Glossary
CIEC (SAT password)
The Clave de Identificación Electrónica Confidencial, now called the SAT password. With your RFC it lets you into services on SAT's portal, but it does not replace the e.firma.
The CIEC (Clave de Identificación Electrónica Confidencial) is the password you use with your RFC to enter services on SAT’s portal. SAT now simply calls it the password (contraseña).
CIEC and e.firma are not the same
- The password is an access credential: it lets you in to look things up.
- The e.firma is a signature: a certificate and a private key that count as your handwritten signature in filings that require it.
That’s why some procedures only work with the e.firma. One that matters day to day: SAT’s bulk CFDI download requires the e.firma; with the password you cannot request XML in bulk.
Related terms
Posts about this term
- Buzón Tributario: fines from January 2027 and how to enable itFrom January 1, 2027, SAT can fine you $3,850 to $11,540 for not having the Buzón Tributario enabled. What it is, who must have it and how to activate it step by step.
- Bulk CFDI download with the e.firma: how it worksWhy SAT's bulk download requires the e.firma and not the CIEC, what gets downloaded, how long it takes and what happens to your e.firma when you connect it to Clauhub.
Not tax advice: review your case with your accountant.
Sources
- Federal Tax Code (CFF), art. 17-D (documents that require an advanced electronic signature)
- SAT's bulk CFDI download service: authenticates with the e.firma
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