Argentina and Uruguay to Mutually Recognize their Digital Signature Certificates

In August 2021, the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Mercosur Digital Signature Certificates (the “Agreement”) came into force between Uruguay and Argentina. The Agreement facilitates the use of digital signatures in the exchange of electronic documents between individuals and organizations in Argentina and Uruguay.

The Agreement aims to recognize the legal effects of digital signature certificates issued in Argentina and Uruguay. Those certificates are necessary requirements to grant digital signatures the same legal and probatory effects that handwritten signatures have.

The Agreement is expected to result, on the one hand, in savings in procedures, overall costs and time on transactions between the two countries and, on the other hand, in the promotion of business productivity and competitiveness.

Once the Agreement has entered into force, to validate a digital signature issued in Argentina and to be used in Uruguay, individuals and legal entities can go here. Inversely, for digital signatures issued in Uruguay and to be used in Argentina, individuals and legal entities can go here and select the option “Validate signature” then “Upload document and validate signature.”

Apart from Uruguay, Argentina has already adopted an agreement for the mutual recognition of digital signature certificates with Chile in 2018 (for more information please see IT News No. 19 here).