Mercosur has formally approved the "Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Electronic Identification and Authentication Means," a landmark that grants regional legal validity to each member country's digital identity systems. Driven by the Paraguayan government during its Pro Tempore Presidency, the agreement establishes the foundation for the bloc's computer systems to securely connect and interact.
In practice, a high-security digital ID issued in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, or Uruguay will be fully valid in the other three countries. This will allow citizens and businesses to carry out cross-border procedures online, without the need for physical travel or paper documentation. A Paraguayan producer, for example, will be able to process licenses to export to Brazil directly from their office in Asunción, with the same legal backing as an in-person procedure in Brasília.
The foundations of the agreement were initially structured during Paraguay's Pro Tempore Presidency in 2024 and consolidated on June 18 in Asunción, during the third ordinary meeting of the Digital Agenda Group (GAD). The success of the negotiations was possible thanks to coordinated work between Paraguay's Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC).
For the system to officially begin operating on institutional web platforms, the final document must be sent to the national congresses of each of the four member states for study and legislative ratification.
Locally, MITIC reported that Paraguay's Electronic Identity has already surpassed 1.5 million users, establishing itself as a fundamental tool for accessing more than 400 of the State's digital services. The process to obtain it can be started through the official State portal or the Portal Paraguay app, requiring the completion of a form with personal data and the registration of an email address.
The process includes capturing three photographs: the front and back of the identity card, and a selfie holding the document next to the face. The clarity of the images is crucial for immediate automatic validation; otherwise, the procedure goes through manual review, which can take up to 48 hours. MITIC recommends cleaning the phone's camera and ensuring good lighting to speed up approval.
The Ministry also clarified that it only issues non-qualified electronic signatures, intended exclusively for public officials. The qualified electronic signature, required to operate services such as the Integrated System for the Administration of Administrative Records (SIARA), is issued exclusively by authorized private providers.