OV (Organization Validation) and EV (Extended Validation) certificates name your verified organisation inside the certificate. For a registered company, the CA confirms most details from public records and asks for documents only when those records fall short. OV usually takes 1–3 business days and EV 3–5 business days.
What the CA checks
- Legal existence: via the official company registry.
- Address and locality: your registered physical presence.
- A verification phone call to a number listed in a public directory.
- Domain control: the usual domain validation.
OV documents (only if public records fall short)
- Business registration proof: usually the Certificate of Incorporation.
- Address proof: a recent utility bill, bank statement, or registered lease in the company's name.
Typical issuance is 1–3 business days for OV and 3–5 business days for EV once everything is confirmed.
EV: stricter identity checks
EV includes everything in OV, plus a check directly with the incorporating authority, so it usually needs documents: a Certificate of Incorporation showing the registration number, proof of operational existence (a bank confirmation letter or a D-U-N-S record), a verified physical address, government photo ID of the authorised signatory, and a signed EV Subscriber Agreement.
A shortcut: legal opinion letter
A single legal opinion letter from a practising lawyer or Chartered Accountant can confirm your legal existence, operational existence, physical address and signatory authority in one document. Ask us before using another professional. It often avoids collecting several separate documents for EV, and for OV when public records aren't enough.
Common questions
Can I get an EV wildcard?
No. Industry rules don't permit EV wildcard certificates. Use an OV wildcard, or an EV multi-domain certificate that lists each name.
What slows OV and EV down?
An organisation name or address in your order that doesn't match the official records, a phone number that isn't listed in a public directory, or an unsigned EV agreement.
Do I repeat validation at each reactivation?
Domain validation is repeated once the previous check is older than the reuse limit (200 days today). The CA tells us if your organisation details need re-checking, and we'll ask you only for what it needs.
Still deciding between DV, OV and EV? Read DV vs OV vs EV.