Organization Validation (OV) and Individual Validation (IV) 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
Note: Using a Dun & Bradstreet number (also known as a D-U-N-S or Duns number) helps SSL.com expedite validation and certificate issuance. Please make sure that your company information in Dun & Bradstreet is correct and up-to-date before using this option. You can enter your D-U-N-S number directly with your Company Details when ordering your certificate:
- Hoovers
- Better Business Bureau
- UK – Gov.uk’s Companies House
- Dun & Bradstreet
- For OV Code Signing certificates only, if the business or organization is less than three years old, a scan of the certificate requestor’s government-issued ID is also required.
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
Manual Validation
For manual validation of an individual person’s identity, the following are required to be submitted:
- A scan of the front 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 your name, address, year of birth, and photograph.
- A scan of the back of the government-issued ID card or passport ID page.
- A photograph of yourself holding the government-issued ID next to your face so that your 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.
Automated Validation
Identity Validation plays a crucial role in safeguarding your SSL.com account and is a necessary step for obtaining digital certificates that require Individual Validation (IV). This process verifies that the certificate applicant is truly the individual they represent themselves to be. For certificates like the Personal ID Document Signing Certificate, Personal ID S/MIME Certificate, and Personal ID Client Authentication Certificate, identity validation provides both the legal and technical foundation of trust. SSL.com makes this step simple by offering a secure, remote, and convenient verification system. With just a computer or smartphone and an AI-powered Identity Verification tool provided by SSL.com, you can complete the process quickly without visiting our office or sending documents by mail.
To learn more about the automated identity validation, please check this guide.
In some cases, SSL.com may request additional supporting documents before issuing a certificate.
IV + OV Validation
SSL.com now offers IV + OV validation which combines both the organizational identity of an OV and the personal identity validation of an IV.
Use cases, such as securing employee communication on an individual level or restricting access to critical systems to certain individuals within an organization, are answered with a certificate issued with both validation types. Persons who have been issued with an IV + OV certificate are able to prove not only their personal identity, but also that they actually belong or represent a particular organization.
Our current IV + OV certificates are listed as follows:
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.
Video: Validation Requirements for OV, IV, or EV Certificates
