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Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is a secure digital key that is issued by Certifying Authority to identify an individual and allow signing a document digitally. Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is created on public / private digital infrastructureIt and store person information like name, address, contact details and aadhar card details. Digital Signature is considered equivalent to the handwritten signature which ensures security and validity of electronic documents is signed by inteded person. This blog outlines the process to obtain a Digital Signature Certificate in India.
A Digital Signature Certificate is issued by a Certifying Authority (CA) and contains information like the individual's name, email address, public key and other details which autheticates signing person and ensures that the person who is signing the document is same who is using its signature.
The DSC is used in various areas including:
Income tax e-filing (Income Tax Department website)
GST filings (GST Portal)
MCA filings for companies (Ministry of Corporate Affairs)
Trademark/patent registration (Trademark Application)
There are primarily three types of DSCs:
Class 1: For individuals, used for securing emails and personal identification.
Class 2: For individuals and entities, mainly used for e-filing with government agencies like Income Tax or MCA.
Class 3: For high-security purposes, such as e-tendering and other sensitive transactions.
Class 2 and Class 3 certificates are the most commonly used by individuals for official purposes.
Certifying Authorities are those company to whom licence is given by authority to issue Digital Signature . Click here for complete list of Certifying Authority in India. While DSC can be applied directly at CA Website but it can be time consuming and costly.
Person needs to register on the CAs portal and fil online application by providing all required details. user can be asked to to provide personal details such as:
Name
Address
Email ID
Proof of Identity
Proof of Address
you will need to submit scanned copies of identity and address proof. These documents needs to be self-attested. Online video verification will be done post reviewal of documents submitted.
The cost of a DSC depends on the type and validity period (1, 2, or 3 years) and varies between ₹1500 to ₹2500 or more.
Digital Signature Certificate will be generated once your application is processed and approved by the CA. This certificate is typically delivered in two forms:
USB Token: A hardware device that stores the private key securely.
Software-based DSC: An option for non-hard token storage but less secure than hardware-based certificates.
User needs to purchase a USB token which will store certificate and download certification into USB from CA website. User also needs to download and install required software and drivers into system before using DSC which can be downloaded from the website of the Company who has provided token.
Once required software and driver is intalled, user can plug in the DSC token and start using it for signing documents, filing returns, and conducting other legal online activities such as government filings and e-tendering.
Obtaining a Digital Signature Certificate is essential for the person who needs to authenticate themselves online for various official purposes. While directly applying with CA for DSC will cost you more as they are unlikely to give you any benefit for a single digital signature. Therefore it is suggested to take help of professionals which can be cost efficient as they negotiate with CA for better price due to bulk purchase.
For more details, visit the official Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) Website.