Are electronic signatures legal in Peru?
Yes. Since 2000, Peruvian law has given an electronic signature the same validity and legal effect as a handwritten one. Since 2021, its regulation has also named three levels of signature and said plainly who has to prove what when a signature is disputed.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 2 min read
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Peru: at a glance
Country · PE- E-signature law
- Ley 27269, Law on Digital Signatures and Certificates
- In effect since
- 2000
- Doesn't cover
- No exclusion list; formalities other laws require for specific acts still apply (regulation, art. 3)
- Acts needing a notary's or official's public faith (fe pública) still go through them (regulation, art. 3)
- Public instruments: the authority must record the electronic means used and keep a complete version (Civil Code art. 141-A)
Ley 27269 and the Civil Code
Ley 27269, the Law on Digital Signatures and Certificates, was published in El Peruano on May 28, 2000. Article 1 gives an electronic signature the same validity and legal effect as a handwritten signature or any analogous mark that expresses a person's will. It defines an electronic signature broadly: any electronic symbol a person uses or adopts with the precise intent to bind themselves to, or authenticate, a document.
A month later, Ley 27291 added article 141-A to the Civil Code. Where a law requires a formality or a signature, it can be generated or communicated by electronic means. For public instruments, the authority involved must record which means was used and keep a complete version.
Three levels since 2021
The law's regulation, Decreto Supremo 052-2008-PCM, was amended by D.S. 029-2021-PCM (published February 19, 2021) to define three levels (art. 1A) and the burden of proof for each (art. 2A):
| Level | What it is | If someone disputes it |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Electronic data attached to or logically linked with other data, which a signer uses to sign | The party claiming it's authentic must prove it |
| Advanced | A simple signature uniquely linked to and identifying the signer, made with data under their control, so any later change is detectable | The party claiming it's authentic must prove it |
| Qualified (firma digital) | An advanced signature that meets the regulation's chapter II rules: a digital signature within the Official Electronic Signature Infrastructure (IOFE) | The party denying it must prove the forgery |
A digital signature made within the IOFE has the same validity and legal effect as a handwritten one and meets any legal signature requirement (regulation, art. 3), and the regulation presumes the signer controlled the key and that the document is intact (art. 8). Digital signatures made outside the IOFE are valid according to what the parties agreed (art. 2). INDECOPI is the competent authority that administers the IOFE and accredits its providers.
No exclusion list, but formalities stay
Neither the law nor the regulation lists documents that can't be signed electronically. Instead, article 3 of the regulation says its rules don't displace the specific formalities the law requires for certain legal acts, or the role of notaries and other officials who give public faith (fe pública). If a document must be executed before a notary, electronic signing doesn't change that.
Where SignMaster fits in Peru
SignMaster provides simple electronic signatures with an audit trail. It isn't an IOFE provider and doesn't issue a firma digital, so if a signature is challenged, the burden of proving it sits with you. That's why the record matters: each completed PDF ends with a certificate of completion listing each signer's email, IP address, consent and timestamps, and a SHA-256 fingerprint of each file shows the document wasn't altered after signing. It suits service agreements, quotes, purchase orders and NDAs.
Questions? Answers.
Is a simple electronic signature valid in Peru?
Yes. Ley 27269, article 1, gives an electronic signature the same validity and legal effect as a handwritten one. If it's disputed, though, the party relying on it has to prove it's authentic.
What is the IOFE?
The Official Electronic Signature Infrastructure (Infraestructura Oficial de Firma Electrónica), administered by INDECOPI. Digital signatures made within it are qualified signatures and get the regulation's presumptions.
Does the Civil Code accept electronic signatures?
Yes. Article 141-A, added by Ley 27291 in 2000, lets a required formality or signature be generated or communicated electronically, with extra record-keeping duties for public instruments.
Sources
- Ley 27269, Law on Digital Signatures and Certificates (Congreso de la República) · leyes.congreso.gob.pe
- Ley 27269 and its regulation, consolidated edition (El Peruano) · diariooficial.elperuano.pe
- Decreto Supremo 052-2008-PCM, regulation of Ley 27269 (gob.pe) · gob.pe
- Ley 27291, Civil Code arts. 141-A and 1374 (Congreso de la República) · leyes.congreso.gob.pe
- INDECOPI, competent authority for the IOFE · gob.pe
General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and how they apply depends on your situation. For advice about a specific document, talk to a lawyer licensed where you are.