A Digital Signature Certificate is equivalent to secure digital key that’s issued by the certifying authorities for the aim of validating and certifying the identity of the person holding this certificate. Digital Signatures make use of the overall public key encryptions to form the signatures.
A digital signature certificate (DSC) contains information about the user’s name, pin code, country, email address, date of issuance of certificate and name of the certifying authority.
Who Should Buy
Obtaining a Class II Digital Signature is required in following cases:
E-filing income tax returns in case of every registered trust, partnership firm, companies, any other entity or individual who is required to get tax audit under the Income Tax Act.
Company filings with MCA21( Ministry of Corporate Affairs)
MCA has mandated digital signatures for the following individuals:
1) Directors
2) Auditors
3) Company Secretaries – Whether in practice or in job
4) Bank Officials – for Registration and Satisfaction of Charges
5) Other Authorized Signatories
Classes of DSC
The type of applicant and therefore the purpose that Digital Signature Certificate is obtained defines the type of DSC one must apply for counting on the necessity. There are three types of Digital Signature certificates issued by the certifying authorities.
Class of certificate | Descriptions |
Class 1 Certificates | These are issued to individual/private subscribers and are wont to confirm that the user’s name and email contact details from the clearly defined subject lie within the database of the certifying authority. |
Class 2 Certificates | These are issued to the director/signatory authorities of the companies for the aim of e-filing with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). Class 2 certificate is mandatory for individuals who have to sign manual documents while filing of returns with the ROC. |
Class 3 Certificates | These certificates are used in online participation/bidding in e-auctions and online tenders anywhere in India. The vendors who wish to participate in the online tenders must have a Class 3 digital signature certificate. |