Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)

What a Digital Signature Certificate is

A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is the electronic equivalent of your handwritten signature, issued by a licensed Certifying Authority under the Information Technology Act, 2000. It cryptographically proves who signed a document and that the document was not altered afterwards. For most government and corporate filings in India, a DSC is not optional — it is the only legally accepted way to authenticate the submission.

For company and compliance work you need a Class 3 DSC, the highest assurance level, which involves video and mobile verification of the applicant. DSCs are issued on a secure USB crypto token (FIPS-compliant) and are valid for one, two or three years.

Who needs a DSC

• Directors and authorised signatories filing with the MCA (ROC) — incorporation, AOC-4, MGT-7 and other forms.
• Businesses and professionals filing GST, income tax (audit cases) and TDS returns.
• Vendors bidding on government e-tenders and e-procurement portals (often require Class 3 with encryption).
• Importers and exporters filing on ICEGATE and DGFT.
• Anyone signing high-value contracts or board resolutions electronically.

Class 3 DSC — signing vs encryption

A Class 3 DSC comes in two types: a signing certificate (to digitally sign documents) and a combo signing-plus-encryption certificate (required for e-tendering, where bids must be encrypted). Choosing the wrong type is a common and costly mistake — a vendor who buys a signing-only DSC cannot submit an encrypted tender bid. We confirm exactly what your target portal requires before issuing.

How we issue your DSC — and what you need

• Choose the right class, type (sign/encrypt) and validity period.
• Submit PAN, Aadhaar, a photo, email and mobile for paperless Aadhaar-based or document-based verification.
• Complete the live video verification and mobile/email OTP as mandated by the Certifying Authority.
• Receive the DSC downloaded onto a secure USB token, ready to use the same day in most cases.

Validity, renewal and safekeeping

A DSC cannot be renewed after it expires — a fresh certificate must be issued — so we track your expiry and remind you in advance to avoid a gap that stalls filings. Keep the USB token and its password secure; anyone with both can sign in your name. If your token is lost, the certificate should be revoked. We help with reissue and revocation whenever needed.

Why TCC for your DSC

We make a small but blocking task painless: the right class and type chosen for your exact portal, paperless verification, same-day issuance in most cases, and proactive renewal reminders — all at a fixed fee with WhatsApp support.