Updated in September 2023
In Nicaragua, the regulation governing electronic signatures is Law 729 on Electronic Signature, published on August 30, 2010. This regulation differentiates between electronic signature and certified electronic signature, the latter having the same validity as the handwritten signature.
According to this regulation, the electronic signature is defined as:
“Electronic data embedded in a data message or logically associated with other electronic data, which can be used to identify the data subject in relation to the data message and indicate that the data subject approves of the information contained in the data message.“
For the certified electronic signature to be legally valid, it must meet three requirements:
- That the signature creation data corresponds exclusively to the holder
- That the qualified certificate on which it is based has been issued by an accredited certification service provider.
- When the secure signature creation device comes from an accredited certification service provider.
Keys to electronic signature in Nicaragua
The electronic signature has not yet been implemented in Nicaragua
However, despite the existence and validity of a legal framework that grants legal value to electronic signatures for more than a decade, in practice this legal process has not yet been applied in the contractual relations of its citizens. There is currently no electronic signature certification service provideraccredited by the regulatory body in this Latin American country. Therefore, Nicaragua is the only country in Latin America that has not yet implemented electronic signatures.