Validation Procedures

Our validation procedures are strict because we want to protect your business as well as your customers. We will do everything within our power to verify that each certificate is issued only to those who have proven their identity.

Domain Validation

The first step in the validation process requires that we verify your control of your domain name. We do this by first querying your publicly available WHOIS information for your domain name. We compare that data to the data on your CSR. If it matches exactly, your certificate passes this validation step and moves on.

However, if your CSR does not match your WHOIS data or if your registrar's WHOIS server is unavailable, we will ask for additional measures.

The simplest way to validate your domain at this point is to create a domain validation page. This requires placing a page on your website that contains specific information. If we are able to see the page on your site, we know you are in control of the site and your domain will be validated.

Organization Validation

The organization validation step is where many certificates in validation spend most of their time. We try to make this step as easy as possible for you, but there are times where we may need additional help from you.

During the organization validation process, we will try to locate and verify your business in various databases. If your business is within the US & Canada, we will contact your Secretary of State or provincial authorities to verify the existence and validity of your business. If you are in country outside of the United States, we will attempt to access your data from our available databases.

In the event that we are unable to find your company information, or if your company information doesn't match the data on your CSR, we will ask you for documentation. We can accept almost any type of third-party verifiable documentation.

We can accept the following types of documentation:

• Articles Of Incorporation (must include State officer seal)
• Fictitious Name / Doing Business As Document
• Business Licensing (state/city licensing, right to use tax permit)
• Bank Statement (must be printed, not from online sources)
• Merchant Account Statement (must be printed)
• Utility/Telephone Bills

We cannot accept the following types of documentation

• Simple letters on corporate letterheads
• Applications for documentation (such as IRS EIN applications)
• Government documents without signatures/seals

If your business has no legal documentation, or you would like to use your own personal name on your SSL certificate, we will need a copy of your driver's license, government-issued identification, or passport. Your personal name will appear on the SSL certificate.

When your documentation is ready email the documents to us. Please note your domain name on your documentation so that we can match it quickly with your order.