Getting proof that you filed (justificante de registro)

Terms used

• Justificante — The justificante is the official receipt proving you filed a document, with its entry number and date.
• Número de registro de entrada — The número de registro de entrada is the number the registry gives your filing when it is received.
• CSV — The CSV is a secure verification code on an electronic document, used to check online that it is genuine.
• Correos — Correos is Spain's national postal service.
• Resguardo — The resguardo is the receipt you keep after sending an item by certified post.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is Spain's online identity system for signing in and filing with public offices.
• Burofax — A burofax is a postal service that officially records the content and delivery of a message.
• Defensor del Pueblo — The Defensor del Pueblo is Spain's national ombudsman, who handles complaints about public administration.

Key rules

• Online receipt: Download the PDF acknowledgement the moment you submit, because it is your proof.
• Correos: Hand the envelope over open so the clerk can stamp the first page, or the date may not be provable.
• Refusal: If an office will not give a receipt, record the refusal and file the same document by another route.
• Deadlines: Count working days only, and file early so the date on your proof is safely inside the deadline.

The short answer

Never leave a filing without proof. When you file in person, you can ask for a copy stamped with the date and registry seal, and the office must give you a receipt. Online and postal filings have their own proof, described below. Keep every piece of it until the matter is fully closed.

In person at a registry

Hand over your document and your own copy. Ask for one of these:

• Your copy stamped with the registry seal and the date (usually the time too).
• A registry receipt (justificante or recibo) showing the entry number (número de registro de entrada), the date, the office and a summary of the documents you filed.

Check before you leave the counter that the entry number and the date are readable. A smudged stamp is hard to fix later.

Online

The electronic registry gives you a PDF acknowledgement (justificante de presentación) when you submit. Download it straight away and save it. It shows the entry number, the date and exact time, the list of documents you sent and a verification code (CSV). You can check the receipt online later with that code.

Electronic registries are open every day, all day. If you file on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the filing counts as made on the next working day when a deadline is being checked.

By post through Correos

Take the envelope to the counter open. The clerk stamps the date on the first page of your document and on the postal form. Then the item goes by certified mail (certificado), with acknowledgement of receipt if you want it. Keep the resguardo (the receipt) and your stamped copy.

When the first page carries that dated stamp, the day you handed it in counts as the filing date. Without the open envelope and the stamped first page, you may not be able to prove the date.

Which date counts

The date that counts is the day the document is entered in the registry that receives it. The exception is Correos, where the day you handed it in counts, as above. Dates follow Spanish official time.

Deadlines in days count working days only. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are left out, and counting starts the day after you are notified. Deadlines in months run from date to date. If the last day is not a working day, the deadline moves to the next one. File early so the date on your proof is safely inside the deadline.

If the office refuses to stamp or give a receipt

Stay calm and do this in order:

1. Politely say that the office must give you a receipt, and ask for the supervisor.
2. Ask for a complaint form (hoja de quejas y sugerencias). Write down the refusal with the date, time, office and the official's name. A witness helps.
3. File the same document by another route: online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, through Correos with the stamped first page, or at another registry.
4. If the matter is urgent, you can send a burofax or a notarial or electronic notice that records what you sent.
5. Afterwards, complain to the office's inspection service (inspección de servicios) or to the Defensor del Pueblo, the national ombudsman.

Do all of this early, well before the deadline. The comparison, documents, checklist and questions below cover each route in more detail.

Submitting a document in person, online or by post compared

Which route to pick

Electronic filing is the best choice if you can use it. In person is the safest fallback. Post is the slowest and the easiest to get wrong. All three are valid ways to file with a Spanish public body. An ordinary email is not a filing and does not start or stop any deadline.

Electronic registry

You get the receipt the moment you submit. Download it and keep it. Anyone can check it online with its verification code.

If you have no certificate or Cl@ve, you cannot file this way yourself. A representative or a gestor can file for you.

Companies, lawyers, gestors and other professionals must file electronically. They cannot choose another route.

In person

Staff can spot missing papers before you leave.

Before you leave, check that the entry number and date are legible. Book a cita previa first if the office asks for one.

By post

The date you hand the document to Correos counts as the filing date, but only if you do it exactly right:

1. Take the document to a post office in an open envelope.
2. Send it as certified mail. Add acknowledgement of receipt if you want it.

A closed envelope or a first page without the stamp can leave you unable to prove the date. Use post only when you have no other option and no tight deadline.

What to check first

Channels and waiting times differ by office and procedure. Look at the page for your specific procedure to see which routes it accepts.

Timeline and deadlines

• Start counting a deadline in days from the notification: the day after you are notified or the notice is published

• Count only working days, leaving out Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: for every deadline set in days

• Count a deadline set in months from date to date: from the day after notification, ending on the same date of the later month

• Move the deadline to the next working day if its last day is not one: when the last day falls on a weekend or public holiday

• File early so the date on your proof is safely inside the deadline: well before the last day

• Know that an online filing on a non-working day counts as made on the next business day: for filings made on weekends and public holidays

• If an office refuses to stamp or give a receipt, write down the refusal and file the same document by another route: as soon as the office refuses, before the deadline runs out

• Complain to the office's inspection service or the Defensor del Pueblo (the national ombudsman): after you have filed by another route

Documents you need

• Your own copy of the document, stamped by the registry with its seal and the date (and usually the time). This is your proof for an in-person filing.

• The registry receipt (justificante or recibo) showing the entry number (número de registro de entrada), date, office and a summary of the documents. You can take this instead of, or as well as, the stamped copy.

• For an online filing, the PDF acknowledgement from the electronic registry. It shows the entry number, date and exact time, the list of documents filed and a verification code (CSV, código seguro de verificación).

• For a filing through Correos, your copy with the date stamped on its first page and the resguardo (receipt) that Correos gives you. The clerk also stamps the postal form.

• If an office refuses to stamp or give a receipt, a complaint form (hoja de quejas y sugerencias) with the refusal written down: date, time, office and the official involved.

Checklist

• Download the PDF acknowledgement as soon as you file online, and keep it.

• Hand over the envelope open at Correos, so the clerk stamps the date on the first page of your document and on the postal form.

• Send the item certified at Correos, with acknowledgement of receipt if you want it, and keep the resguardo and your stamped copy.

• Politely tell the clerk that the office must give you a receipt, and ask for the supervisor if it refuses.

• Bring a witness and take notes if you go back in person. Send a burofax (a certified message with proof of delivery) if it is essential.

Frequently asked questions

Which date counts if I file through Correos?

The date stamped on the first sheet when you hand in the open envelope at Correos counts as your filing date. Without the open envelope and the stamped first sheet, you may not be able to prove that date. Keep your stamped copy and the receipt Correos gives you.

Can I file online on a Sunday or a public holiday?

Yes, electronic registries are open 24 hours every day, but a filing made on a non-working day counts as made on the next business day for deadlines. If a deadline is close, file on a working day. The time is Spanish official time.

Can I check my online receipt later?

Yes, you can check an online receipt at any time using the secure verification code (CSV) printed on it. Keep the PDF safe so you can show it if anyone questions your filing.