DigiCert Document Signing Certificates

A document signing certificate attaches a cryptographically unique Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate to a document. This form of digital signing ascribes the identity of the signer to the document and shows when the document was signed. If the document is tampered with after signing, any party can see that the contents were altered.

Not all signatures are equal. A standard electronic signature, or e-signature is a broad term that refers to any electronic process indicating acceptance of agreement or record. This includes something as simple as typing a name in a form fill box. Basic electronic signatures don’t carry long-term validity, and they have no identity verification and a low level of legal binding.

By contrast, a Qualified Digital Signature is a highly secure form of signing that requires a digital ID issued by a regulating body that’s legally valid in your region. Qualified digital signatures carry long-term validity, and thanks to identity verification, carry legal binding. In countries where Qualified Digital Signatures are used, this type of signing is considered the legal equivalent of pen-on-paper. DigiCert offers Qualified Digital Signing.

You can take an ID, valid in your region, to an authorized agent for face-to-face registration.

You can also register online using Remote Identity Validation (RIV).

In approved enterprise enrollments, your organization may verify your identity for you, as an employee.

Requirements for digital document signatures vary widely by location, but, because DigiCert is globally recognized as a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP), our document signing solution is capable of meeting compliance standards anywhere in the world. For specific requirements by location, we recommend checking the local governing authority (i.e., eiDAS) as well as reaching out to your DigiCert account manager.

DigCert certificate subscriptions allow you the flexibility to easily replace or reconfigure certificates and other licensed products, simplify budgeting by annualizing the fees associated with your certificates, and automate license renewals for streamlined certificate lifecycle management.