Law 8454
The Law on Certificates, Digital Signatures and Electronic Documents (Law 8454), in force since 2005, establishes the legal framework for the use of electronic documents and signatures in Costa Rica.
Key principles
Functional equivalence: a digitally signed electronic document has the same evidentiary value as a physical document signed by hand.
Non-repudiation: the signer cannot deny having signed the document, since the signature is cryptographically linked to their identity.
Integrity: any modification to the document after signing invalidates the signature, guaranteeing that the content was not altered.
Which documents can be signed digitally?
The law allows almost any document to be signed digitally, except those that by law require a public deed before a notary (such as property deeds or wills).
The following are valid digitally:
- Commercial contracts
- Purchase orders
- Payroll and pay records
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Internal corporate documents
- Official correspondence
Storage and auditing
ArcaSign keeps a signature history for each document: who signed, date, time, IP address, certificate used, and document hash. This record is admissible as evidence in judicial or administrative proceedings.