How to Install the Electronic DNI

DNIe: the DNI of the future.

The DNI is the simplest and most efficient way to identify and be identifiedwhich is why official bodies and some services or businesses require it to ensure that each person is who they say they are.

The DNI has always been a physical document, but with the advancement of technology it has been possible for Spain to include in 2006 a digital version of the same with the name of DNIe o Electronic DNI, which has been updated since its inclusion until version 3.0 that we have active at the time of writing this article and that allows carry out different procedures remotely from our computer with card reader or mobile device with NFC as long as we meet the requirements to use the electronic functionality of our identity document.

Requirements prior to the installation of the DNIe

The first thing we will have to do to use the electronic functionality of our DNI is identify the version we have of the electronic DNI. As we have said before, the most recent is 3.0, but if we have not updated the document for a long time, we may have an older version.

In addition, to be able to use the electronic DNI functionality we will have to have an access pinwhich they give us when renewing or making the DNI and that we can change or recover in the offices destined to the issuance of these documents in some machines destined for that purpose, so that if we do not have our pin or do not remember it we will have to go to to one of their offices to recover it before being able to do business with them.

In case we have a card with eID 3.0 we will have the option to use the document with a traditional card reader for PC as with all previous versions and the option of use the DNI with a deviceNFC oscillation.

Thus, if we want to use any version of the DNIe with a traditional card reader, we will have to have a smart card reader like the one above in which we can enter the DNIe. Depending on the model, we can find them either incorporated in keyboards or with USB connectivity.

If, on the other hand, we have a DNIe 3.0 and we want to use it through NFC, we will only have to have a device with NFC connectivity such as a mobile or tablet to be able to use it, which also has an operating system Android version 4.2 or higher, without giving an option for iOS or computers, at least for now.

How to install the DNIe step by step

In case that we want to use the DNIe through NFC, the only thing we will have to do is download the official applications in which we want to carry out the procedures, such as the application of the DGT or that of the Madrid City Council. The applications compatible with this functionality can be found in the Google Play Store if we search by the name of its developer: CNP-FNMT.

If, on the contrary, we want to use the DNIe through the traditional connection through a card reader connected to our computer, we can follow the following steps:

1. Connect the card reader to the computer and insert the DNI in it. When doing this, the necessary drivers for its operation should be automatically installed from Windows Update, making everything ready to work. It is important that we leave the DNI inserted in the reader during the entire installation and use process.
2. Enter the pin of our DNIe. If the installation has been successful and it is the first time that we use the electronic function of the DNI in the equipment, it will ask us to insert the pin of the DNIe to read and install the pertinent certificates in the computer.

3. If the driver installation does not proceed automatically: go to Windows Update. To do this, we can enter “check for updates” in the start search engine to go to Windows Update and there click on the check for updates button to manually install the necessary drivers.

   

With this done, we will be able to operate with the DNIe certificates from our computer, which can be consulted in each browser as internet explorer although it is not recommended since it has already been removed or other browsers Chromium as Google Chrome, Opera or the new Edge that in its chromium version has been quite successful, since Firefox seems to have problems for it to work correctly in the latest versions.

Other ways to sign and authenticate online

The electronic DNI is the simplest and most used way to digitally sign for the different procedures in official bodies, and now with the inclusion of NFC technology it is done even easier its use on mobile devices, although it is not the only option to be able to sign digitally or identify ourselves.

For example, the National Mint and Stamp Factory-Royal Mint (FNMT-RCM) launched an initiative called CERES to establish a public certification entity to be able to identify and authenticate, in addition to ensuring communications between different individuals. This initiative offers, among other things, a FNMT certificate of a natural person that allows identification online, in addition to signing and encrypting documents electronically that can be accessed and requested from the following Web page.

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