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Electronic documents and signatures in Uruguay

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Stable

Ley 18.600 gives electronic documents the same value as written ones and recognises two levels of signature: a simple electronic signature, valid when the parties accept it, and an advanced electronic signature based on a recognised certificate, equivalent to a handwritten signature certified by a notary. Certificates must come from providers accredited by the Unidad de Certificación Electrónica (UCE) within AGESIC, which must be established in Uruguay; foreign certificates count only under a treaty or a mutual recognition agreement. Since 2017, trust service providers can offer cloud based advanced signatures with centralised custody, digital identification and time stamping, with the same legal effect as advanced signatures.

USD figures use UYU 40.210 per US dollar, the BCU quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026; amounts in Unidades Indexadas (UI) use UYU 6.6792 per UI, the BCU quotation for 27 October 2026, both retrieved from the BCU quotations service on 27 October 2026. Amounts in Unidades Reajustables (UR) use UYU 1,940.77 per UR, the value fixed by Decreto 229/026 (IMPO lists it as the latest UR, in force for September 2026). Conversions are rounded and for orientation only.

Key facts

Electronic documents satisfy writing requirements	Yes Ley 18.600 art. 4, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Simple electronic signature valid	If accepted by the parties; burden of proof on the party relying on it if denied Ley 18.600 art. 5, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Advanced electronic signature equivalent to	Handwritten signature certified by notary Ley 18.600 art. 6, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Accredited certification providers must be established in the country	Yes, including infrastructure Ley 18.600 art. 17, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Foreign certificates recognised	Only under a treaty or mutual recognition agreement Ley 18.600 art. 24, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Remote advanced signatures with centralised custody	Yes, via trust service providers Ley 18.600 art. 31 and 32, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Notice before an accredited provider ceases activity	60 daysLey 18.600 art. 19, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. The admissibility, validity and legal effect of electronic documents and electronic signatures are recognised. Electronic documents satisfy any writing requirement and have the same value and legal effects as written documents, except where the law provides otherwise. The rules are interpreted under the principles of functional equivalence, technological neutrality, free competition, international compatibility and good faith, and do not alter the existing law on how contracts are formed or the functions of notaries. Certification services are offered in free competition and do not need prior authorization, although accreditation is needed to issue recognised certificates.
Cost to do it: No government fee for using electronic documents; cost of signature platforms chosen by the parties.
Example: A UYU 2,000,000 (about US$49,739) supply contract concluded by exchanged electronic documents satisfies any requirement of written form. / A US company can sign a Uruguayan distribution agreement electronically, since the law follows functional equivalence and technological neutrality.Ley Nº 18.600 (Electronic Documents and Signatures), art. 1, 3 and 4, 2009-09-21 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. A simple electronic signature has legal effect when the parties using it accept it as valid or when it is accepted by the person against whom the signed document is used; parties are free to agree the conditions under which they accept electronic signatures. If one party denies a simple electronic signature, the other party must prove its validity.
Cost to do it: No fee; cost of keeping audit trails to prove validity if challenged.
Example: A clickwrap acceptance by a Uruguayan customer is valid if the contract so provides, but the seller must prove it if the customer denies signing. / A US platform using a common e signature service should agree in the contract that the parties accept such signatures and keep the audit trail.Ley Nº 18.600, art. 5, 2009-09-21 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. An advanced electronic signature has the same validity and effect as a handwritten signature on a public document or on a private document with notarially certified signatures, provided it is authenticated by secure means that guarantee it matches a recognised certificate issued by an accredited provider identifying the signer, that the document was not altered and cannot be repudiated, and that the signature was created with means under the signer's exclusive control while the certificate was valid. An electronic document does not prove its date unless it carries an electronic time stamp from an accredited provider.
Cost to do it: Cost of a recognised certificate and signing device from an accredited provider; no government fee set in the law.
Example: A Uruguayan board resolution signed with advanced electronic signatures has the evidentiary value of a document with notarially certified signatures. / A foreign director without a Uruguayan recognised certificate cannot rely on a simple e signature where certified signatures are required.Ley Nº 18.600, art. 6, 2009-09-21 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. The State and all public bodies may act, contract and issue documents with electronic or advanced electronic signatures, except where the Constitution or the law requires a formality that cannot be met electronically or the personal presence of the official. Notaries may use electronic documents and advanced signatures under rules set by the Supreme Court of Justice, which issues the recognised certificates for lawyers, notaries and court agents if it acts as an accredited provider.
Cost to do it: No fee in the law; notarial fees still apply to notarial acts.
Example: A company can file many procedures with the State electronically, but acts that by law require a personal appearance still need it. / A foreign investor using a Uruguayan notary for corporate deeds should check the Supreme Court rules on electronic notarial documents.Ley Nº 18.600, art. 7, 8 and 10, 2009-09-21 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Recognised certificates may only be issued by providers accredited by the Unidad de Certificación Electrónica, a decentralised body of AGESIC that keeps the register of accredited providers; AGESIC is the national root certification authority. To be accredited a provider must be constituted in Uruguay, offer financial guarantees and solvency, have qualified staff and suitable standards, and be domiciled in Uruguay, which requires its technological infrastructure and resources to be located there. Accredited providers may not access the signer's signature creation data, must inform applicants for free before issuing a certificate, must give at least 60 days' notice before ceasing activity, and are liable for damage caused by breach or negligence, with the burden of proving due diligence. Identity checks for a recognised certificate require the applicant's physical appearance; for legal persons the representative appears with a notarial certificate of representation.
Cost to do it: Accreditation requires guarantees and local infrastructure; no fee amount is set in the law.
Example: A Uruguayan fintech that wants to issue recognised certificates must locate its signing infrastructure in Uruguay. / A US e signature provider operating only from abroad cannot be accredited and its signatures count as simple electronic signatures in Uruguay.Ley Nº 18.600, art. 12, 14 to 22, 2009-09-21 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Certificates issued by entities not established in Uruguay are equivalent to those of accredited providers when there is a ratified treaty in force, or when they meet the law's requirements and there is a mutual recognition agreement between the foreign accreditation body and the UCE. Recognised certificates lapse on expiry, revocation, loss, misuse by a third party, court or administrative order, death or incapacity of the signer, end of the representation or dissolution of the represented company, cessation of the provider without transfer, or serious inaccuracies in the data provided.
Cost to do it: No fee; cost of obtaining a Uruguayan certificate where no recognition agreement applies.
Example: A Uruguayan company should revoke an officer's certificate when the representation ends, since the certificate lapses on that event. / A European qualified certificate is only equivalent in Uruguay if a treaty or a recognition agreement with the UCE covers it.Ley Nº 18.600, art. 23 and art. 24 (inciso 2 added by Ley Nº 19.355 art. 116), art. 23 and 24, 2015-12-19 official text · verified 2026-10-27

7. A register of trust service providers exists within the UCE. Trust service providers offer services that give legal certainty to electronic acts, including creating, verifying and validating advanced electronic signatures with centralised custody, digital identification and time stamping, and must keep the signer's key safe, provide secure signing on the signer's instruction and secure identity registration. An advanced electronic signature with centralised custody made through a trust service provider has the same validity and effect as an advanced electronic signature, and the UCE sets the security levels at which digital identification has the same effect as in person identification.
Cost to do it: Cost of the trust service; no government fee in the law.
Example: A Uruguayan bank can let clients sign loan documents with a cloud based advanced signature through an accredited trust service provider. / A US investor onboarding remotely can sign with centralised custody advanced signatures, provided the provider is registered with the UCE.Ley Nº 18.600, art. 31 to 33 added by Ley Nº 19.535 art. 28; regulated by Decreto Nº 70/018 and Decreto Nº 71/025, art. 31, 32 and 33, 2017-09-25 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Ley Nº 19.535 of 25 September 2017 art. 28 added art. 31 to 33 on trust service providers, centralised custody advanced signatures and digital identification.

Level	Legal effect	Requirement	Source
Simple electronic signature	Valid if accepted by the parties; if denied, the relying party proves it	Party agreement	Ley 18.600 art. 5
Advanced electronic signature	Same as handwritten signature with notarial certification	Recognised certificate from accredited provider, signer's exclusive control	Ley 18.600 art. 6
Advanced signature with centralised custody	Same as advanced signature	Registered trust service provider	Ley 18.600 art. 31 and 32
Electronic time stamp	Proves the date of the document	Accredited provider	Ley 18.600 art. 6

Signature levels

Worked example

Commercial contract: two companies sign a UYU 5,000,000 (about US$124,347) services agreement with a common e signature tool. It is valid because the contract says the parties accept that method (art. 5); if one party later denies signing, the other must prove it, so audit trails matter.
Certified documents: where Uruguayan law requires a private document with certified signatures, an advanced electronic signature with a recognised certificate from an accredited provider meets the requirement (art. 6), while a foreign platform's simple signature does not.
Dating: a document signed electronically without an accredited time stamp does not prove its date against third parties, so options or notices with deadlines should be time stamped (art. 6).

Step by step

Decide which documents need only simple signatures and which need advanced signatures equivalent to certified signatures.
Include an express clause accepting electronic signatures in contracts signed with simple e signatures.
Obtain recognised certificates or a trust service account from providers accredited or registered with the UCE for officers who sign certified documents.
Use accredited time stamps where the date of a document matters.
Revoke certificates when officers leave or representation ends.
Check whether foreign certificates are covered by a treaty or a UCE recognition agreement before relying on them.

Common traps

A simple e signature from a foreign platform is not equivalent to a notarially certified signature.
Electronic documents do not prove their date without an accredited time stamp.
Accredited providers must have their infrastructure in Uruguay; foreign services are not accredited by default.
Certificates lapse automatically when representation ends or the company is dissolved.
Some acts still require notarial formalities or personal appearance.

Sources

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