If you are into an online business, own a company or need to sign too many documents online, you must be aware of a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). It is a digital technique that is being used to validate the authenticity of a document and is considered equivalent to a physical signature, an official seal or more as the case may be.
With most of the processes becoming online these days, it has become an important certificate to own. Have a look at the basic types and usages of DSCs that you must be aware of:-
Types &Usages of Digital Signature Certificates
If you have a business, you must have heard about class 2 and class 3 digital signatures. Here is a detailed description of these types of DSCs along with the other one that you should know:-
- Class 1 Certificate- This certificate is needed for personal purposes and is equivalent to a manual signature. It is to state that the documents contain the correct name, email address and other personal details of the signing authority. However, this certificate is not recognized by the Registrar of Companies.
- Class 2 Certificate- This certificate is used for filing and signing various government documents like while filling the concerned company forms online with the Registrar of Companies on the MCA portal, an income tax return, a GST return, Provident Fund-related documents and more. Thus, almost every businessman needs to have this certificate so that he can complete the official paperwork easily.
This certificate is further divided into two types, Signing certificate and Signing & Encryption certificate. As the name suggests, the Signing certificate is given to authorized signatories of the company who only have the power of signing a document. However, the Signing & Encryption certificate is considered as of the highest level among all types of certificates and is needed for different official and government-related tasks.
- Class 3 Certificate- This certificate is needed by those who are participating in online auctions, bidding and similar types of trading practices throughout the country. Just like the Class 2 certificates, Class 3 certificates can also be divided into two sub-categories for signing alone and for signing and encryption. This classification usually depends upon the authority of the person who is signing the document and what powers are being given to him by his senior authorities.
- DGFT Signature- This is another type of signature that is considered as a universal one. It can be used to sign any and almost every document over the web that requires your signature. Those who do not have any official specifications, still go for this type of certificate to make their work easier.
Though class 2 and class 3 certificates are more popular, many individuals these days are going for class 1 digital signatures as well to make their work easier.
You must be aware of the type of digital signature certificate that you need to fill the form accordingly to ensure that you do not face any trouble later.