Since the entry into force of Law 39/2015 on Common Administrative Procedure, the Public Administration has made decisive progress towards digitisation. One of the pillars of this transformation is electronic notifications, which now affect all legal
entities, registered professionals and a large proportion of citizens in their dealings with the various administrations.
Although this transformation has brought efficiency and cost savings, it has also generated significant legal risks for companies and self-employed workers:
unread notifications, deadlines that pass unnoticed, penalties that are consolidated due to lack of response…
That is why, in this post, we tell you which aspects continue to cause confusion and what you should do to protect your company´s interests.
1. What happens if I do not receive the notification by email or SMS?
When the government makes a notification available to you at your Authorised Electronic Address (DEHú), it must also send you a notification to the email address or mobile phone number you have provided.
However, and this is key:
The law states that the notification is mandatory, but its absence, in certain cases, does not invalidate the notification.
This means that, even if you do not receive the email or SMS, if the document has been uploaded to your electronic mailbox, the deadline still starts to run. And if 10 days pass without you accessing it, it is considered automatically rejected, with all its
legal effects. The specific case would have to be reviewed and it would have to be considered whether or not a lack of defence has been caused, as the case law criteria on notices are not unanimous.
– Practical tip:
Make sure your contact details are up to date in the system, but above all:
Check the DEHú at least once a week or use an automatic alert system.
Do not rely solely on notifications. A technical failure, a spam filter or a
change of number can be very costly.
2. What happens if I receive the same notification in two different ways?
The Administration may notify you in two ways at the same time: for example, via the DEHú and also by post.
In these cases, the law states that:
The deadline for responding begins from the first valid notification, not from the last.
-Practical tip:
If you receive two notifications about the same thing, check which one arrived
first and count the deadlines from that date.
Don´t rely on the paper notification: if the electronic one arrived first, that´s
the one that counts.
Keep an organised record of receipt dates to avoid mistakes.
3. How is the first notification to a company handled?
In theory, all legal entities are required to receive electronic notifications. But in practice, many small businesses have not yet created their DEHú or do not access it frequently.
The current regulations (RD 203/2021) clarify that:
If the Administration does not have your electronic details, it must send you the first notification on paper, with a clear warning that subsequent notifications will be electronic.
In other words, if you are not yet registered, the Administration cannot start directly by electronic means if it has no way of notifying you.
-Practical tip:
Even so, don't wait for the first paper notification to arrive. Register your
company with the DEHú and start managing your electronic notifications now.
If you outsource this task, make sure that whoever does it has experience
and is able to respond quickly.
5. What happens if you do not register with the DEHú?
Many companies believe that if they do not register, they ‘cannot be notified’. This is a serious mistake.
The Supreme Court has made it clear that:
You are obliged to receive electronic notifications as a legal entity, even if you have not registered with the mailbox.
The Administration can assign you an email address and upload notifications there. If you do not access them, they will be considered notified after 10 days.
-Practical tip:
Voluntarily registering and managing your mailbox well is better than
leaving it to chance.
Lack of access can mean loss of resources, the initiation of disciplinary
proceedings or the loss of subsidies.
Conclusion: electronic notification is not a formality, it is a critical control point. In 2025, electronic notifications are no longer a novelty. They are the standard way of communicating with the Administration. And each one can have significant legal and
financial consequences if not managed properly.
From our office, we recommend:
Establish a reliable notification control system.
Train your team (or seek external advice, such as ours) to manage deadlines,
resources and responses in a timely manner.
Do not blindly trust notifications: the responsibility lies with you.
-Can we help you manage your electronic notifications?
We offer you our services in DEHú management, alerts, deadline review and legal defence. Because an unread notification can cost you much more than good advice.
MDG Advisors.