Argentina signed bilateral agreements last week with Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, and Uruguay that eliminate the requirement for the Hague Apostille on Documents of Suitability (and their Annexes), for motor transport companies of passengers and cargo that operate traffic between these countries, and wish to supplement their permits within the framework of the International Land Transport Agreement (ATIT).
“The “apostille of a document” is a procedure that certifies the authenticity of a signature and a seal to grant legal validity to a document in another country. In replacement of this procedure, the countries will mutually recognize the official electronic signatures issued by their competent authorities, provided they have encryption and verification mechanisms that guarantee the identity of the signatory,” stated Transporte through a communiqué.
Electronic Verification
This decision implies that the legalization or apostille of the Document of Suitability and its annexes will no longer be necessary, given that the authenticity of the documentation can be verified electronically.
“This initiative is part of the modernization and regional cooperation policies promoted within the scope of Mercosur aimed at streamlining and simplifying processes (since it eliminates the timeframes for completing the apostille procedure at the Foreign Ministry), reducing costs (eliminates the cost of the apostille fee) and strengthening operational integration between the signatory countries of the ATIT,” concluded the ministry.
