⚠️ Important notice
This is not a government website. Certificado Digital Global is a Registration Authority accredited to the Certisign network, a brand of Kindness in Business Consulting Ltd (UK Company No. 10386293), serving clients from London. Issuance depends on identity validation, documentation and ICP-Brasil rules. Do not send CPF, passport or sensitive documents via WhatsApp or the initial form.
O que é
Choosing between A1 and A3 isn't technical, it's about routine: it depends on how, where and how often you sign. Rather than explaining the two models again, this page settles which digital certificate — A1 or A3 — to…
Para quem
A1 as a file, 1-year validity · A3 on token, card or cloud, up to 3 years
Como resolve
Tie-break by the people who validate you · Service in Portuguese and English
Limite
Não é site do governo. Emissão sujeita a validação de identidade, documentação e normas da ICP-Brasil.
The five questions
1. How many times a month do you sign or log into Brazilian systems?
Up to twice: 1 point for A1. Weekly or more: 1 point for A3. Occasional signers rarely feel A1's short validity; heavy signers value A3's up to three years.
2. From how many devices do you need to sign?
One fixed computer: 1 point for A1. Two or more devices, phone included: 1 point for A3 — cloud A3 signs from any of them with no installation.
3. Do you travel often or change computers?
Rarely: 1 point for A1. Always on the move, using a company laptop or replacing your machine every couple of years: 1 point for A3, which doesn't depend on a specific operating system.
4. Who else needs to sign for the company or act on your behalf?
Nobody: 1 point for A1. An accountant or partner is part of the routine: 1 point for A3 — not because A3 can be shared (none can), but because the cloud lets you sign on the spot from anywhere, removing the temptation to hand the file to someone.
5. What happens if you lose the certificate today?
A minor nuisance, solved by reissuing within days: 1 point for A1. A missed deadline, a late filing, a stalled contract: 1 point for A3, whose key sits on a token or in a protected cloud, not in a file that travels with your laptop.
The result
4 or 5 points for A1
A1 · Occasional use, on one computer, no urgency: A1 costs less and does the job comfortably.
4 or 5 points for A3
Cloud A3 · Heavy routine, several devices, people depending on your signature: the cloud signs from your phone and lasts up to three years.
3 to 2 either way
Depends on question 5 · If losing the certificate costs a deadline, go A3. If it only costs a reissue, A1 is enough.
You must sign in systems that require a physical token
A3 on token or card · Some corporate and professional-council portals accept only a cryptographic device; we confirm before issuing.
When the right answer changes along the way
Send my 5-question result
Real case
Illustrative scenario. A Brazilian aeronautical engineer works in Toulouse and alternates weeks between the plant and suppliers in Germany and Spain. In Brazil she is the director of a technical consulting company that an accountant in São José dos Campos keeps active. She issued an A1 e-CNPJ on a personal laptop, having answered the five questions when she still travelled little. Two years on, she signs amendments and powers of attorney every fortnight, from hotels and airports, and the laptop stays at home in Toulouse. The accountant started asking for the file “just to transmit the DCTFWeb”. At renewal she retakes the test: five points for A3. She issues a cloud A3 e-CNPJ by video call on a Sunday evening and, the same week, grants the accountant an electronic power of attorney on e-CAC. The file never leaves her hands again — because there is no file anymore. — A change of routine is the most common reason to switch models at renewal
What doesn't change between A1 and A3
Legal validity
Identical. Both models produce an ICP-Brasil qualified signature with the same legal presumption.
Identity validation
The same video call with the RA, with the same documents, in your time zone.
Systems accepted
e-CAC, gov.br gold, e-Notariado, PJe, commercial registries and signing tools accept both.
Private key
Always yours. The RA never has the password; loss means revoking and reissuing, in either model.
Before you decide
“What if I choose wrong?”
At renewal you switch models with no penalty. Many people start on A1 and move to the cloud when their routine changes.
“Does the token reach my country?”
Yes, by post, with the lead time stated in the quote. If you'd rather not wait, cloud A3 is issued during the session itself.
“Is the cloud secure?”
The key sits on the provider's cryptographic hardware, protected by a password and authentication on your phone. Neither the RA nor the accountant has access.
“Is A3 worth the higher cost?”
Spread over up to three years it usually costs less per year than renewing A1 annually. We send both quotes so you can compare.
Transparent pricing
That is the starting point for a one-year A1. Cloud, token or card A3, valid for up to three years, has its own quote — we send both side by side for your decision.
The exact figure depends on model and term; token shipping abroad is stated separately.
Get both quotes