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DSC Basics
If you're searching for this, you've probably been told to "just get a Class 2 DSC" by an old form, an old article, or an old habit. Here's what actually changed.
Class 2 Digital Signature Certificates were officially discontinued by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) with effect from 1 January 2021. Since that date, no Certifying Authority in India, including eMudhra, Capricorn CA, vSign or SpeedSign, has been permitted to issue or renew a Class 2 DSC. Class 3 DSC is now the only class issued in India, for both individuals and organizations.
On 26 November 2020, the CCA issued revised Identity Verification Guidelines consolidating India's certificate classes. Class 1 DSC (very low assurance, rarely used) and Class 2 DSC (moderate assurance) were both phased out, leaving Class 3 as the single standard for all secure digital signing in India, from Income Tax e-filing to GST returns to MCA/ROC compliance to e-tendering.
The stated reasoning was to simplify the DSC landscape and raise the baseline security level for all digitally signed transactions, since Class 3 requires stricter identity verification, including Aadhaar eKYC and a recorded video verification call, that Class 2 did not always require.
The practical differences, if you're used to the old Class 2 process.
No longer issued or renewed by any CA in India since 1 January 2021.
The only certificate class any Indian CA can issue today.
If your Class 2 certificate was issued before 1 January 2021 and hasn't expired yet, it remains legally valid and usable until its original expiry date. You simply won't be able to renew it under Class 2 once it expires, at that point, you'll need to apply for a fresh Class 3 DSC, the same certificate everyone else uses today.
Whether your Class 2 certificate has expired or you're applying for a DSC for the first time, we issue Class 3 certificates from all 4 major CAs.
No. Every licensed Certifying Authority in India stopped issuing and renewing Class 2 DSCs from 1 January 2021, per CCA guidelines. Class 3 is the only certificate class currently issued.
No, an existing Class 2 certificate remains valid and usable until its original expiry date. It simply cannot be renewed under Class 2 once it lapses.
Class 3 DSCs do generally cost more than Class 2 did, reflecting the stricter identity verification involved, but since Class 2 is no longer available at all, Class 3 is simply the standard cost of a DSC in India today.
No, one Class 3 Signing DSC works across Income Tax, MCA, GST and most portals. Some portals like ICEGATE and GeM require a Combo (Signing + Encryption) certificate instead.