Brazil Fully Embraces Online Notarization

It’s official! Notarization of documents can finally be done completely online in Brazil.

This week, the long-awaited online notarization service became available countrywide on the e-notariado platform. Anyone who needs to notarize a document (reconhecer firma) in a Brazilian notary office can now do it without leaving their home.

The e-notariado system started in 2020 as a solution to the restrictions imposed at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Since then, it’s been possible to sign deeds, wills, powers of attorney, and other public documents without ever stepping foot in a notary office.

Yet notarizing documents online wasn’t always an option. In fact, it wasn’t until October 2021 that it became possible. At that time, most notary offices began offering online notarization services, but the process was cumbersome. After signing, you’d have to send the original documents to the notary. The notary would then schedule a videoconference with you to confirm the authenticity of the documents as well as your identity.

Now, the process is much easier. The first step is to get your free digital certificate from a notary office. Next, you’ll prepare the document for electronic signature with your digital certificate. Then, you’ll pay the fee. And finally, you’ll e-sign and the notary will notarize it.

Going to a notary office to sign is still an option, but do you really want to sit in traffic to get there or wait in line to be helped? Everything has moved online - from shopping to banking. And now, so too have notary services.