⚠️ 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
The question “what's the difference between e-CPF and e-CNPJ” almost always comes up after a wrong purchase: someone issued the individual's certificate hoping to transmit company filings, or the company's hoping to f…
Para quem
e-CPF and e-CNPJ from the same RA · QSA check before the e-CNPJ
Como resolve
Guidance on which to issue · Video validation in any country
Limite
Não é site do governo. Emissão sujeita a validação de identidade, documentação e normas da ICP-Brasil.
The comparison table
Who the holder is
You, as an individual, identified by your CPF · The company, identified by its CNPJ, represented by the person who runs it
Who can issue it
Anyone with a CPF in order and a valid Brazilian ID · Only the legal representative listed in the QSA or the articles; an attorney-in-fact cannot be the holder
What it signs
Acts in your own name: contracts, powers of attorney, income tax return, petitions, deeds · Acts in the company's name: tax filings, invoices, the legal entity's contracts, the company's government systems
Where it logs in
The individual's e-CAC, gov.br gold level, PJe, e-Notariado, Meu INSS · The company's e-CAC, eSocial, commercial registry, invoicing systems, public tenders
Documents at validation
Brazilian photo ID and CPF in order · The director's own, plus an active CNPJ and the corporate documents proving representation
Models and validity
A1 (1 year) or A3 (up to 3 years) · A1 (1 year) or A3 (up to 3 years)
If the director changes
Unaffected · The certificate must be revoked and a new one issued for the new representative
When you need both
Managing partner who also files income tax
The e-CNPJ transmits what belongs to the company; the personal return, the power of attorney to the accountant and personal contracts call for the e-CPF. Neither replaces the other.
Amendment to the articles signed by the partners
The registry receives the act signed by each partner with their own e-CPF. The e-CNPJ represents the company, not the partners individually.
A company with a certificate and an owner with none
Common among those who moved: the company keeps issuing invoices, but the owner can't enter their personal e-CAC or sign the sale of a property. The e-CPF closes that gap.
Self-employed professional with a company
Reports, ARTs and opinions are signed by the person (e-CPF); invoices and filings, by the company (e-CNPJ).
Scenario: the wrong certificate, bought with good intentions
Real case
Illustrative scenario. A Brazilian in Bogotá owns a digital marketing agency registered in Recife, with no employees, which he runs alone. He issued an e-CPF thinking it would cover everything — and it did cover his income tax return. When the accountant asked for “the company's certificate” to transmit the monthly filings and issue invoices, he found out the e-CPF doesn't represent the CNPJ. Before issuing the e-CNPJ, the WhatsApp conversation revealed an alternative: since he is the sole director and the accountant already handles everything, he could grant an electronic power of attorney on e-CAC and let the accountant transmit with his own certificate. He chose the e-CNPJ anyway, because of the invoices — but decided knowing what each one does. — Buying the right one means knowing what each certificate represents
The most common mistakes of those who buy the wrong one
- Issuing an e-CPF to transmit company filings and finding out the portals ask for the CNPJ.
- Issuing an e-CNPJ in the name of a partner who isn't the director in the articles — the RA can't issue it and the request stalls.
- Trying to issue an e-CNPJ through a power of attorney: an attorney-in-fact can't be the holder.
- Using the e-CNPJ to sign the owner's income tax return — that belongs to the individual.
- Changing director and continuing to use the old e-CNPJ, which should have been revoked.
- Leaving the CNPJ inactive and expecting the e-CNPJ issuance to fix it — the company's registration status must be active first.
Before you decide
“Can I issue both in the same validation?”
Yes, when you are the director: identity is checked once and the company's documents are analysed in the same session.
“My company has another director in Brazil.”
Then the e-CNPJ is theirs. You, as a partner, need the e-CPF to sign minutes and amendments. See e-CNPJ for a company with a partner abroad.
e-CNPJ for a company with a partner abroad“Is it worth having both on A3?”
It depends on usage. Those who transmit filings every month tend to prefer A3 for the e-CNPJ; for an occasionally used e-CPF, A1 does the job.
“Are time zone and documents the same for both?”
Video validation is booked at your time for either one. The e-CNPJ simply adds the company's documents to the list.
Transparent pricing
The e-CPF starts from that reference; the e-CNPJ sits above it because of the corporate document analysis. Those who need both receive a single quote, with validation done in one session.
Model and validity set the figure for each; confirm the combination on WhatsApp.
Quote e-CPF, e-CNPJ or both