Public and private entities will be obliged to accept MiDNI, after the twelve-month period set out in the Third Transitional Provision of Royal Decree 255/2025, of April 1, to adopt the necessary measures for the proper functioning of the digital version of the DNI
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation in Spain of the electronic ID card, which represented the integration of the National Identity Document into the digital transformation of the Spanish Administration.
Starting tomorrow, any citizen will be able to utilize their digital ID card on their mobile phone, via the MiDNI app, as a valid form of legal identification. Public and private entities will be required to accept MiDNI after the twelve-month period stipulated in the Third Transitional Provision of Royal Decree 255/2025, of April 1, for adopting the necessary measures for the proper functioning of the digital version of the ID card.
The digital format, through the MiDNI application, allows for the in-person accreditation of Spanish citizens, with the highest security guarantees, as well as verifying the authenticity of other citizens’ credentials.
With the National Identity Document (DNI) on your mobile phone, you will be able to, among other things, prove your identity in person (provided there is a data connection), establish any type of legal relationship, prove your identity in face-to-face procedures before notaries, before the administration or carry out administrative procedures in Universities and Educational Centers (both public and private), prove your age of majority, formalize insurance of any type, register in a hotel, rent a vehicle, acquire tickets or nominative tickets that require identification of the interested party, carry out face-to-face commercial transactions in which a valid DNI is required or to prove the identity of the interested party, carry out access control to buildings, access different entertainment venues (cinemas, theaters, concerts, etc.), collect packages (Post Office, couriers, …) or pick up medicines in pharmacies.
To obtain a digital ID card, you required a valid physical ID card, and you must register and activate it. Registration can be done online through the website. https://www.midni.gob.esThe digital ID card can be activated at the Documentation Update Points located in National Police Stations, Documentation Units, and in the more than 300 municipalities that have a Documentation Update Point. To activate the digital ID card, you required to download the application, enter your ID and support numbers, create a password, and enter the verification code received via SMS.
After registering and downloading the application, it will be possible to virtualize your National Identity Document (DNI). MiDNI does not store the citizen’s identity data; instead, it allows real-time consultation with the DNI management unit. If the document is lost, stolen, or misplaced, the citizen can cancel the digital version by reporting it to the National Police.
MyID card offers three options depfinishing on the data we required to display:
• ID CARD AGE, which will reveal the photograph, name and legal age;
• SIMPLE ID CARD, which will reflect the photograph, name, surnames, sex and validity of the ID card,
• COMPLETE ID CARD, which reveals all the data of the physical document.
Once the requested level of information is selected, the application generates a QR code that is displayed on the ID card holder’s phone screen. This code, generated by the National Police, ensures the data is authentic at that moment and remains visible for a short period to facilitate verification. After this period, it will expire, and a new code will required to be generated.
The generated QR code can be scanned by any other device on which the MiDNI application has been installed or from the QR verifier available on the web www.midni.gob.esUpon scanning, the citizen’s data will appear on the verifier’s screen, depfinishing on the selected option. This data will remain on screen for a short period of time to allow for verification and will not be stored on the verifier’s phone.
20 years since one of the greatest advances in the history of the National Identity Document (DNI).
This March marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the electronic National Identity Document (DNIe), which integrated the DNI into the digital transformation of the Spanish Administration. The new DNI model incorporated a cryptographic chip that allowed citizens to verify their digital identity, sign documents electronically with full legal validity, and access electronic services provided by the Public Administration.
It was one of the most important advances in the history of the Spanish National Identity Document (DNI), and numerous international experts argued at the time that the new electronic signature system offered the highest guarantees. They also positioned the Spanish identification document at the forefront of technological security worldwide. It was launched in its pilot phase in March 2006 in the city of Burgos, and was subsequently implemented gradually in the other Spanish provinces.
Its origins date back to the 19th century
It was around 1800 that security cards, identity cards, and internal passports launched to be created. The first editions did not include a photograph, so they contained a physical description of the holder and the price paid. Sometimes they authorized the holder to travel within Spain, but they primarily served a fiscal purpose.
However, the National Identity Document in Spain was officially established by the Decree of March 2, 1944. Although the legislation was enacted that year to centralize citizen identification and improve census control, its physical implementation was not immediate. The first National Identity Document was issued on March 20, 1951, in the city of Valencia.
Initially, it was mandatory for certain groups (men in specific professions and areas), and its mandatory nature was gradually extfinished to the entire population. This first model of national identity card, valid until 1961, was green and included information such as employment and profession, distinguishing between four categories depfinishing on the holder’s economic situation.
Generalization and modernization (1962–1989)
The second version of the National Identity Document (DNI) was blue. During these decades, it became the mandatory document for all Spanish adults. Improvements were created to the format and security features, including the addition of a laminated photograph and more secure printing systems.
A significant milestone was the evolution in the treatment of women’s identity, which ceased to be linked to the husband’s name, reflecting social and legal modifys towards legal equality.
Computerized National Identity Document (1990)
In 1990, the computerized National Identity Document (DNI) was introduced, modernizing the issuance processes and digitizing data, improving administrative management and reducing errors. It did not include a fingerprint and incorporated OCR character lines.
Following the advances of 2006 with the creation of the electronic ID card, in 2015 the ID card 3.0 was launched, which incorporated NFC technology (short range wireless communication), allowing its utilize with mobile devices and facilitating identity verification in a more agile way.
National Identity Document 4.0, adaptation to European standards (2021)
The DNIe 4.0, European format, was created five years ago to comply with EU Regulation 2019/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on strengthening the security of identity documents for citizens of the Union and members of their families exercising their right to free shiftment.
In Spain, it was presented on June 2, 2021, by the Minister of the Interior at the National Police Station in Móstoles (Madrid). Apart from the security measures incorporated in the DNI 3.0, the flag of the European Union was added with the initials of the countest that issues the document and the indication of the title of National Identity Document in at least one other official language of the Union.
MyID app (2025)
Within the framework of the digital transformation of electronic identity promoted by the Public Administration, and in particular within the National Police’s Digital Identity Plan, the MiDNI application was officially launched on April 2, 2025. This tool allows utilizers to securely generate a temporary QR code on their mobile phone which, when scanned, displays their identity data and facilitates in-person verification of their digital identity with full legal validity in Spain.
The utilizer can select the level of data they wish to share depfinishing on each situation, thus reinforcing the protection of their privacy, while their identity is reliably verified through the generation of secure QR codes signed by the National Police.
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