Frequently asked questions
Understanding the Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate.
What is a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate?
A Class 3 DSC is the highest-assurance individual or organisation signing certificate in India, issued only after the applicant's identity is verified. It is the class now required for most government and legal e-filing, and it must live on a secure hardware token.
Where is a Class 3 DSC used?
It signs and authenticates filings on portals such as GST, income tax, MCA/ROC, EPFO, ICEGATE, e-tenders and trademark or patent filings, and it digitally signs PDFs and documents with legal validity.
What is the difference between Class 2 and Class 3 DSC?
Class 2 certificates were discontinued and Class 3 replaced them across the board. Class 3 involves stronger identity verification, which is why it is now the single class accepted for e-filing and e-tendering.
How long is a Class 3 DSC valid?
A Class 3 certificate is typically issued for one, two or three years. When it expires you renew it and download the renewed certificate onto your existing token.
Does a Class 3 DSC include encryption?
A signing certificate proves who signed; a separate encryption certificate lets you receive encrypted data. Many e-tender users buy a combined signing-plus-encryption Class 3 set because some portals require both.