Legal Validity of Digital Documents: Your Signature with Cincel

At Cincel, the legal validity of your documents is not just a promise, it is the foundation of our platform. We designed Cincel so that every document signed through our suite has full legal validity and certainty in Mexico, and is compatible with international standards. This means you can trust Cincel for all your important agreements and contracts.

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A Solid Legal Framework in Mexico

Mexican legislation recognizes and grants full legal effects to data messages and electronic signatures. This means that a digital document signed with electronic means has the same validity as one signed on paper, as long as it meets certain requirements for authenticity and integrity.

Cincel strictly aligns with this regulatory framework, ensuring that your documents comply with what is established primarily in the Commercial Code, the Federal Civil Code, and the Advanced Electronic Signature Law.

 

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Cincel Mechanisms that Ensure Validity

To ensure the legal validity and evidentiary value of your documents, Cincel incorporates a series of technologies and processes that reinforce trust in every transaction:

1)    NOM-151 Conservation Certificate: The Key to "Certain Date"

A fundamental pillar for legal validity in Mexico is compliance with the Official Mexican Standard NOM-151-SCFI-2016. This standard establishes the requirements for the conservation of data messages and the digitization of documents, ensuring their integrity over time.

When you sign a document with a Smart Certificate in Cincel, a Data Message Conservation Certificate is automatically generated. This certificate is issued by a PSC accredited by the Ministry of Economy of Mexico, an impartial third party that attests to the existence and integrity of the document at a specific point in time. This is what is known as “Certain Date," a crucial requirement demanded even by authorities such as the SAT to validatevarious operations.

 

2)     Signing Methods Adapted to Your Legal Needs

Cincel offers different signing methods, each with a level of security and evidentiary value that adapts to the nature of your transactions:

Digital Autograph Signature (Simple Electronic Signature): This is the digital representation of your handwriting. In Cincel, this type of signature is not just a stroke; it is enriched with multiple contextual data (such as the IP address, device type, and exact time of the signature) that irrefutably link it to the signer, granting it legal validity as a Simple Electronic Signature.

e.firma (Advanced Electronic Signature): The e.firma is the gold standard in Mexico, issued by the SAT. It has the same value and legal effects as an autograph signature and offers the highest level of cryptographic security and identity certainty. Cincel facilitates its use for documents that require maximum authenticity and integrity.

 

3)     Audit Trail: Your Detailed Digital Witness

Every document signed in Cincel generates a complete Audit Trail. This digital certificate is an unalterable record of the entire signing process, acting as an irrefutable "digital witness." It includes essential details such as:

• Unique document identifiers (ID, hash).
• Status and date of creation and completion.
• Data of each signer (name, signature type, IP address).
• Results of identity verifications (if requested).
• Proof of certifications (NOM-151, Blockchain).

This audit trail is fundamental for proving the authenticity and integrity of the document in the event of any dispute.

 

4)      Notarization with Blockchain: Immutable Integrity Over Time

Cincel adds an additional layer of security and evidentiary value to your documents through notarization with Blockchain technology. This process creates an immutable timestamp that proves the existence of the document and its content on a specific date and time.

Notarization with blockchain ensures the integrity of the document, as any modification after the sealing would change its "digital fingerprint" (hash) and invalidate the proof on the blockchain. This complements legal requirements by offering public and decentralized verification.

 

5)     Compliance with International Standards

In addition to compliance with Mexican regulations, documents signed and certified with Cincel are compatible with important international standards such as ISO/IEC and ETSI TS, ensuring global recognition.

 

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Evidentiary Value in Court

Documents signed electronically in Cincel can be presented as evidence in a legal process or trial and are legally admissible. Their evidentiary value is strengthened by all the aforementioned mechanisms, including the NOM-151 Conservation Certificate which grants a presumption of integrity and certain date.

At Cincel, we provide you with the tools and infrastructure so that every agreement you sign is secure, legally binding, and manageable with maximum efficiency.