Brazil and India advance trade digitalization with the Electronic Certificate of Origin

Trade operations between Brazil and India covered by Mercosur’s agreement with the Asian country will become faster and more cost-effective with the adoption of Electronic Certificates of Origin (ECO). The certificates may be issued and signed electronically.

The use of the ECO is a modernization measure that speeds up trade flows and is fully aligned with this Ministry’s trade facilitation agenda, as trade operators in both countries will be able to issue electronic certificates of origin, simplifying export procedures.

In this context, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Saturday (Feb. 21) in New Delhi by the executive secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), Márcio Elias Rosa, who is part of the delegation accompanying President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his trip to India. The document grants legal validity to documents issued electronically between Brazil and India.

Under the new system, exporters will be able to reduce the time required to issue certificates from up to 48 hours to about 2 hours.

“This is a concrete step forward in facilitating bilateral exchanges. By reducing costs, deadlines, and bureaucracy, we create conditions to expand and diversify trade, strengthening a strategic partnership with great growth potential,” Márcio Elias Rosa said.

India is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner in Asia and its fifth-largest worldwide. In 2025, Brazilian exports totaled around $7 billion, with total trade exceeding $15 billion. Among the main sectors expected to benefit from electronic certification are animal or vegetable fats and oils; textiles, especially cotton; and machinery, mechanical appliances, and instruments.

Beyond efficiency gains, the new Certificate ensures the authenticity and integrity of information through digital signatures, raising security and reliability standards in export and import processes. The measure also helps reduce document fraud and improves customs control by facilitating verification of the preferential origin of traded products.

The initiative adds to others already implemented involving the adoption of digital and electronic certificates in trade with Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Brazil–India Business Forum

Investments, agricultural, industrial, and trade policies, and economic cooperation were the main themes highlighted by MDIC Executive Secretary Márcio Elias Rosa during the ministerial session of the Brazil–India Business Forum in New Delhi.

Addressing the structural conditions Brazil offers to attract investment, the executive secretary emphasized the federal government’s commitment to institutional predictability. “This is a commitment of President Lula. We will ensure an essential tripod for economic activity: legal certainty and political stability,” he said.

Márcio Elias also presented the guidelines of Brazil’s industrial policy, structured under the New Industry Brazil (NIB) initiative, with a focus on missions such as energy transition and decarbonization.

He also mentioned initiatives such as the MOVER Program, aimed at green and sustainable mobility, as well as policies to promote low-carbon hydrogen and biofuels. The executive secretary further highlighted investments in physical and digital logistics, as well as the strengthening of the digital economy, as drivers of competitiveness.

When discussing bilateral cooperation, he stressed the importance of long-term productive partnerships. “This is how we will truly strengthen and integrate a new relationship with strong regulatory convergence,” he concluded.

Secretary Márcio Elias Rosa remains part of the presidential delegation traveling to South Korea on Sunday (Feb. 22), where he will take part in bilateral meetings.

Source: MDIC

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