What is the digital certificate

Since we were "forced", in some way, to use technologies, the procedures are no longer done only in person, but can also be presented virtually using the digital certificate, the electronic DNI, PIN code, etc. But what is the digital certificate and why is it so important to have it?

If you want to do paperwork without leaving home, you need a system that validates your person. And for this there is the digital certificate (in addition to other tools). Do you want to know how to get it and what can it do for you?

What is the digital certificate

We can define the digital certificate like that virtual document in which a person is guaranteed to act on their behalf Even if you are not in person at an office, it identifies you online and gives you "authority" to sign any type of procedure that you need to ensure that it is done on your behalf.

In other words, we are talking about an encrypted key that is used to carry out procedures on the Internet.

This certificate will always be accredited by a competent entity, being a certification of authority. However, it is only valid for four years, time in which you have to renew it again. In addition, there are several ways to obtain it, the easiest being through the electronic ID that you have (although this certificate sometimes fails).

And best of all, it's free.

What is it for

There is no doubt that the main function of a digital certificate is, without a doubt, to be able to carry out procedures through the Internet. This allows you not to have to go to an office, wait in line and do the procedure, but with a computer, and even a mobile phone, you can do it.Thus, the process is faster, you save time and also money (by having to go to the office, park, gas, etc.).

More and more procedures that can be carried out with this certificate, from those of the state public administration to the regional, local, to issues related to health, training, etc.

For example, in the case of the self-employed, having a digital certificate allows them to present online forms 303 and 130 to the Tax Agency.

Other procedures are:

• Electronically sign official documents.
• Present resources.
• Consult traffic fines.
• Apply for grants.
• Register in the municipal register.
• File taxes.
• How to obtain the digital certificate

How to obtain your digital certificate

Now that you know a little more about the digital certificate, the question you can ask yourself is how to get it. There are actually two ways to do it, although one of them is not well known.

Your digital certificate in the DNI

If you have an electronic DNI, and it is most likely that you do, do you know that there is a digital certificate inside it? Well, yes, when you get your DNI they also include a digital certificate in it, so that the DNI itself helps you to virtually accredit yourself and be able to do all the procedures that we have mentioned before.

Now, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• The digital certificate of the DNI expires. Personally, I had the experience of expiring a year and a half after having made the card. However, it can be renewed and, as long as the process goes well, that will mean that you will have it active and working again for another time. To do this, you would have to go to a police station where they have a machine that renews the certificate.
• There are some times that the DNI certificate does not work. This is because they do not get to recognize it on those pages and they need another type of certificate, such as the one that we are going to comment on below.
• PTo use it, you need to have a device that connects to the computer and you can enter the DNI so that they read the chip you have. This is quite cheap, and is easily found (in fact, when they imposed the DNI they gave away the special USB so that people could start using it).

Your "official" digital certificate

The best known digital certificate is the one issued by the National Currency and Stamp Factory. Yes, we are not wrong. It is this entity that allows you to request the certificate and where you will have to download it.

For get it, you have to follow the following steps:

• Go to the page of the National Currency and Stamp Factory. You cannot do it with Chrome, it is only enabled with Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefoz.
• There, locate the "Digital Certificate" section. It will ask you to choose between the "Individual" or "Company Representatives" (within this is the sole or joint administrator or the legal person). The first (for a natural person) is free, but the other will cost 24 or 14 euros respectively (to which VAT must be added.
• If you take that of a natural person, which is the most common, you will have to fill in the requested information and wait for a code to arrive by email. Print it out.
• Now you will have to go to an office to "prove your physical person." You must bring your ID and that paper with the code. On the website you will have the offices you can go to since they are not only those of the Tax Agency but, in town halls, for example, you can also get accredited. Once there they will start a procedure and give you another code. Use it to return to your computer, the same one with which you started the process, to download the digital certificate.
• Finally, you have to activate it on your computer. To do this, you have to make sure that it is in Tools / Internet Options / Content and certificates.

From now on you can use that file that you have downloaded to install the digital certificate on other computers. But the first time must always be on the same computer, with the same user, since, otherwise, everything is disabled and you must start over.

Remember it is not a certificate that lasts forever. It has a validity that is usually 4 years, but it can be easily renewed through the web.

Have you already obtained your digital certificate? Did you have trouble getting it?