⚠️ 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
“Does this really count, or will they ask for the paper later?” is the doubt hanging over every digital document in Brazil when the signer lives in another country. The answers sit in Provisional Measure 2.200-2/2001,…
Para quem
Legal presumption of authenticity (MP 2.200-2) · Qualified signature under Law 14.063
Como resolve
Public verification on ITI's validator · Issued by video, from any country
Limite
Não é site do governo. Emissão sujeita a validação de identidade, documentação e normas da ICP-Brasil.
Validity: what the law says
Does a digital document have legal value in Brazil?
Yes, since 2001. Provisional Measure 2.200-2 created ICP-Brasil and, in article 10, paragraph 1, established that electronic documents signed with a certificate from that infrastructure are presumed authentic with respect to their signers. In other words, the law flips the burden — whoever doubts it must prove the signature isn't yours.
What if I sign with another tool, without an ICP-Brasil certificate?
The document may still be valid, but without the automatic presumption. Law 14.063/2020 sorts signatures into simple, advanced and qualified; only the qualified one — made with an ICP-Brasil certificate — carries the presumption from MP 2.200-2 and is accepted in the acts the law itself reserves for it, such as property transfers recorded at the registry.
Does signing through gov.br make a digital document valid?
It makes it valid as an advanced signature, enough for many dealings with public bodies. For acts that demand a qualified signature, or whenever the other party might dispute authorship, the qualified signature settles the argument before it starts.
Born-digital vs scanned
What is the difference between a born-digital document and a scanned one?
A born-digital document came into existence as a file — a digitally signed PDF contract, for instance — and the original is the file itself. A scanned document is a copy of a piece of paper; the paper remains the original unless the scanning follows specific rules.
Is a scanned copy worth the same as the paper?
It can be, for the purposes set out in Decree 10.278/2020, when the scan meets the decree's technical standards and is signed with an ICP-Brasil certificate attesting the copy's integrity. Without that, the scan is merely a reproduction, and the paper may be demanded.
Can I digitise my documents from outside Brazil?
Yes. Whoever holds the paper and an e-CPF can produce the digital copy and sign it from wherever they are; the decree doesn't require the act to happen on Brazilian soil. In some cases, though, the receiving body keeps its own acceptance rules.
Refusal and proof
Can someone refuse to accept a digital document?
Between private parties, a company or individual may prefer another format as a matter of internal policy — nothing forces a private counterparty to accept a PDF. A qualified signature, however, cannot have its validity denied merely for being electronic; whoever refuses must point to another reason. Public bodies follow their own rules, and most accept or require the digital format.
How do I prove the document is authentic and unaltered?
Through ITI's official validator at validar.iti.gov.br, which displays the signer's name and CPF, the date and time of the signature, and whether the content remains intact. Anyone can run the check, with no registration.
Do I need a timestamp for the document to be valid?
Not for validity. An ICP-Brasil timestamp adds independent proof of date and time, useful when the moment of signing matters — deadlines, priority, copyright. The topic is covered in Brazilian digital stamp.
When validity was put to the test
What usually stalls the decision
“Will the notary accept it?”
Notaries receive documents signed with ICP-Brasil certificates every day, including through e-Notariado. When a refusal happens, it usually stems from a format error, not from validity.
“My RG has expired”
To issue the certificate, any valid Brazilian photo ID will do — the passport covers you while the RG isn't renewed.
“I'm afraid someone could use my signature”
The private key stays with you alone, protected by a password or PIN. The Registration Authority never holds it, and you can revoke the certificate at any time.
“Is it worth it compared with going to the consulate?”
The consulate authenticates one signature at a time, on one document at a time, by appointment. The certificate signs as many documents as come up throughout its validity.
Transparent pricing
With an e-CPF, every PDF you sign gains the legal presumption of authenticity and public verification at ITI, with no cap on documents during its validity.
Indicative price for an e-CPF; the model (A1 or A3) and chosen validity are confirmed on WhatsApp before any payment.
Issue the e-CPF to sign with validity