The digital certificate of an individual is the electronic certification issued by the National Currency and Stamp Factory (FNMT) that links its subscriber with signature verification data that confirms his identity.
A digital certificate of a legal person is very similar to that of an individual, although in some cases more data are collected or placed in different places. To give an academic definition but understandable, we could define it as that certificate that is issued to an entity that will act through a representative.
In this article, we will explain how to get that digital signature, whether you are a natural person or acting as a representative of society.
Steps to Obtain the Individual Digital Certificate
To get an electronic signature as an individual you must follow the following steps:
1. Ask for an appointment with the AEAT on your behalf.
2. Request the certificate number to CERES to take it in the appointment along with the DNI.
To do this you must go to the FNMT website and follow the following steps: Certificates → Physical person → Obtain certified software →Request certificate → Fill in data → Nº DNI → E-mail →Accept conditions → You are sent the number to the mail to download.
3. Go to the tax office on the day and time assigned with the code and ID. Once the process is done in the agency an email will be received, with the instructions to download the signature.
This signature can be requested by anyone free of charge. Its shelf life is 4 years.
Renew the digital certificate of a natural person
To renew the electronic signature, it is not necessary to ask the AEAT for an hour. You can renew it directly from the CERES page. The steps are: Physical person → Renew → Request renewal → Fill out the form
Steps to obtain the digital certificate of representative
The digital certificate that allows representing a company is divided between those companies that have a single or joint administrator and the rest.
The steps to follow to get the electronic signature in a partnership with a sole or joint administrator are:
1. Ask for a prior appointment to the AEAT on behalf of the sole or joint administrator, if you do not have your personal certificate. In that case, we will follow the steps of the previous point.
2. With the individual’s signature of the representative, request the certificate via the internet through the FNMT website following these steps:
Certificate of representative → Single or joint manager→ Apply with a certificate of natural person FNMT → Search for the signature of the individual→ Fill in data: company and data representative → Accept conditions → They send the number to the mail to download.
3. Once you have sent us the code, you must pay.
Its price is € 29 and has an expiration period of two years.
You can not ask for companies that have as their representative’s joint managers, attorneys, joint administrators, board of directors, liquidators and companies that have another company as sole or joint administrator. In that case, they must request an electronic certificate of the legal entity.
The steps to obtain an electronic certificate of legal entity are:
1. Ask the AEAT for time for society.
2. Request the certificate from the Mercantile Registry of the existence of the company and validity of the trade.
3. Download the legal entity certificate number following these steps on the FNMT website: Certificate of representative legal entity request certificate fill in data: CIF + mail send code number to the mail to download.
4. On the day of the previous appointment with the AEAT you must bring:
– Appointment
– RMB Certificate
– Application number CERES
– Deed of the person
5. We are sent the code to activate the signature and we must pay.
It costs 18 euros and has a validity of two years.
Renew the digital certificate of a legal person
First, you should know that if the certificate has expired, you will not be able to renew it, so you will have to make a new one again. Normally, about two months before that happens you will get notices to your email so you can renew it, something that you can do until the last day.
Until mid-2016 it was a very simple process, since everyone could do it from home and, with a few clicks, everything was solved. However, the Tax Agency announced that to renew the digital signature of a legal person should be done as follows:
– If you are a sole or joint administrator, you can renew your certificate without having to appear at the registration offices or provide any documentation, as long as it is identified on the CERES website with an electronic certificate issued by the FNMT or those included in the electronic ID.
– If you are a person who is not a sole or joint administrator or can not be identified on the CERES website, you should go to a registration office with the necessary documentation.
If you need advice on how to obtain or renew a digital certificate, whether legal or physical, as well as any questions about its usefulness and operation, do not hesitate to contact our tax advisors in Barcelona. We are specialists in topics related to the Tax Agency and we treat each case with total proximity and professionalism.
