Since its appearance in 2006, the DNIe has become one of the best measures implemented by the Spanish government . This document is nothing more than the classic National Identity Document of a lifetime, but on the web , which allows you to perform many important procedures from a computer, to save you the long lines in the offices governmental.
The DNIe allows you to carry out procedures such as the payment of income tax, request unemployment benefits, apply for scholarships or grants, and request various certificates that you need to process other official procedures. In more than a decade more and more improvements have been made that make this one of the most powerful documents you can have at your disposal.
In this guide we will show you how to install and activate the DNIe certificates for the first time , verify that it works, how to renew the certificates and we will explain what a DNIe reader consists of and how it works. In the same way, you will know everything you can do with this document, so you have no doubts about taking it out as soon as possible.
Index:
How to get the DNIe?
This document can be obtained at any of the electronic DNI issuing offices that are located in each of the provinces and autonomous communities of the country. But first, you must request an appointment on the web citapreviadnie.es . When you get your appointment, you must pay the established fee and bring the following documents in a folder to the office that corresponds to you:
- Birth certificate issued by the corresponding Civil Registry.
- A recent photograph.
- Certificate or registration certificate of the City Council.
- Spaniards residing abroad will accredit the domicile through certification from the Diplomatic or Consular Representation where they are registered as residents.
Steps to install and activate Spanish electronic ID certificates for the first once
This consists of a couple of essential components for its operation such as digital certificates, which refer to your identity, and identity validation certificates , which attest that the previous data are correct.
These will allow you to validate your identification with the authorities and, more importantly, sign documents electronically so that you can process them electronically without leaving your home and from the comfort of your computer.
To activate the document, you must go to the DNIe Update Points found in the same DNIe issuing offices. These points are similar to an ATM and you can activate them using your fingerprint.
What you should do is enter the card, always with the chip facing up , wait for it to be identified and follow the steps that will indicate. Later you can enter it again to change the PIN and the process will be finished.
It should be noted that these data expire every 3 months , so you will have to update them at least 15 days before to avoid more cumbersome processes. You should also do it every time you renew your National Identity Document 3.0 .
What is an electronic ID reader and how does it work?
Now you will need to acquire a DNIe reader. This is nothing more than hardware that will allow your computer to read the document chip so you can install and export the certificates on it . Such hardware must be purchased on your own at any computer store or department store.
To install it, it will be necessary to correctly connect the drivers to your computer and wait for it to recognize them. In some cases it will be necessary to install a complementary driver , but everything depends essentially on the hardware provider you use.
In addition to this, you must also install Java on your computer , since this is the language used by this software. To do this you must enter the official Java website and download the latest update . Once this is done you just have to start the installation and wait for it to finish. Be sure to give permissions to the application as it is constantly updated.
How to install the validation certificates on the computer?
The next thing you should do is install the certificates on your computer. To do this you have to download the DNIe Cryptographic Module found in the portal www.dnielectronico.es . Select the option corresponding to your operating system, wait for it to download and start installing them manually.
- For Windows
- For Mac / Linux
With this step passed you will have done more than half of the work. There is simply importing the certificates into the browser so you can sign with them.
How can I import the DNI certificates to my web browser?
The import can be done basically from any browser, although the most common are Chrome, Opera, Explorer and Firefox . Here we show you how to do it in each one.
In Chrome
The first thing you should do is open the browser and click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen This will break down a menu with several options, among which we will select “ Settings ”.
When doing so, another tab will open with Chrome’s settings interface, we’ll download and click on “ Advanced Settings ”. The following is to look for the HTTPS / SSL section and locate the option “ Manage Certificates ”.
By doing this, you can add a new certificate by clicking on “ Import… ” which will start an automatic assistant that will ask you to select the folder where the certificates you want to import are. Find the folder where it is located and click on it and we accept.
Now, if you want to start using the certificates in one of the many pages of the Spanish public administration, you must restart the browser . With this, the process will be over.
In Mozilla Firefox
In this browser the process is practically identical. What you should do is open the browser and click on the three superimposed lines that are in the upper right corner of the screen. This will break down a small window in which we will look for “ Options ”, which in turn will direct us to another page.
On the options page we will find a simple interface with a list of options to the left of the screen. We go to “ Advanced ” and in this we look for the option “ Certificates ”. At this point, we click on “ View Certificates ”, which will open a new window in which we will see all the certificates installed in the browser. Then we click on “ Import ” and look for the DNIe folder.
Again you will have to restart the browser to start using the installed certificates and the process will be completely finished.
In Opera
You open the browser and place the Opera logo in the upper left corner of the screen, which is accompanied by the word “ Menu “. In this section we look for the option “ Configuration ” although you can reach it using the Alt + P command. This will take you to a new tab in which you can modify different aspects of the browser. Scroll down and select the option “ Advanced ”.
Subsequently, look in the “ Privacy and Security ” section for the option “ Certificate management ” which will open a new window in which you must place the option ” Import ”to add the certificate found in the DNIe folder that is saved in“ Program Files ”of your hard drive. After that, you restart your browser and you can start using your digital signature on any of the Spanish public administration websites.
How can you verify and verify that the DNIe certificates work ?
Now is the time to verify if all the steps taken so far have been correctly executed. To do this, the first thing you should do is enter the document in the card reader that you installed on the computer. This should automatically recognize you and ask you for your access PIN so you can access your data.
The following is to confirm if the certificates have been well imported into the browser. To do this you must enter from the browser where you imported the data to the official DNIe website. You will find a row of options to the left of your screen. Click on the “How to Use DNIe ” option, which will break down a menu where you will have to locate “ Verify that it works “.
Later you will be directed to a new page on the web. Select the links at the bottom of the screen and then you will have to indicate the certificates that you installed in the browser, after this a new tab should open where your data appears. If all this happens, it means that you have done the process well. You can access from here for verification.
My DNIe has expired How can I renew the certificates?
DNIe certificates expire every 30 months so you will have to go to the same activation points where you first activated the document. It is an extremely easy process for which you will not need an appointment, but it is extremely necessary to do it or else the certificates will not work and you will not be able to continue signing with them before the Public Administration.
Go to the nearest police station where there is a DNIe Update Point and enter the document in the corresponding slot, always making sure the chip is facing up. Log in with your access PIN and look for the option “ Renew Certificates ”. This will remove old data and replace it with new ones that you will have to re-import in the browser.
To confirm the process, simply you must place your fingerprint and wait for the machine to identify it. With this, the process will be finished and you will be able to carry out the process of importing certificates into your home and using them again to sign before the Public Administration . You can also check the letter of your electronic ID from here.