⚠️ 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
“Electronic certificate”, “digital certificate”, “electronic signature”, “e-CPF”, “server certificate”: anyone who receives a requirement from a Brazilian agency or contract tends to run into five names for what looks…
Para quem
Registration Authority linked to Certisign · Remote identity validation
Como resolve
Bilingual PT/EN support · Operating from London
Limite
Não é site do governo. Emissão sujeita a validação de identidade, documentação e normas da ICP-Brasil.
Names: electronic, digital, ICP-Brasil
Are an electronic certificate and a digital certificate the same thing?
Yes. They are two names for one object: the file issued by a Certificate Authority that links a person or company to a key pair. Brazilian legislation says “digital certificate”; tenders, contracts and texts translated from Spanish or English often say “electronic”.
And “ICP-Brasil certificate”, is that another category?
It is not another category, it is a statement of origin. ICP-Brasil is Brazil's public key infrastructure, created by MP 2.200-2/2001; a certificate is ICP-Brasil when its chain ends at ITI's Root CA. Certificates from other infrastructures (eIDAS, for instance) are electronic and digital, but not ICP-Brasil.
Is an electronic signature the same as an electronic certificate?
No. The signature is the act; the certificate is the tool. Law 14,063/2020 provides for simple, advanced and qualified signatures — and only the qualified one requires an ICP-Brasil certificate. The three levels are detailed in Brazilian digital signature.
Types: e-CPF, e-CNPJ and the others
What is an e-CPF?
It is the electronic certificate for individuals: it carries the holder's name and CPF and identifies and signs on their behalf. It is what most “electronic certificate” requirements ask of a person.
What is an e-CNPJ?
It is the company certificate: it carries the corporate name, the CNPJ and the name of the legal representative who holds it. Only someone listed in the QSA or the articles as a representative can hold one; an attorney-in-fact cannot. Details in legal representative and digital certificate.
Is there such a thing as an equipment or server certificate?
There is, and it is not for people. Equipment, server and application certificates identify machines and systems — websites, invoicing services, integrations. If the requirement you received mentions “individual” or “legal representative”, that is not the one.
Are A1 and A3 different certificate types?
They are ways of storing the key, not certificate types: A1 sits in a file on a computer or phone, valid for one year; A3 sits on a token, card or in the cloud, valid for up to three years. The right pick for someone far from Brazil is in A1 or A3 for expats.
Content: what is written in the certificate
Which fields does an ICP-Brasil electronic certificate carry?
Holder's name, CPF (or CNPJ plus the responsible person's CPF), public key, validity period, issuing CA's name, serial number and the addresses used to check revocation (CRL and OCSP). Extra fields, such as date of birth, appear in some profiles.
Is the password inside the certificate?
No. The password protects the private key, which stays with the holder; it is neither recorded in the certificate nor known to the RA or the CA. That is why there is no “password recovery”, only revocation and a new issuance. Full explanation in CPF digital key.
Can I open the certificate and read that data?
Yes. On a computer the operating system shows the fields when you double-click the file or inspect the token; the “certification path” tab displays the chain.
Chain: how to check it really is ICP-Brasil
Doubts that hold the decision back
Time zone and availability
The validation session is booked in your local time; people in Asia or Oceania usually do it in their morning, when London is still in the small hours or early in the day.
Expired document
An expired CNH will not do, but a valid Brazilian passport or an RG will. If none is current, we advise before booking so no session is wasted.
Security of the process
The RA only checks identity and forwards the data to the CA; the private key is generated on your side and we never see the password.
Cost versus a trip
A certificate from €200 replaces the airfare, time and travel that an in-person issuance in Brazil would demand.
Transparent pricing
Applies to the e-CPF and as the starting point for the e-CNPJ. It includes the video identity check and issuance by the CA; we do not charge per signed document or per system login.
A1 or A3 and the chosen term change the final amount. Send us your case and we return the exact figure on WhatsApp.
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