"Can I legally sign electronic documents in Costa Rica?" Well that was about how the conversation started, after I mentioned what I was doing with online electronic signatures. This was a like a treasure hunt now. I had already spent over 6 months compiling notes and research on US signature laws into the largest online reference work, but here was a real challenge. Could someone find the legality to electronic signatures for a small Latin country in a language they cannot speak. Now before you take this as a pat on my own back, this is really more about whether the tools exist (search/translation/references) to allow anyone to accomplish this task. I must shamefully admit that it took several hours (I did get distracted by some new laws in Puerto Rico) to wad through the right search words and online bread crumbs before I found some good sources.

The AM Costa Rica news website (you really have to check this site out, its like a mixed fruit drink on a beach next to a Latino street market) had several articles talking about a law that was passed just 6 months ago called "Law Of Certificates, Digital Signatures And Electronic Documents 8454" passed by the Legislative assembly of the Republic of Costa Rica in San José, August 23rd 2005. Next I was surprised by two things; 1) that the law was already available online and 2) that it was hosted by the Costa Rica's Ministry of Technology (MICIT).

Now here is the funny part. When you use a web-based translation service to translate a legal/law document from a foreign language into your own... it pretty much looks like any other English legal document. Its almost like legal is a universally boring and to the point text. Some bits and pieces were translated word by word, although the general understanding was the same even when I ran the entire paragraph through.

So yes anyone can in fact legally sign documents in Costa Rica electronically and just as important I believe, anyone can find even obscure information when using the right tools. On a side note - I did find a fabulous new tool. The AltaVista translation banner. Its great fun even if you never use it. Suddenly I have a site that speaks 9 languages! Suddenly I don't feel so American in my inability to speak anything but English.