Spanish notifications

DEHú explained: Spain's single inbox for official notifications

What the DEHú is, which Spanish bodies use it, how to log in with a certificate, Cl@ve or DNIe, and why the email or SMS aviso is not the notification.

By Hola Post · Updated 1 October 2026 · 6 min read

The DEHú (Dirección Electrónica Habilitada única, roughly "single authorised electronic address") is the Spanish government's central online mailbox where public bodies place official notifications for people and companies. You log in at dehu.redsara.es with a digital certificate, Cl@ve or an electronic DNI, open the notification, and the date you open it is the legal date of notification. If you are obliged to receive notifications electronically, or have chosen to, a notification left unopened for 10 calendar days is treated as rejected and the procedure carries on without you.

What a Spanish "notificación" is

A notificación is the formal way a Spanish authority tells you about a decision or a step in a procedure: a tax assessment, a request for documents, a fine, a demand for payment. It matters because most deadlines (to pay, reply or appeal) start running from the date you are notified.

Under Ley 39/2015 (the general law on administrative procedure), electronic notifications are made "por comparecencia", meaning you have to log in and open them. They are treated as delivered at the moment you access the content (article 43.2). Nothing is pushed to you. The document sits in a mailbox until you collect it.

Which bodies use the DEHú

Real Decreto 203/2021, which regulates electronic government, says that every notification from a national (state-level) body must be made available through the DEHú (article 42.5). That covers, among others:

the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT, the national tax agency)
the Seguridad Social bodies, including the Tesorería General (TGSS)
the Dirección General del Catastro (the property register used for IBI values)
national ministries and their agencies

Regional governments and local councils are separate administrations. They can join the DEHú, and many have. The Junta de Andalucía, for example, has placed its notifications in the DEHú since February 2023. Others still notify only through their own sede electrónica, and this is common with town halls and the provincial bodies that collect local taxes such as IBI. The DGT (traffic authority) also has its own traffic mailbox, the Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV), which is covered in our guide to DGT fines.

So the DEHú is a good place to start, but it is not guaranteed to be complete.

The DEHú and each body's sede electrónica

Every Spanish public body has a sede electrónica, its official website for online procedures. The law lets each body notify through its own sede, through the DEHú, or through both (article 43.1 of Ley 39/2015).

When a notification is placed in both, the date that counts is whichever happens first: you opening it, or rejecting it, in either system (article 42.1 of Real Decreto 203/2021). The two are supposed to synchronise, so opening a tax notification in the DEHú should show it as opened on the Agencia Tributaria's sede too.

There are practical differences. The Agencia Tributaria's own FAQs point out that the DEHú list shows the last 30 days by default, and you need to search by date to find older items. The tax agency's sede keeps a full history. For anything older, or to download certificates of notification, the issuing body's sede is often easier.

How to access the DEHú

You need one of the electronic identification methods accepted across Spanish government:

A certificado digital: an electronic certificate installed in your browser, most often issued by the FNMT (the Spanish Royal Mint). Companies use a representative certificate.
Cl@ve: the government's login system, available as Cl@ve PIN (a one-off code) or Cl@ve Permanente (a password with a code sent to your phone).
The DNIe: the electronic Spanish ID card, used with a card reader or a phone that supports it.

Foreign residents and non-residents can usually get a certificate or Cl@ve once they have an NIE, but registration involves an identity check, so it is worth sorting out before you actually need it.

Inside the DEHú you will see pending notifications, notifications already opened or rejected, and communications (informal messages that do not have legal effect as notifications). Before you open a pending notification, the system tells you that opening it, rejecting it, or leaving it for 10 days will all count as completing the notification.

If you act for someone else, such as a gestoría acting for a client, you can see their notifications under your own login once a valid power of attorney (apoderamiento) is registered. Our guide on authorising a representative explains how.

The aviso is not the notification

Spanish bodies send an aviso (alert) by email and/or SMS to say that a notification has been placed in your mailbox, but only if you have given them an email address or mobile number for this purpose. Ley 39/2015 is clear that this contact is used "for sending the alerts, but not for making notifications" (article 41.1).

Three points follow from this:

The email does not contain the decision itself. You still have to log in and open it.
Article 41.6 says that if the aviso is never sent, the notification is still fully valid. A missed email, a spam filter or an old phone number does not stop the 10-day clock.
You are responsible for keeping those contact details up to date. Real Decreto 203/2021 (article 43) puts that responsibility on you, not the administration.

Treat the aviso as a helpful extra, not as your system for catching notifications.

The old DEH and how it differs

Before the DEHú there was the DEH (Dirección Electrónica Habilitada), a mailbox mainly used by the Agencia Tributaria for companies in its compulsory electronic notification scheme. Many older guides and accountants still refer to it.

The tax agency began placing all its notifications in the DEHú from 6 September 2021 and stopped making them available in the old DEH from 31 December 2022. If you still have bookmarks or instructions pointing to the DEH, update them. The DEHú is now the national system.

What happens if you do not open a notification

If electronic notification is compulsory for you, or you chose it, a notification left unopened for 10 calendar days from the day it was made available is treated as rejected. The procedure then moves on as though you had been notified. We cover this in detail in the 10-day rule, including what you can still do if you missed one.

Whether electronic notification is compulsory for you depends on who you are. Companies are always obliged. Most private individuals can choose. Self-employed people are a special case with the Seguridad Social. See who must receive electronic notifications.

Practical habits that avoid problems

Log in at least twice a week, because a 10-day window can close quickly over holidays.
Check each body's sede as well as the DEHú, especially your town hall and local tax office.
Download and keep a copy of every notification and its receipt (acuse de recibo).
Register an email and mobile for avisos with each body, and keep them current.
Do not share your certificate or Cl@ve login with anyone. Use a registered representative instead.

How Hola Post helps

For customers with Spanish post, Hola Post can act as your authorised representative through the Registro Electrónico de Apoderamientos. We check the DEHú and the relevant sedes electrónicas every working day, collect new notifications, and add each one to your online inbox with a short English summary and the deadline it sets. Details are on our Spanish notifications page, and you can get started here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the DEHú?

The DEHú (Dirección Electrónica Habilitada única) is the Spanish government's central online mailbox for official notifications. State bodies such as the Agencia Tributaria must make their electronic notifications available there, and many regional and local bodies have joined too.

How do I log in to the DEHú?

Go to dehu.redsara.es and identify yourself with a digital certificate, an electronic DNI (DNIe) or Cl@ve. There is no separate DEHú username or password.

Is the email or SMS I received the actual notification?

No. The email or SMS is only an aviso (alert) telling you something is waiting. The notification is the document in the DEHú or the body's sede electrónica, and the law says a missing aviso does not make the notification invalid.

If a notification is in both the DEHú and the Agencia Tributaria's website, which one counts?

Whichever you open (or reject) first. The two systems are meant to synchronise, so opening it in one marks it as opened in the other, and the date of that first access is the one used for deadlines.

Does every Spanish authority use the DEHú?

No. National bodies must use it, but regional governments and town halls only appear if they have joined. Some, including many local tax collection offices, still notify through their own sede electrónica, so you may need to check more than one place.

What happened to the old DEH?

The older Dirección Electrónica Habilitada (DEH) was the previous system used by the Agencia Tributaria and others. The Agencia Tributaria moved to the DEHú in September 2021 and stopped placing notifications in the old DEH from 31 December 2022.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check your own situation with a gestor, accountant or lawyer.