A digital signature certificate (DSC) is a secure digital key issued by recognised Certifying Authorities (CAs) to validate the identity of the certificate holder. It contains an individual’s name, digital signature, date of issuance of the certificate and date of expiry, and the name of the CA.

Apart from government bodies like GST, MCA, Income Tax, etc., a DSC is being accepted in all the countries across the world as it offers greater security. DSC is important for companies looking to take part in government tenders.

According to the Information Technology Act, 2000, a DSC is accepted evidence in any court of law similar to the acceptance of any signed document.

Added security features in DSC prevents unauthorised use of your document and data. No one can fake your signature, tamper the data or alter your document. DSC ensures your signature is valid, verified and legitimate.

Digital signatures ensure a smoother workflow in an organization by limiting the time and cost spent on signing documents and contracts. Documents can be signed by the required persons in a click of a button. This is especially useful when the signer is located in a different area and there is no dependency for him/her to be physically present.

Apart from authenticating the certificate holder’s identity, DSC helps in the following ways:

During the transfer of information, both the keys are used by the browser and the server to encrypt and decrypt information, to authorise the identity of the user. The public key is disseminated with the encrypted information. The authentication process fails even if one of the keys does not match. Hence the encrypted data cannot be decrypted making it impossible for unauthorised access.

A DSC is created based on the PKI mechanism where two keys - a public key and private key are generated. The private key is kept by the signer and the public key is required by the receiver to decrypt the information regarding the identity of the user during information exchange. The user can store the private key on a computer or hard disk as a token and access it with his/her respective password issued.

Class 3 certificate is an upgraded version of Class 2. It is issued to individuals and organisations that want to participate in bidding for government tenders or online tenders and auctions. Sometimes the applicants may be expected to be physically present before the CAs to receive a Class 3 certificate. Class 3 signatures are relevant to environments that are prone to data theft, fraudulence and failure of security.

Similar to Class 1, Class 2 certificate is issued to both the entities - businesses and private subscribers for confirmation of information in the database. It is used during monetary transactions or to access one’s personal information, and for other transactions, where there is a substantial risk of malicious activity. Also, Class 2 is used to file various government forms in India.

Class 1 certificate is issued to both businesses and individuals, or private subscribers, to confirm the user’s name and email id as mentioned in the consumer database. This is just a basic assurance and is usually not considered to be of major significance.

There are three classes of DSC - Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 used for different purposes based on the type of entity and need.

Documents required to get DSC Indian Individuals looking to obtain DSC must submit: ID proof: Passport/Driving license or any Photo Identity issued by the Govt PAN card Address proof: Aadhaar card/Voter ID/Driving license/Registration Certificate Attesting Officer proof

Indian Organizations looking to get DSC must submit: Organizational PAN Partnership deed, if applicable List of Authorised Signatories which could be the list of Directors, Board resolution, etc. Authorised Signatory ID proof GST certificate

For Indian companies, the documents may differ depending upon the type of entity like Partnership, Proprietorship or sole ownership, LLP, etc.

Foreign individuals and organizations looking to obtain DSC must submit: Attested copy of applicant’s passport Attested copy of Visa, if the applicant is out of their native country Attested copy of Resident Permit certificate, if the applicant is in India Attested copy of any Govt-issued address proof

Foreign attestation procedure for DSC: Authorisation letter must be sought with the respective company seal and signature.