What this letter is
It isn’t a paper letter. It is an aviso (alert), by email or text message, telling you that a public body has left you a notificación electrónica (electronic notification). It may come from the tax agency, the DGT (traffic authority), the SEPE (employment service), Social Security or other bodies. The real notification is in DEHú (dehu.redsara.es) or on the body’s own online portal. The DGT also has its own inbox, the DEV (Dirección Electrónica Vial, the road traffic e-inbox).
How to read it: the key parts
When you log in to DEHú you will see a list of notifications. This is what each item means:
| What you see on the letter | What it means |
|---|---|
| Organismo emisor (issuing body) | Who is writing to you: the tax agency, the DGT, the SEPE, a town hall… |
| Concepto / Asunto (subject) | A clue to the type of letter (information request, tax assessment, fine…) |
| Fecha de puesta a disposición (date made available) | The day it was placed in your inbox. The 10 calendar days count from here |
| Estado: pendiente (status: pending) | You haven’t opened it yet |
| Notificación / Comunicación (notification / communication) | A notification has legal effects and deadlines; a communication is usually just for information |
| Justificante / acuse de recibo (receipt / acknowledgement) | The document that proves when you opened it. Keep it |
| CSV (código seguro de verificación) (secure verification code) | A code on the PDF to check that it is genuine |
What deadline you have
There are two different deadlines, and it pays not to mix them up:
- Deadline to open it: 10 calendar days from the date it was made available (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays count). If you are required to receive electronic notifications or you chose them, and you don’t open it, it is treated as rechazada (rejected) and the procedure goes on.
- Deadline in the letter itself: starts counting the day after you open it (or after it is treated as rejected). It is written inside the document.
Example: the notification is made available on 1 October. The 10 calendar days start on the 2nd, so 11 October is the last day to open it. If you open it on the 6th, the deadlines in the letter start counting on the 7th.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Open it now | Almost always | You know what they want and you have the full deadline to act |
| Wait a few days | Only if you need to get organised, without going past the 10 days | You gain a few days; the risk of forgetting it is high |
| Don’t open it | Never a good idea | It is treated as rejected and the deadlines run anyway |
| Turn on email alerts in DEHú | If you find it hard to check the inbox | You’ll get alerts about new notifications from the connected bodies |
What happens if you do nothing
If electronic notification is compulsory for you or you chose it, after 10 calendar days it is treated as rejected. The authority can then move forward: assess a debt, impose a fine, close your application or start collection with a surcharge. Not having read it is no excuse. If you are not required to use it and didn’t choose it, they will usually also try to deliver it on paper.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the text message or email is the notification. It is only an alert, and the notification is valid even if the alert doesn’t arrive.
- Clicking links in the message. There are fraudulent copies; type the address in yourself.
- Not opening it “to buy time” and then forgetting about it.
- Not downloading the PDF and the justificante (receipt), and then not knowing from which date the deadlines run.
- Only checking DEHú when the body notifies through its own portal (or through the DEV, in the case of the DGT).
How to respond, step by step
- Type dehu.redsara.es into your browser yourself (or use the official DEHú app).
- Identify yourself with Cl@ve (PIN, permanent or mobile), a certificado digital (digital certificate) or a DNIe (electronic ID card).
- Open the pending notification and download the PDF and the justificante de acceso (proof of access).
- Put the date you opened it and the deadline stated in the letter in your calendar.
- Read the pie de recursos (appeals section at the bottom): it says what you can do and before whom.
- If you need to reply, do it on the body’s online portal or through the registro electrónico general (general electronic registry). You can also hand in paper at a registry office (with an appointment).
Cartamiga tip: open notifications the same day the alert arrives. It’s free, it doesn’t commit you to anything and it gives you the full deadline. What costs you is finding out late.