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 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
To validate an individual person’s identity, please provide the following:
- 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 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.
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.
