Have you ever noticed that some administrative procedures online in Spain often produce several errors, even though you’re following all the instructions carefully?

It could be that you have to approve and enter the password for your digital certificate multiple times before it works, or maybe there have been issues with using the Autofirma application to sign official online documents?

Chances are if you’ve experienced these types of problems, you are using an Apple devices instead of those that run on Windows or Android.

You may have not noticed the difference, unless you use both types of computers, but Mac users tend to face more technical difficulties than Windows users when dealing with Spanish public administration procedures.

That’s not to say that Mac users always have more difficulties for every procedure. Compatibility has improved a lot over the years and many times you are able to complete an administrative process without problems, but there are certain times when you may experience more difficulties, particularly with things situations or pieces of software like the Digital Certificate or Autofirma.

The Digital Certificate is used to officially identify yourself online, when completing certain online applications and forms, while the Autofirma is used to officially sign documents.

Both of them frequently causes issues on MacOS due to Apple's security restrictions and a lack of optimisation on certain government websites.

The website Cyber Security News confirms that “Some Mac users, face various security challenges, including invalid certificate errors”.

Spanish computer engineer Diego Cid Merino from the College of Computer Scientists explains.

“The installation of the FNMT (digital) certificate is one of the most tedious and complicated procedures. This certificate is required to access platforms like the Tax Agency or Social Security and prove our identity, and yet, on Macs, it has always caused many installation problems”.

“Macs are gaining a lot of popularity, especially among freelancers. And being self-employed in Spain requires a lot of paperwork, which has been complicated due to Apple's restrictive policies and the difficulty of accessing online portal,” he adds.

The issue isn’t only when accessing public administration services, it also happens when signing documents with identity authentication.

Many government portals require you to sign documents using the Autofirma app. On a Mac, the operating system can block communication between the web browser and the application for security reasons, causing infinite loop errors.

Computer expert Jaime Gómez-Obregón wrote a post on social media platform X saying that “The problem forces the user to disable or bypass MacOS protections, thus reducing the system's security during the process”.

In the case of MacOS, the warning displayed by the system during installation indicates that Apple was unable to verify the package as malware-free. This is the warning shown by the internal security system when it detects that the file is not properly signed or has not undergone Apple's official validation process.

This means you have to end up manually approving it, which could put your computer at risk. In some cases, unwanted software could be installed onto your Mac without any protection in place.

Another reason that Mac users often have difficulties are that many public platforms were designed years ago with only Internet Explorer or Windows, and updates for Macs are slow to be created.

The good news is you don’t have to give up being a Mac user in order to complete these procedures, there are ways to get around the issues. Here are some steps to follow which will help:

• Avoid Safari.
• Make sure to use browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Spain’s Tax Agency confirms that browser compatible with the electronic ID cards and digital certificates on Macs is Mozilla Firefox at that errors do occur when using Safari.
• Use the Cl@ve system instead. If you use the Cl@ve Permanente or Cl@ve PIN on your mobile phone, you avoid having to install certificates on your Mac.
• Grant permissions to Autofirma: If you are required to use Autofirma and it freezes, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and ensure you grant Accessibility and Automation permissions to the application.
• If you are applying for a new digital certificate, complete the entire process using the same browser (Firefox is best) without updating your system in between.

You can also contact the FNMT helpline or e-mail address for issues with digital certificates.

And if you own both Mac and Windows laptops, it's advisable to use the latter for online bureaucracy in Spain.