Ministry of Company Affairs, Government of India (601) has initiated MCA21 program, for easy and secure access to its services in a manner that best suits the businesses and citizens
Digital Signature Certificates (DSC) are the digital equivalent (that is electronic format) of physical or paper certificates. A digital certificate can be presented electronically to prove one’s identity, to access information or services on the Internet or to sign certain documents digitally.
Digital Signatures are used in India for online transactions such as Income Tax E-Filing, Company or LLP Incorporation, Filing Annual Return, E-Tenders, etc.
Physical documents are signed manually, similarly, electronic documents, for example e-forms are required to be signed digitally using a Digital Signature Certificate.
Under MCA21 Every person who is required to sign manual documents and returns filed with ROC is required to obtain a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). Accordingly following have to obtain Digital Signature Certificate:
There are three types of Digital Signatures, Class I, Class II and Class III Digital Signature.
Digital Signatures come in the form of a USB E-Token, wherein the Digital Signature Certificate is stored in a USB Drive and can be accessed through a computer to sign documents electronically.
Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) Applicants can directly approach Certifying Authorities (CAs) with original supporting documents, and self-attested copies will be sufficient in this case.
DSCs can also be obtained, wherever offered by CA, using Aadhar eKYC based authentication,and supporting documents are not required in this case
A letter/certificate issued by a Bank containing the DSC applicant’s information as retained in the Bank database can be accepted. Such letter/certificate should be certified by the Bank Manager.
