e-MEI A1 — 1 year | Online Issuance

The e-MEI A1 is the digital certificate designed for the MEI (Brazilian individual microentrepreneur). It is technically identical to the e-CNPJ (Brazilian company digital certificate) A1, with the same ICP-Brasil (Brazilian public key infrastructure) legal validity, but at a special price and with priority service for MEIs. Issued within 30 minutes after online biometric validation. It enables the MEI to issue NF-e (Brazilian electronic invoice) and NFS-e (Brazilian electronic service invoice), access the Portal do Empreendedor (Brazilian government portal for entrepreneurs), file the DASN-SIMEI (MEI annual tax return) and meet all tax obligations.

Required documents (online issuance): The microentrepreneur's CNH (Brazilian driver's license) issued after 2017 (mandatory). Any additional MEI documents will be requested during the video call itself, with no red tape.

What it is for

• Issuing NFS-e (Brazilian electronic service invoice) in any municipality
• Issuing NF-e (Brazilian electronic invoice, model 55) for retail MEIs (Brazilian individual microentrepreneurs)
• Access to the Portal do Empreendedor (Brazilian government portal for entrepreneurs) (gov.br/empresas)
• Filing the DASN-SIMEI (Simples Nacional annual return for MEIs)
• Access to e-CAC (Receita Federal online service portal) for businesses to check pending issues and regularizations
• Debt installment plans on the Receita Federal (Brazilian Federal Revenue Service) portal
• Signing legally valid service agreements
• Enrollment in Simples Nacional (Brazilian simplified tax regime) and Simei (MEI tax regime)
• Issuing the CCMEI (MEI registration certificate) and making registration changes online
• Access to Caixa's Conectividade Social (employer portal) for FGTS (Brazilian severance fund), if you have an employee
• Participation in simplified public tenders
• Signing digital sales proposals and quotes
• Communication with the Junta Comercial (Brazilian state commercial registry) to close or modify the MEI (Brazilian individual microentrepreneur)

Frequently asked questions

Why does an MEI (Brazilian individual microentrepreneur) need a digital certificate?

To issue NF-e (Brazilian electronic invoice) and NFS-e (Brazilian electronic service invoice) properly, access the Portal do Empreendedor (Brazilian government portal for entrepreneurs), file the DASN-SIMEI (MEI annual tax return) and access Receita Federal (Brazilian Federal Revenue Service) tax systems. It is also mandatory in some municipalities for issuing NFS-e.

What is the difference between the e-MEI and a regular e-CNPJ (Brazilian company digital certificate)?

Technically, they are the same certificate, both are ICP-Brasil (Brazilian public key infrastructure) certificates with full legal validity. The difference is commercial: the e-MEI is R$ 30 cheaper and comes with priority service for microentrepreneurs, recognizing their smaller financial means.

Can I use the e-MEI for everything the e-CNPJ (Brazilian company digital certificate) does?

Yes. They are technically identical, same issuance by the Certificate Authority, same ICP-Brasil (Brazilian public key infrastructure) chain, same legal validity. The only distinction is the target audience and price.

Does an MEI (Brazilian individual microentrepreneur) need an A1 or an A3?

For most MEIs, the A1 (1 year, file-based) is sufficient and more economical. The A3 (2 years, on a token) is recommended for those who will use the certificate on more than one computer or need extra security.