NOVELTY - Producing hydrocarbon based middle distillate, preferably hydrocarbon kerosene from ethanol charge, comprises: (a) purifying the ethanol charge; (b) dehydrating the purified ethanol charge into an ethylenic effluent; (c) separating water in the effluent; (d) first step of oligomerization of at least a portion of the effluent into at least one olefin effluent comprising at least 80 wt.% of olefins, in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst; (e) a second step of oligomerization of at least a portion of the obtained effluent to produce middle distillates; and (f) splitting the effluent.    USE - The process is useful for producing hydrocarbon based middle distillate, preferably hydrocarbon kerosene, which is useful as biofuel in engines.    ADVANTAGE - The process is provides hydrocarbon based middle distillate from renewable biomass such as plant material at high yield.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Producing hydrocarbon based middle distillate, preferably hydrocarbon kerosene from ethanol charge produced from renewable biomass, comprises: (a) purifying the ethanol charge; (b) dehydrating the purified ethanol charge after step (a) into an ethylenic effluent comprising water, where the step is carried out in the presence of an amorphous acid catalyst or zeolite acid catalyst; (c) separating water present in the effluent mainly ethylenic derived from step (b); (d) a first step of oligomerization of at least a portion of the mainly ethylenic effluent obtained from step (c) into at least one olefin effluent comprising at least 80 wt.% of olefins having greater than or equal to 4C, in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst comprising at least one divalent nickel compound; (e) a second step of oligomerization of at least a portion of the effluent obtained from step (d) producing middle distillates in the presence of an amorphous or zeolite catalyst, where zeolite catalyst has at least pore openings containing 10 or 12 oxygen atoms; and (f) splitting the effluent obtained from step (e) of oligomerization.