AutoFirma is a programme that is installed on a computer (it runs on Windows, Linux and Mac), developed by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service. Its main function is to enable users to digitally sign documents or carry out online procedures relating to public administration.

To do this, AutoFirma uses the digital certificates already stored in the operating system or the computer’s web browser, particularly when used via an official website. It is also compatible with external devices, such as the electronic ID card or smart cards, which enable the user to be identified and to sign securely.

Before starting an online procedure (via the website) or signing a digital document, there are two important points to bear in mind:

• You must have a valid digital certificate. The certificate you use must be valid; in other words, it must not have expired or been revoked.
• You must have the AutoFirma application installed on the computer you are using to sign the document. It is recommended that you have the latest version installed.

• Windows
  • Directly supported on versions 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11
  • Both 32-bit and 64-bit
• Linux

  Distributions: Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSUSE

• Mac OS

  Directly supported on Ventura, Monterey and Big Sur

It is important to download the version of Autofirma that corresponds to the operating system of the computer on which it is to be installed.

To check whether your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit, there are two ways to do this:

• From the Settings menu:
• Click the Windows Start button (the logo).
• Go to: “Settings > System > About”
• Look for “System type”. There you will see whether your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Note: Depending on your version of Windows, the path names may vary.

• Using the Windows search function:
• Click on the search icon, or type “About your PC” directly into the search bar.
• A window containing information about your computer will open. Check the “System type” section.

AutoFirma can only be downloaded for the operating systems listed under the heading "Which operating systems does AutoFirma support?". If your operating system is not one of these, AutoFirma cannot be installed.

• Windows:
  • Google Chrome 46 or later
  • Mozilla Firefox 41.0.2 or later
  • Microsoft Edge 60 or later (Edge Chromium)
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or later
  • Microsoft Edge Legacy v20 or later (EdgeHTML)
• Linux:

  Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 or later

• Mac OS:
  • Apple Safari 12.0 or later
  • Google Chrome 46 or later
  • Mozilla Firefox 65 or later

WARNING. The operation of AutoFirma in versions of Internet Explorer prior to 11 (or Internet Explorer 11 in compatibility mode with an earlier version) is subject to the web application administrator having met certain requirements during deployment. Therefore, to ensure that signing operations work correctly, we recommend using any of the other supported browsers.

On Mac and Windows systems, it is not necessary to have a Java runtime environment installed. On Linux, you will need Oracle Java 11 or OpenJDK 11 (listed as a dependency in the integrated AutoFirma installer).

It is mandatory to have Autofirma installed before starting the web procedure in which it will be used to carry out the signing operations.

It is not possible to add Autofirma as a browser extension, as it is a programme that is installed on your computer.

To find out if AutoFirma is installed on your computer, you can check the list of installed programmes via the Start menu. You can also type “AutoFirma” into the Windows search bar and see if it appears. Normally, if it is installed, you will see an icon on your desktop showing a red pen shaped like the letter “A”.

Please follow the link provided at the top of this page to download the software.

Please note that correct operation is only guaranteed for Autofirma downloads made via that link. Versions are available for different operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac). Once you have downloaded Autofirma, simply open the file and follow the on-screen instructions. If you need help, please refer to the installation guide at the top of this page.

Depending on the operating system and browser you use, we recommend that you consult the guide at the top of this page. This guide explains the steps for installing or uninstalling AutoFirma. To do this, you will need administrator rights on your computer and must close all browsers before you begin. If you are installing AutoFirma, we recommend enabling the automatic update option so that the programme stays up to date without you having to do so manually.

This message may appear on a Mac when you try to open AutoFirma and the app has not been downloaded from the official store (Mac App Store). To bypass the block, hold down the Control key, click on the AutoFirma icon and select Open. When the warning message reappears, you can click Open to continue. The system may ask for the administrator password to authorise opening the application. Once the system preferences have been saved, you should not encounter any problems opening AutoFirma in future.

Administrator permissions are required to reinstall the application. To restore the AutoFirma installation, open the application and select the menu option ‘Tools > Restore Installation’. As with the installation process, it is important that all web browsers are closed before you begin. Once complete, it is recommended that you restart your computer so that the changes take effect correctly.

This option is useful when there are communication issues between AutoFirma and web browsers, such as if you have installed a new browser after installing AutoFirma, if you have created new users on the computer, if there are multiple user profiles in the browser, or if a user’s profile has been reset.

To check whether you have the latest version, open AutoFirma and select ‘Help > About AutoFirma’ in the top right-hand corner of the menu.

Depending on the operating system installed on your computer (Windows, Mac or Linux), you can view and download the latest version of AutoFirma from its official website. It is important to choose the correct version for your system, as each one is specifically designed to work properly in that environment.

Depending on your operating system, you can find the latest version of the AutoFirma application at the following link: Portal Firma - Downloads (firmaelectronica.gob.es)

If the following message appears when you launch Autofirma:

If you click ‘Yes’, you will be redirected to the Autofirma installation page, where you can download the latest version for your operating system. If you are using a Windows operating system, you may find the following article useful: If I have a Windows operating system, how can I tell if it is 32-bit or 64-bit?

Please remember that, before installing a new version, you must uninstall the previous one; you may find the following post helpful: What steps do I need to follow to install/uninstall Autofirma?

Depending on your operating system, you can download the latest version of AutoFirma available via this link: Portal Firma - Downloads (firmaelectronica.gob.es). You will need administrator rights on your computer and must close all browser windows. During installation, it is advisable to enable automatic updates for AutoFirma.

To enable automatic updates for AutoFirma, open the application and go to the “Tools > Preferences” menu. On the “General” tab, tick the “Check for updates on launch” option. With this setting enabled, every time you open AutoFirma, the system will automatically check for a new version, ensuring that you always have the latest version installed.

As with the installation process, it is advisable to close all web browsers before making any changes to the settings.

If you need to digitally sign a document stored on your computer, you can do so using the AutoFirma application. To do this, open AutoFirma and select the file or files you wish to sign. There are two ways to do this: by clicking the ‘Select files to sign’ button, which will open a window where you can choose one or more documents, or by dragging the files directly into the dark grey area that appears in the application, where the message ‘Click the button or drag files or folders into this area’ is displayed. AutoFirma allows you to sign files of any type, regardless of their file extension.

You can click on the “View File” option to preview the document to be signed and check that it is the file you wish to sign.

Once you have selected the files you wish to sign, click the “Sign” button at the bottom of the screen. This will open a window where you can choose the digital certificate you wish to use for the signature. It is important to ensure that the certificate is valid – that is, that it has not expired or been revoked – as the signature will be rejected in either case.

If the certificate you wish to use is stored somewhere other than the operating system (for example, in the Firefox browser, in a file or on your electronic ID card), you can change the certificate store from that same selection screen by choosing the relevant option.

After clicking the “OK” button, AutoFirma will generate a signature for each of the selected documents, in the formats specified in the “Tools > Preferences” menu option.

Yes, Autofirma allows you to sign documents in any format, not just PDFs.

For most of this Ministry’s online procedures, the signature format must be XADES (excluding electronic invoices). On this page, you will find the necessary instructions to configure Autofirma so that the default signature format is always XADES, regardless of the format of the document to be signed (PDF, XML, ODF, etc.).

No. Once installed, it will remain on your computer until you decide to uninstall it, unless you experience problems with the application. In that case, you can reinstall it and try again.

By default, AutoFirma displays the digital certificates stored in the computer’s operating system certificate store, provided they are valid (i.e. they have not expired or been revoked).

Browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome use this same system store. However, Mozilla Firefox uses its own certificate store, which is independent. If you use Firefox, it is recommended that you enable trust in the operating system’s store (only on Windows or Mac computers). This can be done during the installation of AutoFirma or later, using the ‘Tools > Restore installation’ option within the application.

On computers running macOS, ensure that the settings for both your electronic certificate and the “AutofirmaRoot” certificate are set to “Always trust” (a blue circle with a plus sign). If this is not the case, right-click on the certificate, select “Get Info  Trust” and set all available options to “Always Trust”.

If you are using a smart card, refer to section 8.9 of the AutoFirma installation manual.

You can check the validity of your certificate in Valide, in the following link: VALIDe (redsara.es)

Depending on the browser you are using, follow this path:

• Microsoft Edge: from the menu, select “Settings ➔ Privacy, search and services ➔ Security ➔ Manage certificates ➔ Personal tab”
• Mozilla Firefox: from the menu, select “Settings ➔ Privacy & Security ➔ Certificates ➔ View Certificates ➔ ‘Your Certificates’ tab”
• Google Chrome: from the menu, select “Settings ➔ Privacy and Security ➔ Security ➔ Manage Certificates ➔ ‘Personal’ tab”
• Apple Safari: from the menu, select “Tools ➔ Keychain Access ➔ Keychains ➔ My Certificates”

Locate and select the certificate you wish to copy or export (you can refer to the section ‘How can I view the certificates installed in my web browser’s certificate store?’) and click the ‘Export’ button”

An export wizard will open, in which you must select the “Export private key” option. If this option is not available for selection, you will not be able to copy your certificate.An export wizard will open, in which you must select the “Export private key” option. If this option is not available for selection, you will not be able to copy your certificate.

In the ‘Security’ section, select the ‘Password’ option, where you will need to set and confirm the password you wish to use. Please note that this password cannot be recovered under any circumstances.

You will then need to give it a name, choose where you want to save the copy of the certificate, and click ‘Finish’.

From the menu option “Tools ➔ General tab ➔ Preferences” you can configure the signatures generated for each type of signature format (PADES, XADES or CADES) used by AutoFirma. By default, for most of the procedures of this Ministry, the format to be configured is XADES (excluding “Electronic invoices”).

From the “Tools ➔ General tab ➔ Preferences” menu option, select “Configure formats” to change the formats of any type of document (except e-Invoices, which must keep the InvoiceE format) and click the “OK” button.

To use AutoFirma, the programme must be installed on your computer and you must have a valid digital certificate. If you wish to use that same certificate on another computer, you will need to install it on that new computer as well – as certificates are not automatically shared between devices – and install AutoFirma on the new computer.

If you have forgotten the password of your certificate, and you have no way to recover it, it is recommended to contact the entity that issued the certificate.