General

1. What is the technical validation to be made by CA to ensure uniqueness of email ID?

a. A minimum validation should happen during application submission that, the given email ID should not have been issued to any other identifier (such as PAN or date of birth). This validation needs to happen for all the historical DSCs issued by the CA for minimum of last 12 months. This will provide reasonable assurance of uniqueness of the email ID provided by the applicant.

2. It is indicated that, in case of Government Applicants, CA should verify the Organizational and authorised signatory’s identity. Is this applicable for Class 3 alone, or even for other classes of certificate?

a. All classes of certificates.

3. In case of Individual applicant, it is said that “any government issued photo ID card bearing signature of the applicant”. Are government employee ID card acceptable?

a. The Government Employee ID card is acceptable, only in the cases where it is carrying the central or state emblem. Thus it satisfies as the official card issued by central or state government.

4. In case of Organizational DSC applicant, is there need for Individual address proof?

a. No.

Mobile Verification

1. Which category of applicants is this applicable?

a. Unless and otherwise not exempted, all applications received through “Normal RA”

2. Is the mobile number mandatory for DSC Application?

a. Yes.

3. Should the mobile number be unique for the given certifying Authority?

a. Yes.

4. How the uniqueness of Mobile Number should be validated?

a. The CA should ensure that, they satisfactorily verify with the applicant, that the Mobile Number provided in the application form belongs to them.

5. What is the technical validation to be made by CA to ensure uniqueness of Mobile Number?

a. A minimum validation should happen during application submission that, the given Mobile Number should not have been issued to any other identifier (such as PAN or date of birth). This validation needs to happen for all the historical DSCs issued by the CA for minimum of last 12 months. This will provide reasonable assurance of uniqueness of the Mobile Number provided by the applicant.

6. Can Landline number be provided instead of mobile number?

a. No.

7. What are the basic KYC questions to be verified in Mobile Verification?

a. Questions of KYC should validate the Applicants Identity, Applicants consent for obtaining DSC, the information provided in application, and the RA information through whom the application was submitted.

8. What details should be logged for Mobile Verification?

a. For successful mobile verification, CA should log the information as part of audit logs, which shall include, CA Officer Identity (Name / ID) who made the mobile verification, date and time of verification, and other information which were part of 40 / 42 application (like applicant name who completed the verification, the mobile number, etc)

Video Recording/Verification

1. Who has to perform the video recording?

a. The video recording should be done by CA, which can be facilitated by RA. The recording of the video should be real-time and directly in the CA system. There should not be any room for tampering the video or submitting already recorded videos.

2. Is it necessary to make the video recording with applicant to physically be present in CA Premise?

a. No. It can happen from anywhere.

3. Who has to verify the video recording?

a. CA has to verify the video recording including the cross verification against the photograph provided in application, the KYC answers stated, etc

4. Can applicant record a video and send it to CA over email, etc?

a. No.

5. Can the video be recorded in mobile, etc?

a. The recoding can be facilitated through mobile, only in case where CA has his own mobile application, which can do a real-time streaming to CA System.

6. Can video conferencing solution be used for video recording?

a. Yes, provided, it satisfies the real-time recording to CA’s application.

7. What should be the minimum duration of video recording?

a. Minimum of 20 Seconds

8. When there is a physical verification through Video recording, what is the need for Attestation of documents?

a. Attestation is a separate procedure for authenticity of supporting documents. So, it is required irrespective of video verification.

9. In some of the government offices and corporate offices, video recording is not allowed. How to get this Video recording in such case?

A. Video recording can be facilitated from anywhere. The applicant can either visit CA / any other location, or fulfil video recording for CA

10. In case of video recording whether mobile phone/SMS verification is required.

A. Mobile phone/SMS verification is required.

Foreign Applicants

1. Why both “Public Notary” and “Apostillization” is required for foreign national in their native country?

a. Public Notary is a prerequisite process for Apostillization (or Consularization). This is a common procedure. These are defined in International Law and are governed by various conventions and treaties.

2. How to perform the interactive video recording for foreign nationals, as they are not physically accessible to CA?

a. CA should facilitate the tamper proof video recording of the applicant. . The video recording with applicant can happen from anywhere

3. What is the allowed address proof, in case the passport of that country does not contain the address?

a. For the countries, where the address is not the part of passport, the applicant has to produce additional proof of address issued by the government of respective country. Such address proof shall also be certified as applicable.

4. What if the proof of address belongs to some other country? Should that be still attested by respective local embassy?

a. The ‘Address Proof’ should be attested by the embassy of the country to which the address belongs.

5. Should the original copy of attested (notarized + appostilled / consularized) document to be submitted?

a. All certified copies should be with original certification. The photocopy of attested / certified documents shall not be taken.

6. How to verify the notarized + appostilled / consularized procedure?

a. Appostilled copy will contain the stamp of respective country with clear indication. Consularized copy will bear a stamp and also contain the red tape as per the Consularization process.

Organizational RA

1. Who can be Organizational RA?

a. As defined in the guidelines, the Corporate Entities or Government Organizations can become “Organizational RA”

2. For whom, an Organizational RA can process a DSC application (issue the certificate)?

a. They can process the DSC application, only for the employees / directors / etc of their own organization. They cannot issue the DSC to external entities / individuals.

3. What should be the Organizational Name (O Value) in the DSC, for certificates issued through Organizational RA?

a. The O value in the DSC should be ‘fixed’ to the Legal name of Organizational RA. All the applications processed through Organizational RA should be an Organizational Personal Certificate, where Organization name cannot be modified.

4. Can an organization procure the DSC through a Normal RA, or is it mandatory for each organization to become an Organizational RA?

a. Any organization can still procure the DSC through a Normal RA. There is no restriction.

5. In cases of applications through Organizational RA, whether video and mobile verification process is applicable?

a. No. The Authorized person as defined under Organizational RA Agreement should perform the physical verification, and confirm the data provided in application form.

6. Can an Organizational RA facilitate an Individual Certificate?

a. No.

7. Can an Organizational RA issue certificate to some other Organizational representative?

a. No.

8. What kind of agreement should be in place for an organizational RA?

a. The agreement should mandatorily cover the undertaking of process to be followed as per Organizational RA guidelines. CA or the organization can add additional content on commercials and others.

9. It is said that the KYC of the Organizational RA should happen at least once in a year. What happens in case of 2 / 3 year validity DSC issuance?

a. This has no relation to the KYC validity of DSC applicant. The DSC once issue will remain valid for the period issued, irrespective of Organizational RA’s existence.

10. Can the ‘Authorized representative’ of Organizational RA, be an external person, who is duly authorized by the Organization?

a. No.

11. Can a “Normal RA” who is a non-individual and functioning as organization, be treated as an organizational RA?

a. No.