New Digital DNI in Spain: What is it and what is it for?
The new digital DNI is an official electronic identification system that allows a person’s identity to be verified from their mobile phone, with full legal validity, without the need to present the physical document. It will come fully into force on 1 April 2026 and is regulated by Royal Decree 255/2025.
But, what really changes with this new system? How does it work in practice? And what implications does it have in a notary's office and in the signing of documents?
What is the new digital DNI and what does it really consist of?
Concept of the Digital DNI in Spain
The new digital DNI represents the evolution of the National Identity Document towards a model fully adapted to the electronic environment. It is no longer just a physical medium with a chip — as was the case with the DNIe — but a verifiable digital identity from the mobile device itself, which allows identity to be verified without the need to show the card.
This new model responds to an evident reality: more and more legal, economic, and administrative relationships are taking place in digital environments. Therefore, identity also had to evolve towards a secure, agile, and accessible format, fully integrated into everyday life.
What are the differences between the traditional electronic DNI and the new digital DNI?
The traditional electronic DNI required the use of specific readers and technical configurations that, in practice, have limited its use.
The new digital DNI removes these barriers. It integrates into the mobile phone, allows the generation of dynamic credentials, and facilitates everyday use. The difference is substantial: we move from a technically valid but little-used system to one designed for real and daily use.
Technological evolution of the DNIe
The DNIe represented a significant advance at the time, but technology has evolved towards more intuitive and accessible models. The new digital DNI reflects this evolution and adapts it to the widespread use of smartphones, aligning with European trends in digital identity.
Integration with mobile devices (App MiDNI)
The official application MiDNI, promoted by the Policía Nacional, is the digital DNI app in Spain that allows managing digital identity from the mobile phone. Through it, the citizen can generate credentials, share information in a controlled manner, and verify their identity with guarantees.
This system also introduces an essential element: the user only shares the strictly necessary data in each operation.
Comparative table
| Characteristic | Electronic DNI (DNIe) | Digital DNI |
|---|---|---|
| Support | Physical card with chip | Mobile device |
| Use | Requires reader and configuration | Direct use from app |
| Accessibility | Limited | High |
| Verification | Through certificates | In real time (QR/official systems) |
| Usability | Low in practice | Designed for everyday use |
| Integration | Mainly administrative | Public and private |
What is the legal framework of the new digital DNI?
What regulations govern the digital DNI in Spain?
The new digital DNI is regulated in the Royal Decree published in the BOE (BOE-A-2025-6601), which is Royal Decree 255/2025, of 1 April, regulating the National Identity Document, establishing the legal framework for its implementation in Spain.
It is not merely a technological improvement, but a regulation that fully recognises the legal validity of digital identification.
What does Royal Decree 255/2025 establish regarding the digital DNI?
The Royal Decree addresses essential issues such as the issuance of the digital DNI, authentication mechanisms, and verification systems, defining the conditions of use in both the public and private sectors.
What is the effective date of the new digital DNI? And what is its mandatory nature?
One of the key aspects is that the system has been implemented progressively, but with a clear reference date: 1 April 2026 marks the full entry into force of the new digital DNI in Spain.
From that moment, the digital DNI is established as a fully operational and recognised means, becoming a central tool in identification processes, without prejudice to the coexistence with the physical format during a transitional period.
Objectives of the legislator
The legislator aims to facilitate digital interaction with the Administrations, strengthen security in identification, and promote the digitalisation of the economy. It is, ultimately, about adapting the legal system to an increasingly digitalised reality.
Legal certainty and digital authentication
The new digital DNI is configured as a system of electronic identification with full legal guarantees, provided that the official verification mechanisms are used. It is not a simple reproduction of the physical document, but a system that allows identity to be verified in real time.
How does the new digital DNI work in practice?
What is the app for the digital DNI in Spain?
The app mi DNI Digital known as MIDNI will be used.
The operation of the new digital DNI is based on the generation of temporary credentials from the official application. The user authorises the transmission of certain data depending on the required use, which increases security and control over their own information.
How is security ensured in digital identification?
The system relies on technologies that guarantee the authenticity of identity through connections with official databases and enhanced verification mechanisms.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Credential generation | The digital DNI allows the generation of specific credentials for each use, avoiding sharing more information than necessary. This approach is especially relevant from the perspective of personal data protection. |
| Verification through QR codes and official systems | Verification is carried out through QR codes or other systems that allow checking the authenticity of the identity in real time, which provides high reliability and security to the system. |
| Connection with public and private services | The new digital DNI is designed to integrate both with public services and private platforms, significantly expanding its usage possibilities. |
What is the new digital DNI for? Real uses in 2026
1. Identification before Public Administrations
The main use of the digital DNI is identification in administrative procedures, facilitating the relationship with the Administration and reducing the need for travel.
2. Electronic document signing
The digital DNI allows the signing of electronic documents, although it is important to distinguish between the different levels of signature and their legal effects, especially when it comes to acts with legal significance.
A. Access to online procedures
It allows you to carry out procedures such as submitting applications, checking files, or interacting with public bodies completely digitally.
B. Relationship with banks and companies
More and more private entities are incorporating the digital DNI as an identification system, especially in areas such as the contracting of financial products.
C. Use in private environments
Its use extends to multiple areas, such as online contracting, age verification, or identification on digital platforms.
What changes and what does not with the new digital DNI in notary services?
Identification of the grantor before a notary
In the notarial field, the identification of the grantor is not a mere documentary verification, but a genuine identity judgment, which is an essential part of the notarial public function.
Identity control and public faith
The notary not only verifies the identity, but also guarantees the authenticity of the act, the capacity of the grantor, and the free formation of their will. This control goes beyond a technical verification.
Possibility of identification through digital DNI in Spain
The digital DNI can become a useful tool for identification at notary offices. In this regard, it should be noted that notary offices are already prepared to work with the electronic DNI, having the necessary technical means to verify identity with full guarantees.
The new digital DNI is integrated as a natural evolution of these systems.
Current limits
However, the use of the digital DNI in Spain still presents certain limitations, arising both from the current regulations and the need to preserve the highest level of legal security.
Need for physical presence vs. remote identification
Although technology allows progress towards remote identification models, the Spanish notarial system still requires, in many cases, the physical presence of the grantor, especially in acts of greater legal significance.
Can deeds be signed with a digital DNI?
Current situation
Currently, the digital DNI in Spain does not by itself allow the signing of public deeds in a generalised manner.
Doctrinal and technological position
Doctrinal analyses agree that the digital DNI is a necessary, but not sufficient, step to achieve full notarial digitalisation.
Relationship with Law 11/2023 and documents that can be digitally signed with the digital DNI from 1 April 2026
The Law 11/2023, of 8 May, on the digitalisation of notarial and registry actions, has introduced significant advances, such as the possibility of certain notarial actions by videoconference, which opens the door to new models of action.
The documents that can be signed entirely digitally, through the digital ID or a suitable electronic certificate, are those contemplated in article 17 ter of the Notaries Law, which was introduced by Law 11/2023.
Thus, according to article 17 ter of the Notaries Law, it is permitted to sign digitally: practically all commercial and company-related notarial acts, notarial policies, all notarial powers of attorney that are not general, and the revocation of power of attorney, mortgage cancellations, and the majority of new building declarations and horizontal divisions. Discover our:
You can also find more information about digital signatures in notary services in the following article on our blog:
Qualified electronic deed signing and notarial protocol
For the signing of deeds, a qualified electronic signature integrated into the notarial system is necessary. The new digital DNI in Spain can facilitate this process, but it does not replace all the required legal requirements.
Future outlook (digital notary)
Everything points to a progressive integration of the digital DNI in notarial practice, in combination with other technological instruments that allow progress towards a more digital notary service.
What are the advantages of the digital DNI for citizens and companies?
- Security: The system incorporates advanced mechanisms that significantly reduce the risk of fraud or identity theft.
- Convenience: The possibility of carrying identity on the mobile phone represents a clear improvement in the user experience.
- Elimination of physical support: Reduces dependence on the physical document, although this will continue to coexist for a while.
- Reduction of procedures: Digitisation allows for the simplification of procedures and reduction of processing times.
- Agility in legal operations: Rapid identification facilitates the execution of legal and administrative operations with greater efficiency.
What are the risks, limits and outstanding issues of the new digital DNI?
To bear in mind:
- Data protection: The use of the digital DNI poses significant challenges in terms of privacy and the processing of personal data.
- Technological dependence: The system relies on mobile devices and the available technological infrastructure, which requires robust and reliable systems.
- Interoperability issues: It is necessary to ensure compatibility between the different technological systems involved.
- Digital divide: Not all citizens have access to or sufficient knowledge to use these tools, which poses inclusion challenges. However, at the moment the digital DNI is only an additional identification alternative available.
- Need for regulatory adaptation in the notarial field: The legal framework must continue to evolve to fully integrate the digital DNI into the notarial function, maintaining the system’s own guarantees.
Is the digital DNI the future of notaries in Spain?
An inevitable and progressive transformation
The implementation of the new digital DNI — with a key date of 1 April 2026 — marks a turning point in the way identity is verified in Spain. It is not merely a technological innovation, but a structural change in the way citizens, companies and Administrations interact legally.
The role of the notary in the digital age
In this context, the notarial function is not only maintained but acquires even greater relevance. Digitalisation requires strengthening guarantees, not reducing them. Therefore, the notary will continue to be the guarantor of preventive legal certainty, integrating tools such as the digital DNI within a system that must continue to be secure, reliable and rigorous.
Notaries, already prepared to work with the electronic DNI, are in an ideal position to take on this evolution. The challenge is not technological, but legal: to integrate digital identity without losing the guarantees that characterise the Spanish notarial system.
Everything points to the digital DNI being a key piece in the development of digital notary services. Its progressive integration will allow progress towards more agile and efficient models, always under an essential principle: technology must be at the service of legal certainty, and not the other way around.
What common questions are there about the digital DNI in Spain?
The digital DNI comes fully into force on 1 April 2026, a date from which it is established as a valid and operational means of identification in Spain, in accordance with the Royal Decree published in the BOE (BOE-A-2025-6601). However, it will initially coexist with the physical DNI.
It is not mandatory to replace the physical DNI, but the digital DNI becomes a fully valid means of identification, especially in electronic environments. Its use will progressively become more common in administrative and private procedures.
Yes, the digital DNI can be used as an identification tool, provided it is verified through official systems. However, the notary must make their own identity judgement, so its use will depend on the correct technological integration and the guarantees offered in each case.
Currently, it is not possible to sign public deeds solely with the digital DNI on a widespread basis. For this, a qualified digital signature integrated into the notarial system is required, as well as compliance with other legal requirements.
The digital DNI does not immediately eliminate the traditional electronic DNI, but rather represents its evolution. Both systems will coexist for a time, although the digital model is set to become the main means of identification.
The digital DNI certifies the citizen's identity through official systems, while the digital certificate is a technical mechanism that allows electronic signing of documents. Although they are related, they are not exactly the same.
Yes, the digital DNI incorporates advanced real-time verification and authentication systems, which makes it a highly secure method. However, like any digital system, it requires responsible use by the user.
Yes. Notaries are already adapted to work with the electronic DNI and digital identification systems. The digital DNI in Spain represents a natural evolution, and its integration will be carried out progressively within the current legal framework.
In certain cases, and in accordance with Law 11/2023, it is now possible to carry out some notarial acts via videoconference. However, in many acts, physical presence is still necessary, especially when there is greater legal significance.
Check the commercial acts available for signing by videoconference with an online notary:
Law 11/2023 of 8 May: Advantages in commercial services.
The digital DNI allows identification in multiple situations, such as:
- Procedures with the Administration
- Service contracting
- Operations with financial entities
- Online identity verification
Its use will progressively expand in the coming years.
The new Digital DNI in Spain, a more agile and secure notarial identification
As Notaries in Barcelona specialised in digital law and electronic notarial practice, we hope this article about the new digital DNI in Spain has been helpful to you.
If you have any doubts about its use in notarial practice or about signing digital notarial documents, it is advisable to seek specialised advice. Contact us to help you resolve your specific case via WhatsApp, telephone, the contact form on our website or visit our notary office near Passeig de Gracia, in the Eixample of Barcelona.
