FAQ Hero
Trust & PKI

What is the PKI
certificate validation
process?

What is the PKI Certificate Validation Process?

For public PKI certificates, also known as TLS/SSL certificates, the validation process entails going through a background check of sorts to ensure the certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) to the proper identified person or organization. The validation process for TLS/SSL certificates is explained here:

Step 1: Create your request, also known as a certificate signing request (CSR), by placing your certificate order online on our website as a guest or by logging into your DigiCert® CertCentral account.

Step 2: Validate your identity. Our validation team works quickly to contact our customers to confirm their identity in order to issue their certificate. That means the speed of certificate issuance is largely dependent on whether our representatives are able to reach the client making the certificate request in a timely manner.

Step 3: Install your certificate. Once validated, we issue your TLS/SSL certificate and send it to you via email. You can also download your certificate in your DigiCert account.

Step 4: Check your installation. We recommend that you check to ensure the certificate has been properly installed and is running smoothly by using our SSL Diagnostics Tool.

Step 5: Set up management control in DigiCert CertCentral. If you have multiple users on your account, determine who has authority to renew, revoke or reissue certificates.

Step 6: Renew your certificate before it expires to avoid a security lapse. You can always renew at DigiCert.com or by logging into your CertCentral account.