How courts and authorities notify you, and how to spot fake notices

Terms used

• DEHú — DEHú is the single electronic address where official administrative notifications from the state administration and other bodies are delivered.
• LexNET — LexNET is the secure system lawyers, procuradores and courts use for judicial notifications and filings.
• Carpeta Ciudadana — Carpeta Ciudadana is the personal online area where you can see your records and notices with the administration.
• Edicto — An edicto is a public notice, published officially, used to notify someone whose address the court cannot find.
• Indefensión — Indefensión means lack of defence: you were denied a real chance to defend yourself in proceedings.
• Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV) — The Dirección Electrónica Vial is the electronic mailbox where the traffic authority sends notices about fines.

Key rules

• Private individuals: If you are not otherwise obliged, electronic notification is your choice and you can opt out.
• Unread administrative notice: After 10 calendar days unopened, it is treated as rejected and the procedure continues.
• Unread court notice: If you are a professional or obliged person, it counts as served after three working days unopened.
• Edict: A notice published by edict has the same effect as personal service, even if you never saw it.
• Verification: Never click a link in the message; log in to the official service yourself.

Who must use electronic channels

Companies and other organisations must deal with courts and administrations electronically. So must professionals who need membership of a professional body (lawyers, notaries and similar), people who represent them, and public employees. A recent justice reform extended mandatory electronic contact with the courts to more people.

If you are a private individual and not otherwise obliged, you can choose the electronic route and can opt out of it. The exception is where the law makes it mandatory. The decision block below helps you pick.

Which system carries which notice

• Court notices to lawyers, procuradores and other legal professionals go through LexNET. Obliged people who are not professionals receive them through the court's own electronic system.
• Administrative notices from the state administration and other bodies go to DEHú.
• Carpeta Ciudadana is your personal area to see your records and notices with the administration.

What happens if you don't open a notice

An unread notice still counts. Don't leave your mailbox unchecked.

• Administrative notice: if you don't open it within 10 calendar days of it being made available, it is treated as rejected (rechazada) and the procedure carries on without you.
• Court notice: if you are a professional or obliged person and don't open it within three working days, it is considered served. Your deadline starts the next day.

If a technical failure stopped you opening a notice, you may be able to rely on that. Keep proof, such as screenshots and error messages, and get advice quickly.

Notice by edict

An edicto is a last resort in civil cases. The court may use it only when your address is unknown and it has tried all reasonable means to find you, including enquiries to public bodies and registries. It is published on the Tablón Edictal Judicial Único and sometimes on the court notice board.

An edict has the same effect as personal service, so deadlines run even if you never saw it. Courts apply a strict standard, though. If the court did not properly look for you, you can ask to annul the proceedings for lack of defence (indefensión) or seek to reverse a default judgment. See a lawyer fast if you find out about a case this way.

How to check a message is genuine

Never use a link or phone number in the message. Check independently:

• Log in directly to DEHú with a digital certificate, Cl@ve or electronic ID. Genuine administrative notices appear there.
• For a court matter, use the Sede Judicial Electrónica. Your lawyer or procurador can also check LexNET.
• For a traffic fine, use the DGT's online office, your Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV) mailbox or the Tablón Edictal de Sanciones.
• Or call or visit the court named in the notice. Find its contact details yourself on the Ministry of Justice website.

Courts usually write to individuals by post, through a court officer or by electronic mailbox. They don't send texts demanding payment. The checklist below lists more warning signs.

Reporting a fake

Report suspected scams to the police and to INCIBE on the 017 helpline.

Choosing between options

Should you receive official notices electronically?

• You must use electronic channels: You are a company, an organisation without legal personality, a professional who needs membership of a professional body, a representative of such a person or a public employee.

• You can choose electronic notices: You are a private person not otherwise obliged: you may opt in and can opt out later, unless the law makes it mandatory for you.

• Expect post or a court officer: You are a private person who has not opted in. If the court cannot find your address, it may publish an edict, which counts as personal delivery.

If the law obliges you, use the electronic channel; otherwise it is your choice, and you can check any notice by logging in directly to DEHú or the Sede Judicial Electrónica.

Timeline and deadlines

• Administrative notice is made available electronically: day 0, when it appears in your electronic mailbox

• Unopened administrative notice is treated as rejected and the procedure continues: after 10 calendar days

• Open a court notice sent to you as a professional or obliged person: within 3 working days

• Unopened court notice is considered served and your deadline starts: the day after the 3 working days end

• Show that a technical failure stopped you opening the notice, if that happened: as soon as you find out

Checklist: is this court or authority message genuine?

Is this court or authority message genuine?

• Check how the message reached you: courts and the traffic authority (DGT) do not demand payment or card details by SMS or WhatsApp.

• Look for urgency or threats, such as seizure of assets, licence points or extra charges after a deadline. Treat them as a warning sign.

• Check the sender: a mobile number or a free webmail address is a red flag, and so are look-alike or shortened web addresses that do not end in .gob.es or the official website.

• Look for spelling and grammar errors, unexpected attachments and QR codes, and any request for card, bank or personal data.

• Do not click any link or scan any code in the message.

• Log in directly to DEHú (the single electronic address for official administrative notifications) with your digital certificate, Cl@ve or electronic ID, and see whether the notice is there.

• For a court matter, check the Sede Judicial Electrónica (the courts' official online office). Your lawyer or procurador receives court notices through LexNET, the secure system for legal professionals.

• Phone or visit the court named in the notice, using contact details you found yourself on the Ministry of Justice website, not those in the message.

• If you still cannot tell, ask your lawyer before you act, and keep the message until you know.

• Report a suspected scam to INCIBE, Spain's cybersecurity institute, on 017, and to the police.

What to watch out for

• Unopened electronic notices still count: An administrative notice you do not open within 10 calendar days is treated as rejected and the procedure goes on without you. A court notice you do not open within 3 working days is considered served, and your deadline starts the next day. If you are obliged to use electronic channels, log in to your mailbox regularly. If a technical failure stopped you opening a notice, be ready to show it.

• Fake messages that demand payment: Court notices to individuals usually come by post, by court officer or by electronic mailbox, not by a text message asking for payment. A message that pushes you to pay or click a link is likely a scam. Do not use any link in the message. Log in directly to DEHú or the Sede Judicial Electrónica, or call the court using contact details found independently, and report scams to INCIBE on 017.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to receive court notices electronically as a private person?

No, as a private person you are generally not obliged to use electronic channels, but you may choose them and can opt out again unless the law makes them mandatory for you. Companies, organisations without legal personality, lawyers, notaries and public employees must use them. A 2025 reform extended mandatory electronic contact with the courts to more people, so ask the court if you are unsure.

Which system carries which kind of notice?

Court notices go through LexNET for lawyers and other legal professionals, and through the court's own electronic system for obliged people who are not professionals. Administrative notices from the state administration arrive at DEHú, the single electronic address for official notices.

Is a notice published by edict really valid if I never saw it?

Yes, a notice by edict is valid and has the same effect as personal delivery, so your deadlines run, but only if the court first tried every reasonable way to find you. If it did not, you can ask a court to annul the proceedings because you had no chance to defend yourself, or seek to rescind a default judgment. Act quickly and see a lawyer.

Where do I report a fake court or fine message?

You can report a suspected scam to INCIBE, Spain's cybersecurity institute, on the 017 helpline, and to the police. Do not answer the message or pay anything.

References

1. administraciondejusticia.gob.es