The Council of Ministers has approved this Tuesday a royal decree that regulates the process of issuing, managing and developing the national identity document (DNI) not only in its physical version, but also, for the first time, in its digital version, thus adapting the use of the DNI to the new digital challenges and offering citizens the possibility of having the identity document in digital format on their mobile phone.
The digital DNI is a project of the Ministry of the Interior developed by the National Police, within the framework of the Digital Identity Plan, together with the National Mint. Its implementation will transform the way citizens accredit their identity in their relations with the public administration and the private sector, which can now be done through an application installed on the mobile phone with the same legal validity as the physical DNI and the maximum security guarantees.
Spain is one of the first European countries to have a system to accredit identity through the mobile phone by means of a simple, intuitive and effective virtual support, an advance in the way of accrediting identity to carry out any type of transaction, both in the public and private spheres.
With this objective, the royal decree sets a period of twelve months for public and private entities to adopt the necessary measures for the proper functioning of the digital version of the DNI. During this period, acceptance of the new digital format will not be mandatory and both the Ministry of the Interior and the General Directorate of the Police will adopt different initiatives to promote its use among citizens.
The DNI in physical format will coexist with digital identification via mobile phone, which does not replace the traditional card. Access to the digital format will be through the MiDNI application, available in the main digital markets, which in a first phase will allow the face-to-face accreditation of Spanish citizens, with the maximum security guarantees, as well as verifying the authenticity of the credentials of other citizens.
Through MiDNI, the user will request their identity data from the National Police and, in order for them to be requested by third parties, a QR with limited validity is generated that is signed and sealed by this police force.
MiDNI, therefore, guarantees the authenticity of the data shown in real time and certifies that they are up-to-date and valid at the time of verification. The use of this application prevents the manipulation or falsification of the data, which will not be stored either on the mobile phone requesting the identification or on the one verifying the identity of the digital DNI holder.
Use of the digital DNI
In a first phase, the DNI will only allow identification in person with the same validity as the DNI in physical format. It will therefore serve to accredit identity in access control to any public or private space that requires it, to establish any type of legal relationship, to sign deeds before a notary, to accredit identity in face-to-face procedures before the Administration and to carry out face-to-face administrative procedures with both public administrations and private entities.
Also for actions such as proving the age of majority, opening a bank account, registering at a hotel, renting a vehicle, carrying out face-to-face commercial transactions in which a valid DNI is required or collecting packages at post offices or courier services. In general, the digital DNI will allow all those face-to-face identity accreditations that are now carried out with the physical card.
In this first phase, the DNI on the mobile phone will not serve to accredit identity via the Internet, use it as an electronic travel document for border crossing, accredit identity in other countries or carry out telematic authentication and/or electronic signature procedures.
In a second phase planned for 2026, the MiDNI application will allow the accreditation of identity to carry out telematic procedures, electronic signature and other operations via the Internet.
How to obtain the digital DNI
To have the digital DNI, it is necessary to complete three phases: a prior registration that unequivocally links the identity of the citizen to a mobile phone number that allows the download of the MiDNI application, virtualization of the DNI and verification of the process.
To register, it is necessary that the DNI is in force and its electronic certificates are active, and it can be done through the website www.midni.gob.es, in any of the Documentation Update Points (PAD) existing in police stations or town halls and in any of the 290 Documentation Units of the National Police.
In any of these registration channels, the citizen will be informed of the access route to the application for download. During registration, it is verified that the DNI is associated with that telephone number by means of single-use codes that the user must use to finalize the correct linking. Only one DNI can be associated with a mobile phone number.
After registration and download of the application, it will be possible to virtualize the DNI. MiDNI does not store the citizen's identity data, but through it, the DNI management unit is consulted in real time. In the event that the document is lost or stolen, the information will not be available.
When making the query, the DNI holder may decide which data he/she wants to show depending on the use he/she wants to make of it and the purpose of the identity verification. This freedom to show the data according to the situation increases the privacy of the citizen, as it is not necessary to show all the data in all situations.
The three options available are:
- DNI AGE, which will show the photograph, the name and the age of majority;
- DNI SIMPLE, which will reflect the photograph, the name, surnames, sex and validity of the DNI,
- and DNI COMPLETE, which shows all the data of the physical document.
Once the requested level of information has been chosen, the application generates a QR code that is displayed on the screen of the DNI holder's telephone. It is a code generated by the National Police, which ensures that the data is authentic at that very moment, which will remain visible for a short period of time to facilitate verification. After this period, it will lose its validity and it will be necessary to generate a new code.
The generated QR code can be scanned by any other device on which the MiDNI application has been installed. When scanning it, the citizen's data will appear on the screen of the verifying user depending on the option chosen. This data will remain on the screen for a short period of time to allow verification and will not be stored on the verifier's telephone.
The National Police and the DNI
All Spaniards have the right to be issued with a National Identity Document, and it is compulsory for those over fourteen years of age residing in Spain to obtain one. In addition, the DNI can be obtained before that age, at any time from the registration of the minor in the Civil Registry. All persons obliged to obtain the DNI are also obliged to exhibit it when required to do so by the authority or its agents.
The National Police issues or renews more than 7 million DNI each year. Every day more than 40,000 citizens pass through the Documentation Units of the National Police to issue or renew their identity documents.
With the implementation of MiDNI, the use of the digital DNI creates a new way of accrediting the identity of citizens with the same guarantees and the same validity as the physical format, which constitutes a great advance in the digital transformation of Spain and in the way in which citizens relate both to public administrations, in the different procedures that require the presentation of the DNI, and in relations with the private sector.
