Organization Validation (OV) and Individual Validation (IV) certificates – also known as High Assurance certificates – require validation of an organization’s or individual’s identity and address before issuance.
- For website owners, an SSL.com High Assurance certificate gives visitors to your site an extra level of confidence in your web presence and your product.
- Some other types of certificates, such as Code Signing and NAESB certificates, always require OV or IV before issuance.
SSL.com offers the following OV/IV certificates:
Documents for Validation
- In order to validate and issue an OV or IV certificate, SSL.com must verify your identity, physical address, and telephone number via verifiable online resources and/or valid verification documents.
- The exact documentation required differs depending on whether the applicant is a business or organization, or an individual:
OV Documentation
For businesses or organizations valid options are:
- A link to a government agency in the jurisdiction of the Applicant’s legal creation, existence, or recognition.
- For example, a company doing business in Alaska but incorporated in Nevada would need to appear in a search of Nevada businesses.
- A link verifying your information in a third party database that is periodically updated and considered a Reliable Data Source. Examples include:
- Dun & Bradstreet
- Hoovers
- Better Business Bureau
- UK – Gov.uk’s Companies House
In most cases, businesses and organizations will not need to upload documents to their order, but can simply provide a URL to SSL.com support staff. You can submit your link via an email to Support@SSL.com, or by using the chat link in the lower right corner of the SSL.com website.
In some cases, SSL.com may request additional supporting documents before issuing a certificate.
IV Documentation
To validate an individual person’s identity, please provide the following:
- A scan of a valid, government-issued photo ID card or passport ID page. The ID number may be obscured, but we must be able to see the name, address, year of birth, and photograph of the individual.
- A photograph of the individual holding the government-issued ID next to their face so that the individual’s face may be compared with the image on the ID. The photograph should be at least 5 megapixels (MP) – most current smartphones can provide an image of 5MP or greater.
In some cases, SSL.com may request additional supporting documents before issuing a certificate.
Callbacks
We will contact you by phone after the information above is reviewed. A successful contact via a verified telephone number is required to issue an OV or IV certificate. Please read our how-to on Callbacks for OV Certificates for full information on this procedure. After a successful callback, your certificate will be issued, and you will be notified by email when it is available.
SSL.com customers purchasing an OV SSL/TLS certificate will immediately receive a DV certificate after going through the standard domain validation process. This certificate will serve as a placeholder so you can secure your website right away. Your OV certificate will be issued as soon as all verification steps are completed and confirmed.
