Frequently Asked Questions | Electronic Office

Basic concepts of electronic signature

What is an electronic signature?

An electronic signature is a set of data associated with a document that allows the signatory to be identified and linked to the document as if it were a handwritten signature. An electronic signature with a digital certificate also guarantees the integrity of the signed documents.

What legal guarantee does an electronic signature offer me?

Law 59/2003 on electronic signatures regulates electronic signatures, their legal effectiveness and the provision of certification services. In particular, article 3.4 provides that: "A qualified electronic signature shall have the same value with respect to data in electronic form as a handwritten signature with respect to data in paper form.

When should I make an electronic signature at this electronic office?

In conformity with article 11 of Law 39/2015, this electronic office only requires the obligatory use of electronic signature for the submission of documents to the electronic registry.

What is AutoFirma?

AutoFirma is a desktop application of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administrations, which allows you to make the electronic signature of a procedure of the electronic office in your local computer in a simple way, and without the need to use applets, which allows you to use web browsers that no longer support this technology.

How do I install AutoSign on my computer?

The AutoFirma application has versions for Windows, Linux, and Mac on its official website. Download Autofirma.

You can consult the AutoFirma installation process in the following User Installation Manual. You will need administrator permissions to install and run the application on your computer.

The electronic office of the Consortium of Valencia, like the electronic office of many other Public Administrations, uses the Autofirma application to facilitate the signature operation during electronic processing.

AutoFirma is an application developed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Function that contemplates 2 operations: Electronically sign documents found on the computer, such as PDFs. In this case, standard installation is sufficient. To sign electronically in electronic Offices by means of navigators that do not execute Java (like Chrome, Edge, Firefox from version 52, Opera, etc...), In this case, the installation of the application must be made with administrator privileges.

If I have Autofirma installed, why does the electronic office tell me that the Autofirma application does not seem to be installed?

AutoFirma is an application developed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Function that contemplates 2 operations:

Electronically sign documents found on the computer, such as PDFs. In this case, standard installation is sufficient.
To sign electronically in electronic Offices by means of navigators that do not execute Java (like Chrome, Edge, Firefox from version 52, Opera, etc...), In this case, the installation of the application must be made with administrator privileges.

It is very important to follow the instructions given in the manual that accompanies the download of this application, to make a correct installation of Autofirma, which are different depending on the Operating System of the computer where it is installed. For example, in Windows systems, the correct installation is achieved by clicking the right mouse button on the installable and selecting the Run as administrator option.

You can check if you have Autofirma correctly installed, as well as the validity of your certificates by performing a signature test using the State's VALIDe platform, whose address is: https://valide.redsara.es/valide/firmar/ejecutar.html

Also, the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness has published a detailed document of configuration and installation of the Autofirma application, which also exposes causes and solutions of known problems on the use of Autofirma. It is available at this link.