# Brazil E-signature Legality Guide - Global e-signature Laws and Regulations | Jotform

# Brazil E-signature Legality Guide

Check out the country-specific facts about electronic signature laws and regulations.

[Back to E-signature Legality Guide](https://www.jotform.com/products/sign/e-signature-legality/)

## E-signature Legality in Brazil

Brazil does not require a handwritten signature to make a contract legally valid. The Provisional Measure No. 2.200-2/01 was established in 2001 to enforce this provision. The law also created the Infraestrutura de Chaves Públicas Brasileira (ICP Brasil) to ensure the e-signatures met specific criteria.

E-signatures that comply with the ICP-Brasil are considered authentic and reliable and cannot be denied as evidence in court. The ICP-Brasil is a digital certificate issuance system that validates e-signatures and makes them superior to other electronically generated signatures.

Additionally, Law 11,419/06, which amended law 5,869/73 of the Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure, established the legal provisions that regulate the use and acceptance of e-signatures in court-related documents, including civil, criminal, and labor claims.

Brazil recognizes three tiers of signatures: Standard Electronic Signature (SES), which can be drawn or typed on any device; the Advanced Electronic Signature (AES), which uniquely identifies the signer; and the Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), which is equal to a handwritten signature. For the QES to be considered the same as a handwritten signature, the signature must meet the following criteria:

*   Be linked exclusively to the signer
*   Creation data must be under the control of the signer only
*   Alteration attempts to the signature or information must be detectable
*   The process must be supported by the Brazilian Public Key Infrastructure (ICP-Brasil)

Private and public companies have the freedom to choose which e-signature they prefer while conducting their businesses. Talk to a legal professional for further guidance.

**Resources**:

*   [2200-2 (planalto.gov.br)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/MPV/Antigas_2001/2200-2.htm)
*   [ICP - Brazil (iti.gov.br)](https://estrutura.iti.gov.br/)
*   [Law No. 11,419 (planalto.gov.br)](https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2004-2006/2006/lei/l11419.htm)