Information

Digital signature

WHAT IS A DIGITAL SIGNATURE?

What is a digital certificate and what do you need it for?

A digital certificate, issued by a certification authority and accepted by the Open Administration Consortium of Catalonia for identification with the Catalan public administrations, allows you to carry out online procedures with full legal guarantees.

How can you get a digital certificate?

To obtain a digital certificate accepted in the corporate processing services of the Generalitat de Catalunya, follow the procedure explained on the website of the certifying entity that issues it. Generally, certificates issued by public certifying entities are free and those issued by private certifying entities have an economic cost.

What does electronic signature mean?

The advanced electronic signature is a cryptographic mechanism that guarantees the recipient the origin and integrity of the document sent by the issuer. The encryption of the information ensures that it has not been manipulated by third parties before reaching its recipient. With the use of the advanced electronic signature, it is guaranteed that the credentials used are legitimate and determine the will of the signer.

Why is it important to have a digital certificate?

The digital certificate is the only identification mechanism allowed to use the corporate processing services of the Generalitat de Catalunya that require this identification.

The use of a certificate is necessary for the delivery of all those application forms that require identification and / or electronic signature. If you download them after identification with a digital certificate, their incorporated identity data will be displayed.

Furthermore, if you want to access the "My folder" space, which facilitates centralized monitoring of your procedures and procedures, you can only do so with a valid digital certificate.

What type of digital certificates are accepted?

All the digital certificates of those certification entities that are classified by the Open Administration Consortium of Catalonia as valid can be used to identify citizens and companies before the Catalan public administrations.

It must be taken into account that for each service or procedure the list of accepted certificates may be restricted, depending on what the particular aspects of its security policy and / or regulations determine.

How do you know what kind of certificate to use?

Digital certificates not only certify the identity of their holder, but also, in many cases, determine the link to an entity or group and their degree of representation towards it. This accreditation is determined by the digital certificate used by the user and the information that it incorporates.

The supported accreditation options are the following:

• Physical person: The identified person acts in a personal capacity.
• Person linked to an organization without representation capacity: In an area where the identified person belongs to a professional and / or business group, they can act on their own behalf but cannot act on behalf of the group or company.
• Person linked to an organization with representation capacity: The person identified belongs to a professional and / or business group and can act on behalf of the group or company.
• Legal person: The identified person belongs to a professional and / or business group and is identified as the group or company itself.
• Natural person attached to a professional group: In an area where the identified person belongs to a group of registered professionals and can act on their own behalf, if applicable.

How can you get an idCAT?

The idCAT is the digital certificate issued by the Open Administration Consortium of Catalonia and that the Generalitat de Catalunya makes available to citizens.

There are two ways to obtain it:

• Through the idCAT website. Once you have entered the necessary data to obtain the digital certificate in the application form, the application will inform you of the different idCAT Registration Entities (ER idCAT), offices where you must present yourself with the identity document and where they will validate your application. In order to use the idCAT certificate, you must follow the instructions that appear in the document that the operator will give you.
• Go to any of the idCAT Registration Entities, where they will issue their idCAT certificate without having previously made the request. In order to use the idCAT certificate, you must follow the instructions that appear in the document that the operator will give you. With this certificate you can carry out procedures with the local, regional or state public administration.

Can I use the electronic DNI?

Yes, it is one of the types of certificate for individuals accepted to be able to use the corporate online processing services of the Generalitat de Catalunya. We recommend that you read the section Technical aspects to take into account if you carry out the procedure with an electronic ID to avoid problems when signing documents with Adobe Reader X and XI.

Printable version