The SEPE pre-application form without a digital certificate

What the SEPE pre-application is

Use the presolicitud (pre-application) to apply to SEPE, Spain’s state employment service, for unemployment benefit (prestación por desempleo) or a subsidy. The old standalone form is gone: use the Área Personal (Personal Area). Register first as a jobseeker with your regional employment service.

No digital certificate or Cl@ve (digital identity)? Choose PIN SEPE (SEPE PIN) and enter your NIF/NIE. The code goes by SMS to the mobile registered with your regional employment service. If you registered two numbers, it goes to the preferred one. PIN lets you check or submit, not change details. The submission date counts as your application date.

How to submit the pre-application

1. Open the SEPE page. It redirects to the Área Personal. SEPE’s two video guides explain the Area and this task.

   Official SEPE Portal

2. Log in with PIN SEPE. Enter your NIF or NIE and type the code sent by SMS to the mobile registered with your regional employment service.
3. Choose the task. Go to Gestiones (Tasks) > Iniciar una gestión (Start a task) > Presolicitud prestación (Benefit pre-application). You can send one per week. The option only appears if, in the last 7 days, you haven’t sent a pre-application of the same type or booked an appointment.
4. Complete and send it. Enter the details and submit. Upload documents if asked. If an upload fails, try PDF or JPG and make the file smaller.

What you can and can’t do with PIN SEPE

With PIN you can’t change details or withdraw a pending application. These need signing access: signed Cl@ve permanente, DNIe or a certificate. No digital ID? Book a free cita previa. For a work-related cancellation, use Da de baja tu prestación (End your benefit) on the SEPE e-office, with those credentials. A subsidy continues as the CAE (employment support supplement). For contributory benefit, the CAE applies only if it lasts over 12 months and nine months have been paid. Otherwise, full-time work suspends it. See our guide to SEPE tasks without a digital certificate.

Pre-application deadlines

Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. A late contributory claim loses the days from the entitlement date to filing, not just the days of delay. Subsidies granted before 1 November 2024 follow different rules. Over-52s make an annual income declaration, not quarterly extensions. Not sure if your subsidy has quarterly extensions? Check your decision. For contributory benefit details, see our benefit guide.

Documents to have ready

There’s no fixed upload list for the pre-application. Keep these ready and send them if SEPE asks.

• Your DNI/NIE and bank details for an account in your name.
• For contributory benefit: the employer certificate, usually sent to SEPE by your employer.
• For children: a libro de familia (family book), civil registry certificate, or equivalent foreign document with an official Spanish translation.
• For subsidies: the official form and your latest tax return.
• For subsidies: the mandatory declaración responsable (income statement) for the previous calendar month. It covers your income and your family’s, if relevant.
• Over-52s: also an annual income declaration.

What happens after you send it

Check the status, receipt and proof in Gestiones (Tasks) > Historial de presolicitudes (Pre-application history) in the Área Personal. SEPE checks your pre-application and asks for anything missing. With a complete application, it must decide within 15 days of filing. It then notifies you within 10 days of the decision. After three months without an answer, the application is treated as refused. You can then file a prior claim.

Common problems and how to fix them

The PIN doesn’t arrive

Check the mobile number saved with your regional employment service. If it’s wrong, update it there before trying again.

The task isn’t available

You can send one pre-application per week. The option is hidden if, in the last 7 days, you sent one of the same type or booked an appointment.

You missed the deadline

A late contributory claim loses benefit days. A new subsidy can still start on the filing date if you apply within six months. Extension rules are separate.