What Does a Certification Service Provider (PSC) Do in Mexico?

The Role of a Certification Service Provider (PSC) in Mexico

A Certification Service Provider (Prestador de Servicios de Certificación, PSC) is an entity accredited and supervised by Mexico’s Ministry of Economy (Secretaría de Economía) to provide trust services related to electronic signatures and the generation of digital evidence. These services help verify the identity of signatories, confirm document integrity, and provide evidence that a document existed at a specific date and time.

Depending on the scope of its accreditation, a PSC can issue digital certificates for advanced electronic signatures and digital timestamps, as well as generate certificates for the preservation of data messages. A PSC can also act as a Legally Authorized Third Party (Tercero Legalmente Autorizado) for the digitization of physical documents in accordance with NOM-151-SCFI-2016.

The role of a PSC should not be confused with the tax certification of CFDIs. The differences between a PAC and a PSC in Mexico relate both to the authority that regulates each type of provider and the processes they support: a PAC validates and certifies electronic tax documents, while a PSC provides services related to electronic signatures, documents, and digital evidence.

For companies operating across multiple countries, the challenge is maintaining consistent digital processes while complying with the legislation of each market. EDICOM combines its accreditation as a PSC in Mexico with other accreditations and certifications applicable in different countries. This video provides an overview of the main functions of a PSC and helps organizations understand when these services are relevant to their document management processes and electronic transactions.