Digital Certificate and Cl@ve in Spain: Which One You Can Get First

We already have a general FNMT certificate or Cl@ve guide that explains what each system is. This article is the practical side: which one you can get first, how it went in Alicante province, and the snags worth knowing about.

What each one is

	FNMT digital certificate	Cl@ve
What it is	A personal certificate file installed in your browser or device	A shared government login: Cl@ve Móvil (app) or Cl@ve Permanente (password + SMS code)
Foreigner's ID	NIE card or certificate, or the official NIE assignment document, plus passport	NIE plus TIE, EU registration certificate or residence permit, plus passport
Identity check	In person at an oficina de acreditación	In person, online with a certificate, or by letter to your tax address
How long it lasts	4 years, renewable online once	Stays active once you're registered

Why you'll want one

• Taxes: filing your renta and other returns on the Agencia Tributaria site, and seeing your tax data.
• Seguridad Social: your vida laboral, registrations and many requests through Import@ss.
• Padrón: many town halls let you download a volante or certificate from their sede electrónica once you're registered (see our padrón in Torrevieja article).
• DGT and other portals: many online procedures and electronic notifications ask you to log in with a certificate or Cl@ve.
• Appointments and signing: some cita previa systems and online forms need it to identify you or to sign the application.

Route 1: the FNMT software certificate

The FNMT sets out four steps, and they must be done in this order:

1. Configure your computer. Install the FNMT configuration software listed for your system before you start.
2. Request online. Fill in your NIE, surname and email on the FNMT site. You set a password here and receive a código de solicitud by email. Keep both — the password can't be recovered.
3. Prove your identity in person at an oficina de acreditación with your request code. Bring the FNMT-listed documents for your nationality (below). Many offices, including the Agencia Tributaria and Seguridad Social, need a cita previa.
4. Download the certificate from the FNMT site on the same computer and user account you used for the request, then make a backup.

What foreigners bring to the identity check

• Your request code (código de solicitud).
• EU citizens: the NIE document or the EU registration certificate showing your NIE, or the official document granting your NIE, together with your passport or national ID card.
• Non-EU citizens: your foreigner's ID card showing the NIE (TIE), or the official document granting your NIE, together with your passport.

Bring originals. FNMT accepts the NIE document "regardless of its validity", as long as it shows you hold the NIE.

Where to do it in Alicante province

FNMT lists more than 2,400 identity offices in Spain. Use the official FNMT office locator to find one near you; in Alicante province that typically includes Agencia Tributaria and Seguridad Social offices and some town halls. Book through the office's own cita previa (links under Official sources). Post offices (Correos) can't do this check for the citizen certificate.

Video identification: not for NIE holders yet

FNMT also offers identity checks by video and through its mobile app, but at the moment both need a valid Spanish electronic DNI. With a NIE you still go in person.

Route 2: registering for Cl@ve

Cl@ve has two registration levels. The basic level works for many services, but not all, and doesn't enable Cl@ve Firma. The advanced level covers the procedures that need more security. The ways in, as a foreign resident:

• In person at a Cl@ve oficina de registro (advanced). Agencia Tributaria, Seguridad Social, SEPE and Subdelegación del Gobierno offices, plus some regional and local ones. Bring your NIE document (TIE, EU registration certificate or residence permit), passport, a mobile number and an email. Nobody can register on your behalf.
• Online with your FNMT certificate (advanced), on the Agencia Tributaria's Registro Cl@ve page. You still enter the support number of your TIE or EU certificate.
• Online with a carta de invitación (basic). You request a letter that's posted to your tax address (domicilio fiscal) with a 16-character code (CSV) to finish registering. With a NIE you're asked for your document's support number.
• Video identification in the Cl@ve app is currently offered only to Spanish citizens with a valid DNI.

Once you're registered, you get a welcome SMS and can use Cl@ve Móvil (confirm the login in the Cl@ve app) or activate Cl@ve Permanente (your own password, with an SMS code for higher-security services).

What you can get with which document

What you hold	FNMT certificate	Cl@ve
NIE number only (paper NIE certificate) + passport	Yes, identity check in person	Not yet, needs a residence document
TIE + passport	Yes	Yes: in person, with your certificate or by letter
EU registration certificate + passport or national ID	Yes	Yes: in person, with your certificate or by letter

Common snags

• Download fails or "no private key". You must download on the same computer, browser profile and user account you used for the request, with the same details and password. A new computer or a reset browser means starting again.
• Waiting too long to download. FNMT recommends downloading as soon as possible after your identity check.
• No backup. Export the certificate with its private key (a .pfx/.p12 file) and a strong password, and keep it somewhere safe. You need that copy to install it on a phone or a second computer.
• Accidentally replacing it. You can only hold one FNMT citizen certificate. Requesting another, for example through the app, revokes the old one.
• Expiry. The certificate lasts four years. You can renew it online in the 60 days before it expires, but only once. After an online renewal, or once it has expired, you go back to the in-person identity check.
• Signing doesn't work. Some procedures sign with AutoFirma, the government's free signing app. Install it if a portal asks.
• Cl@ve and phone numbers. Only one NIE can be linked to a mobile number, so partners need separate numbers. Foreign numbers are accepted if they receive SMS from Spain.
• "Introduzca soporte válido". On a TIE the support number is an E plus 8 digits. On the EU registration certificate it's a C plus 8 digits, padded with zeros.

Checked November 2026 · Not legal advice. Identity options, accepted documents and online services change. Always confirm with the FNMT, Cl@ve and the office you're visiting before your appointment.