Get your Brazilian digital certificate without leaving the U.S.
Electronic powers of attorney, a gold-level gov.br account, the Federal Revenue Service's e-CAC portal, contracts signed remotely: an ICP-Brasil digital certificate covers all of them. You do not need to travel to Brazil to get one. Cartório BR verifies your identity in Bothell or by video call, and your certificate is issued the same day.
- Verification in Bothell or by video call
- Issued the same day you are verified
- On your computer or in the cloud, no token needed
Brazil has moved online, and an ICP-Brasil certificate is the key.
Brazilian notary and registry offices (cartórios), the Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal), the National Social Security Institute (INSS), and gov.br now accept, and in some cases require, electronic signatures made with a digital certificate. For people living in Brazil, that makes life easier. For people living in the United States, it becomes a barrier.
On e-Notariado, the official online platform of Brazil's notaries, an electronic public power of attorney is signed with a digital certificate, and the platform accepts the ICP-Brasil e-CPF. A gov.br account reaches the gold level only through strong identity verification, and the certificate is one way to get there. The Federal Revenue Service's e-CAC portal is where you file the notice of permanent departure, resolve issues with your CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID), and grant an electronic power of attorney to your accountant. To log in, you need a silver or gold gov.br account, or a digital certificate. For contracts and deeds signed remotely, a qualified electronic signature provides the highest level of legal certainty.
Without a certificate, Brazilians abroad have to rely on a relative, a trip home, or a paper power of attorney and all the steps that come with it.
A digital certificate is not just "something for accountants."
It is what lets you sign documents and use Brazilian services from your computer in the United States, just as if you were in Brazil. Without it, everything takes longer, costs more, and depends on someone else.
What is the ICP-Brasil digital certificate (e-CPF)?
The ICP-Brasil digital certificate is an electronic identity issued under the Brazilian Public Key Infrastructure (ICP-Brasil), established by the federal government. The e-CPF is the version for individuals: it links your CPF to a key that only you control.
When you sign a document with it, you are using a qualified electronic signature, the highest level recognized by law. That is why notary offices, the Federal Revenue Service, gov.br, and the INSS accept it without requiring you to appear in person.
Before the certificate is issued, an authorized agent must verify your identity. Cartório BR handles that verification here in the United States, in person or by video.
Available options
File installed on your computer (A1). The certificate is stored on your device and is valid for 1 year. Best for people who always use the same computer and want the simplest option.
Cloud certificate. It is kept on a secure server, and you use it from your phone or any computer, with authentication through an app. No token, and no dependence on a single computer. Valid for 1, 2, or 3 years.
Who this service is for: Brazilians in the U.S. who need to
Sign an electronic public power of attorney
An electronic power of attorney lets you sell property, manage a bank account, represent someone in a probate proceeding, or settle pending matters in Brazil without traveling. e-Notariado accepts your ICP-Brasil e-CPF for signing by video conference with the Brazilian notary (tabelião). The notary-issued certificate that the notary's office can provide works only within e-Notariado. Your e-CPF also works with the Federal Revenue Service, gov.br, and for signing contracts.
Upgrade your gov.br account to the gold level
The gold level unlocks every gov.br service, including those that require the highest security. Some services, such as the pre-filled income tax return, already require at least the silver level. An ICP-Brasil certificate is one of the accepted ways to reach the gold level.
Access the Federal Revenue Service (e-CAC)
Filing the notice of permanent departure, tracking your income tax return, checking for issues with your CPF, and granting an electronic power of attorney to your accountant: all of this goes through e-CAC, which requires a silver or gold gov.br account, or a digital certificate.
Sign contracts and deeds remotely
This includes purchase and sale agreements, leases, partnership agreements, uncontested divorces, and public deeds. With the certificate, you sign from here, and the document is legally valid in Brazil.
Handle matters with the INSS
You can apply for retirement, complete your proof of life, and register a power of attorney with Brazil's National Social Security Institute (INSS) online, using a gov.br account with strong identity verification or your digital certificate.
Most people find out they need one the day Brazil asks for a signature.
The story is almost always the same. A property to sell, a probate case that has just started, a bank account to close, an accountant asking for an electronic power of attorney, a Federal Revenue Service deadline. Then someone says: "Just sign it with your digital certificate."
Without a certificate, you start looking for a workaround. You learn that a paper power of attorney has to go through the consulate or through an American notary with an apostille, which takes weeks. You learn that your gov.br account is at the bronze level and cannot access the service. You learn that your notice of permanent departure was never filed and your CPF has a pending issue.
With the certificate in hand, you can handle each of these situations from your computer, without waiting weeks.
Without a digital certificate, these may be on hold:
- Selling or buying property remotely
- Full access to the Federal Revenue Service's e-CAC portal
- The notice of permanent departure
- Upgrading your gov.br account to the gold level
- Signing contracts and deeds
- INSS applications and powers of attorney
- An electronic power of attorney for your accountant
Under Brazilian law, an ICP-Brasil signature is presumed authentic.
The law guarantees its validity. The obstacle is issuance: a certificate is issued only after an authorized agent verifies the holder's identity, and most certificate authorities are in Brazil. Cartório BR takes care of that step here, so the holder never has to leave the United States.
The Brazilian Public Key Infrastructure (ICP-Brasil) was established by Provisional Measure No. 2,200-2 of August 24, 2001, to ensure the authenticity, integrity, and legal validity of electronic documents (Article 1). Article 10, Paragraph 1, provides that statements made in electronic documents signed with an ICP-Brasil certificate are presumed true with respect to the signers.
Law No. 14,063 of September 23, 2020, organized electronic signatures into three levels. A signature made with an ICP-Brasil certificate is a qualified electronic signature (Article 4, item III), the level with the highest degree of reliability (Article 4, Paragraph 1). It is accepted in any electronic interaction with a government entity, with no prior registration (Article 5, Paragraph 1, item III), and, as a rule, it is required for transfers and registrations of real estate before government authorities (Article 5, Paragraph 2, item IV).
Electronic notarial acts, such as a public power of attorney executed on e-Notariado, were created by Provision No. 100/2020 of the CNJ's National Office of the Inspector General of Justice and are now consolidated in the National Code of Rules for Extrajudicial Services (CNJ Provision No. 149/2023). Article 292 provides that e-Notariado is accessed with a digital signature, either through a notary-issued digital certificate under Provisional Measure No. 2,200-2/2001 or through biometrics. Paragraph 3 of the same article requires a notarial video conference to record the parties' consent, and Article 286, item III, requires the parties to sign digitally, exclusively through e-Notariado. The notary-issued certificate is provided by the notary and is valid within e-Notariado (Article 292, Paragraph 4). The platform also accepts the ICP-Brasil e-CPF, which, unlike the notary-issued certificate, can later be used with the Federal Revenue Service, gov.br, and the INSS, and for signing contracts.
For in-person verification in Bothell
- Valid Brazilian passport; if you do not have one, a Brazilian ID card (RG) issued less than 10 years ago
- Your CPF number
- Proof of address in Brazil (it may be in someone else's name)
- A certificate of your current marital status: your birth certificate if you are single; your marriage certificate if you are married; your marriage certificate with the divorce annotated (averbação) if you are divorced. Important: a divorce granted in the United States does not change your status in Brazil on its own. Until the divorce is annotated on your Brazilian marriage certificate, Brazil still considers you married.
For verification by video call
- Valid digital Brazilian driver's license (CNH)
- Your CPF number
- Proof of address in Brazil (it may be in someone else's name)
- A certificate of your current marital status: your birth certificate if you are single; your marriage certificate if you are married; your marriage certificate with the divorce annotated (averbação) if you are divorced. Important: a divorce granted in the United States does not change your status in Brazil on its own. Until the divorce is annotated on your Brazilian marriage certificate, Brazil still considers you married.
Four steps, from your first message to a certificate ready to use.
You contact Cartório BR
Our team recommends the right option for your situation (a file on your computer or a cloud certificate) and the validity period. Then we schedule your verification: in person in Bothell or by video call.
You send your documents
Our team reviews your documents before the appointment, so the verification can be completed in a single session, with no risk of rejection because of an expired or noncompliant document.
You verify your identity
For in-person verification, bring your passport to our office (or your Brazilian ID card, known as the RG, if you do not have a passport). For video verification, you show your digital Brazilian driver's license (CNH) to the camera and follow the team's instructions. This is the moment your identity is confirmed for issuance.
You receive and install your certificate
Once you are verified, your certificate is issued the same day. For the A1 file, our team guides you through installing it on your computer. For the cloud certificate, you activate it in the app and can start signing from your phone or any computer.
Why get your certificate with Cartório BR?
Verification in the United States
A certificate is issued only after someone verifies your identity. Cartório BR does that at our office or by video, on Seattle time, so you do not have to depend on relatives in Brazil or a trip home.
Experience in both Brazil and the United States
Francisco Harto has lived in the United States since 2016, and in 2017 he began volunteering at the Brazilian consulate's mobile consulate events. Cartório BR has served the Brazilian community for more than five years, mainly in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.
Guidance on using your certificate
The same team that handles your certificate also helps with electronic public powers of attorney, permanent departure from Brazil, income tax returns, and other services. You do not just get a file: you get guidance on where and how to use it.
Documents reviewed in advance
The most common reason a verification is rejected is an expired document or the wrong marital status certificate. Our team reviews everything before your appointment, so your certificate is issued on the first try.
Mistakes that delay your digital certificate
Assuming you have to be in Brazil to get an e-CPF.
Trying to verify with an RG issued more than 10 years ago, or with an expired passport.
Sending a birth certificate when you are married, or a marriage certificate without the divorce annotation when you are divorced (including a divorce granted in the United States).
Choosing the A1 file and then switching computers without making a backup.
Waiting to get your certificate until the notary's office or the Federal Revenue Service is already asking for your signature.
Confusing your gov.br account (your login) with the digital certificate (your signature): they are different things, and the certificate is one way to upgrade your account to the gold level.
Issued the same day as your verification
Your certificate is issued the same day as your appointment, whether in person or by video. What really determines the speed is your paperwork: when it is reviewed in advance, the verification does not need to be repeated, and you finish your appointment with a certificate ready to use. The validity period starts on the issue date: 1 year for the A1 file; 1, 2, or 3 years for the cloud certificate, depending on the option you choose. As the expiration date approaches, our team will let you know and guide you through renewal.
Frequently asked questions
No. Your identity is verified here, in person at our office in Bothell, WA, or by video call with our team. The certificate is issued and installed remotely.
It is the ICP-Brasil digital certificate for individuals. It links your CPF to a key that only you control and lets you sign documents with a qualified electronic signature, the highest level provided for in Brazilian Law No. 14,063/2020.
The A1 is a file installed on your computer and is valid for 1 year. The cloud certificate is kept on a secure server, and you use it from your phone or any computer, with authentication through an app and no token. It is valid for 1, 2, or 3 years. Our team will help you choose based on how you plan to use it.
Yes. e-Notariado accepts your ICP-Brasil e-CPF for signing a power of attorney by video conference with the Brazilian notary, without going to a notary's office or the consulate. The notary's office can also provide a notary-issued certificate, but it is valid only within e-Notariado. Your e-CPF also works with the Federal Revenue Service, gov.br, the INSS, and for signing contracts.
The ICP-Brasil digital certificate is one of the verification methods gov.br accepts for the gold level. Our team will walk you through the steps after your certificate is issued.
Yes. With the certificate, you can log in to e-CAC, the Federal Revenue Service's online portal, file the notice of permanent departure, and keep track of both your final departure tax return and your income tax return. You can also grant an electronic power of attorney to your accountant. The final departure tax return itself is filed through the Federal Revenue Service's software, and our team handles it as part of our Brazilian tax exit service.
Your certificate is issued the same day as your verification. What can cause a delay is an expired document or the wrong marital status certificate. That is why our team reviews everything in advance.
With the A1 file, if you have no backup, a new certificate must be issued. With the cloud certificate, your certificate stays on the server, and you can reactivate it on another device. Our team will show you how to keep your backup and password safe.
No. Cartório BR is a private document services company based in Bothell, WA. It is not a consulate, a Brazilian notary's office (cartório), or a government agency. The certificate is issued by a certificate authority accredited by ICP-Brasil, and official acts are performed by Brazilian notary and registry offices, the Federal Revenue Service, and other government agencies.
Get your certificate before Brazil asks for your signature.
Cartório BR verifies your identity here in the United States, and your certificate is issued the same day. Then our team shows you where and how to use it: for powers of attorney, with the Federal Revenue Service, on gov.br, and for contracts.
Remote service for Brazilians in the United States, with a team in both countries.