements.

That’s why we advise and assist our clients throughout the entire process, ensuring everything is handled correctly from start to finish. We take care of the steps, guide you with the documentation, and make the process as smooth and straightforward as possible.

Final thoughts

A digital certificate is one of those tools that quickly becomes essential once you start using it. It saves time, reduces stress, and gives you direct access to a wide range of public services in Spain.

If you need assistance, our team is here to help you get it set up without complications.

Spain's Supreme Court knocks down national registry for tourist rentals. What is going to happen now?

The Spanish Supreme Court have given a decisive blow against the model of centralised control of the Holiday Homes in Spain.


The Court, in a recent judgment annuls the Decree creating Register of Short-Term Leases. The mean reason of the ruling is that the State lacks the competence to impose a national system that overlaps with existing regional registers.


This register affected owners of holiday rentals and short-term rentals, who, in order to carry out such activity, were required to register their properties in that Register, which depended on the Land Registry.

For many property owners and foreign investors, this judgment represents very good news, as it improves legal certainty and allows a significant reduction in the bureaucracy associated with real estate investment in Spain aimed at holiday rental activity. In cities such as Málaga, Marbella, Alicante, Valencia, Madrid or Barcelona, thousands of foreign buyers acquire apartments, villas and holiday homes each year with the aim of generating income through tourist or short-term rentals.


The judgment does not annul the decree in its entirety, but exclusively the precepts that frame the single registration itself, including the obligation to obtain a state registration number to advertise housing on platforms such as Airbnb o Booking. However, it is important to understand that holiday rentals remain regulated, and obligations do not disappear, but rather the entire regulatory burden falls back on the Autonomous Communities and local councils.

What are the practical effects of the Judgment?

The Judgment eliminates the central register and concludes that the State does not have sufficient powers to impose a mandatory national tourist register. The Supreme Court considers that competences in tourism and tourist housing mainly belong to the Autonomous Communities and not to the State.

Therefore, the key provisions of the NRA are annulled and the obligation to obtain a national number to rent short-term properties disappears. It is no longer necessary to register in the NRA in order to carry out holiday rental activity in Spain, and it is no longer necessary to obtain an NRA number.

This has also a consecuence; this number cannot be required in order to advertise a property on digital platforms such as Airbnb or Booking. In other words, these platforms will not require it, and it will be sufficient to provide the tourist licence number issued by the relevant Autonomous Community.

What must be done now to legally rent a tourist property in Spain?

The judgment obviously does not eliminate the regulation of tourist properties in Spain.  Owners and buyers must continue to comply with regional and local regulations, as well as pay the corresponding taxes in Spain on the income obtained from such activity. Even if you are a non-resident owner, holiday rental income is taxed in Spain through Non-Resident Income Tax (IRNR).

In Andalusia, it is still mandatory to obtain the VUT number if the property is urban, or VTAR if the property is rural, and it is compulsory to register the property in the Andalusian Tourism Register (RTA) in order to obtain such registration. This register is equivalent to the tourist licence of the property for holiday rental purposes in Andalusia.

Therefore, any foreign owner or buyer interested in investing in property to be used for holiday rental must continue to carry out a prior legal analysis before acquiring the property.

In order to register the property in the RTA, it must be verified that it meets the technical and legal requirements necessary to carry out holiday rental activity, such as: authorisation from the Community of Owners for such activity, First Occupancy Licence, minimum room sizes, etc.

What should I do if my property already has an NRA or is pending registration?

Since the NRA has been eliminated, nothing needs to be done. This means that whether your property is already registered, in the process of registration, or was not registered for any reason, with regard to the NRA, the owner does not need to take any action because that register no longer exists.

From now on, the owner may rent the property provided that it has the tourist licence from the Autonomous Community where it is located and complies with municipal regulations.

What should a buyer do if planning to invest in property for holiday rental?

It is essential to carry out legal due diligence before purchasing a tourist property in Spain, in order to avoid problems and reduce unnecessary risks. This real estate legal due diligence or legal report should include the requirements necessary for the property to be used for holiday rental, and whether the property to be acquired meets those requirements.

It should be taken into account that there are different legal requirements in order to carry out holiday rental activity, and that municipalities and cities may also impose limitations and restrictions on new rental properties. If the intended use of the property is holiday rental, it is important that this due diligence is carried out as soon as possible and, obviously, before the buyer signs the private purchase contract (PPC). 

The reservation or the PPC itself should include a clause protecting the buyer in case the activity is not feasible and the buyer wishes to withdraw from the purchase.

Legal advice from a lawyer specialised in real estate law, with proven experience and knowledge, is essential to ensure a safe process and to provide certainty regarding the possibility of using the property for holiday rental.

How does this judgment affect Airbnb and Booking?

Digital platforms remain obliged to cooperate with public authorities and verify certain legal requirements.

However, they will no longer be able to require registration of properties in the NRA, although they will still require the property registration number in the relevant regional tourism registry in order to advertise a property on their platforms.

We have been receiving these days may questions about their situation, particularly regarding the “VT,” “NRA,” or the new national registry.

We are currently advising to review each case to confirm which obligations currently apply under the applicable regional regulations.

So, do not doubt on contacting us if you want to study your situation.