A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is the cryptographic equivalent of a handwritten signature — issued under the Information Technology Act 2000 by Licensed Certifying Authorities (CAs) accredited by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), Government of India. Following the harmonisation under CCA's revised guidelines (effective 1 January 2021), India now operates a single class — Class 3 DSC — for all digital signing requirements, replacing the earlier Class 2 / Class 3 distinction. A valid Class 3 DSC, hosted on a secure FIPS 140-2 compliant USB token (ePass / Watchdata / mToken / Hyp2003), provides the authenticity, integrity, and non-repudiation needed for filings on the MCA21 portal, Income Tax e-filing portal, GST portal, EPFO, ESIC, ICEGATE, DGFT, e-Tendering portals (CPP-Portal, GeM, Indian Railways, defence PSUs), TRACES, RBI portals, IRDAI, SEBI, and MahaRERA / state RERA portals.
Our Digital Signature Certificate services handle the complete DSC lifecycle for individuals, professionals, directors, partners, foreign signatories, and organisations — Class 3 DSC issuance (Individual / Organisation), DGFT-specific DSC for IEC and foreign-trade compliance, Document Signer Certificate (DSC for organisation use without USB token) for bulk signing of invoices, e-way bills, payslips, certificates, and policies, Foreign National DSC with apostilled / consularised KYC, e-KYC (Aadhaar-based) DSC via paperless OTP / biometric route, video-recording-based DSC verification as per CCA guidelines, USB token issuance and configuration across Windows / macOS / Linux with PKCS#11 driver setup, DSC renewal before expiry, DSC revocation / lost-token handling, and integration support with MCA, ITD, GST, ICEGATE, DGFT, and EPFO portals — ensuring uninterrupted, audit-grade digital signing across every regulatory and corporate workflow.
For salaried individuals, professionals, directors, partners — ITR filing, MCA director e-signing, GST return signing, EPFO transfer, and personal e-tendering.
DSC issued in name of authorised signatory + organisation — for company / LLP / firm signing of MCA, GST, IT, EPFO, customs, tender, and other filings.
Specific DSC for DGFT portal filings — IEC application / modification, Advance Authorisation, EPCG, RoDTEP, e-BRC, and SCOMET licence applications.
Server-side DSC for automated bulk signing — invoices, e-way bills, payslips, policy documents, certificates, contracts — without USB token dependency.
DSC for foreign nationals / NRIs serving on Indian boards or signing for foreign-owned Indian entities — apostilled / consularised KYC documents.
Pre-expiry DSC renewal, lost / damaged token reissue, password / PIN reset, USB driver reinstall, and revocation in case of theft / fraud.
Effective 1 Jan 2021, Class 2 was discontinued; Class 3 is the single class for all e-filings, e-tenders, and document signing. Highest assurance level under CCA framework.
Sign-only DSC for signing documents; Sign + Encrypt (combo) DSC for signing + encrypting communications — useful for e-tendering and secure email.
Private key never leaves the FIPS 140-2 certified USB token (ePass2003, Watchdata, mToken, Hyp2003) — providing tamper-resistance and non-repudiation.
DSCs are issued for 1, 2, or 3 years (most popular: 2 years). Renewal must occur before expiry to avoid signature failures on dependent portals.
Aadhaar OTP / biometric e-KYC enables paperless DSC issuance in minutes — no physical KYC documents, no courier — backed by UIDAI authentication.
Mandatory video-recording verification per CCA — applicant reads PIN code & Aadhaar last digits on camera, stored as audit evidence by CA.
Document Signer DSC, hosted on Hardware Security Module (HSM), is for automated bulk signing in API-driven workflows — e-invoicing, e-way bill, payroll, policies.
Revoked DSCs are listed in the Certificate Revocation List (CRL) and queryable via OCSP — relying portals reject signatures from revoked / expired DSCs.
Sign-only or Sign + Encrypt Class 3 DSC for individuals — Aadhaar e-KYC issuance with USB token in 30–60 minutes for most cases.
DSC bound to organisation + authorised signatory — for MCA, GST, IT, EPFO, customs, RBI, MahaRERA / state RERA, and tender filings.
DGFT-portal-specific DSC for IEC, Advance Authorisation, EPCG, RoDTEP, SCOMET, and e-BRC — fully integrated with dgft.gov.in.
HSM-hosted Document Signer DSC for bulk signing — e-invoicing, e-way bill, payslips, certificates, policies — with API integration support.
DSC for NRIs and foreign nationals — apostilled / consularised passport & address proof, video KYC, and notarised translations support.
USB token (ePass2003 / Watchdata / mToken / Hyp2003) supply, driver installation, browser configuration on Windows / macOS / Linux.
Pre-expiry renewal, lost / damaged token replacement, PIN reset, and migration to new token / Aadhaar e-KYC route.
Configuration of DSC on MCA21, ITD, GST, ICEGATE, DGFT, EPFO, TRACES, MahaRERA, GeM, CPP-Portal, and other regulatory / tender portals.
Bulk DSC issuance for board, KMPs, signatories, and finance team — single onboarding window, group billing, and renewal calendar.
DSC revocation in case of compromise / theft / employee exit, CRL filing, and replacement issuance with audit trail.
e-Tender platform configuration — GeM, CPP-Portal, defence PSU portals, IRCTC, NHAI, state e-tender platforms — with browser troubleshooting.
End-to-end troubleshooting — Java emSigner, EPF / TRACES Java applet, browser plug-in, certificate-store registration, and SSL chain issues.
Newly appointed director or LLP partner — DSC + DIN / DPIN required before MCA filings, board resolutions, and e-incorporation.
Income-tax return for company / firm / audit cases — Class 3 DSC required for e-verification under Sec 140 by the authorised signatory.
GST return / refund / annual return filings by company / LLP — Class 3 DSC of authorised signatory mandatory on the GST portal.
Fresh IEC, IEC modification, Advance Authorisation, EPCG, RoDTEP, e-BRC — DGFT DSC needed for filing on dgft.gov.in.
About to bid on a government tender on GeM, CPP-Portal, IRCTC, NHAI, defence PSU, or state portal — Sign + Encrypt Class 3 DSC required.
Bulk e-invoice or e-way-bill signing at scale — Document Signer Certificate (HSM-hosted) needed for API-driven automation.
Existing DSC expiring within 30–60 days — pre-expiry renewal needed to prevent disruption in MCA, GST, ITR, and tender filings.
Foreign national joining the Indian board or being appointed as authorised signatory — apostilled-KYC-based DSC required.
Identify use case (MCA, GST, ITR, DGFT, tender, document signer) to confirm DSC type, validity, and Sign vs Sign+Encrypt.
Aadhaar OTP / biometric e-KYC, PAN validation, video verification per CCA — paperless and quick.
Class 3 DSC generated by Licensed Certifying Authority and downloaded onto the FIPS 140-2 USB token.
Driver install on Windows / macOS / Linux, browser plug-in setup, and test signing on target portal (MCA / GST / DGFT / etc.).
Renewal reminder set at 60 / 30 / 15 days before expiry; lifetime support for token / portal issues.
Partner with our DSC specialists for individual / organisation Class 3 DSC, DGFT DSC, Document Signer, foreign-director DSC, USB token configuration, portal setup, and renewal calendar across MCA, GST, ITD, DGFT, and tender platforms.
Talk to a Digital Signature Expert