Obtaining Digital Signature Certificate
If you are incorporating a Company or a Limited Liability Partnership or filing your tax returns, it is mandatory for you to have a DSC.
A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) authenticates an electronic document or record using an asymmetric cryptosystem. The statute governing the usage of DSC is the Information Technology Act, 2000. If you are incorporating a Company or a Limited Liability Partnership or filing your tax returns, it is mandatory for you to have a DSC.
Simply put, to ensure the authenticity and security of any documents submitted electronically. To make regulatory filings with the Income Tax Department, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) or to submit the bid for government tenders, you must have a DSC. They can also be used for entering into electronic contracts.
Validity of DSC and its Procurement Cost
DSCs generally have validity from one to two years, but they can be renewed on the expiration of the initial issue.
The cost of DSC includes a one time fee of the medium (which is a USB token), the issuing cost, and thereafter renewal cost once its validity expires. The cost of issuing varies across agencies and is market-driven.
Documents Required for DSC
- Identity proof like passport, PAN card, driving license, passbook.
- Address proof like AADHAAR, Voter ID, driving license, water or electricity bill (not more than 3 months old).
Self-attested copies of both these documents are needed. Also, if the Certifying Agency provides the option, it can also be done using Aadhaar eKYC based authentication and in this case, no other document is necessary. A bank letter/ certificate containing applicant’s information (as retained in the bank’s database) is also accepted. But the document should be certified by the bank manager.
From where can I get my DSC?
Controllers of Certification Agencies (CCA) officially appointed Certification Agencies only have the permission to issue DSC in India. These agencies are:
- National Informatics Center
- IDRBT Certifying Authority
- SafeScrypt CA Services/Sify Communications Ltd
- Code Solutions CA
- E-MUDHRA
- CDAC
- NSDL
- Capricorn
- Pantasign
Please note that one is allowed to only use the valid DSC issued to him and it’s illegal to use DSCs of someone else. The fraudulent use of DSC is punishable by INR 1 lakh or 3 years of imprisonment or both.
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We are a confluence of CAs and CSes which enables us to avail our clients one-stop for all the services pertaining to regulatory compliance/taxation/finance/accounting saving them on the cost and efforts of outsourcing and changing firms for business expansion.
We obtain your DSCs, along with a range of other services to take full accountability as the virtual CFO to your business.
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