Frequently Asked Questions

A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is a secure digital key that certifies the identity of the holder, issued by a Certifying Authority (CA). It typically contains your identity (name, email, country, APNIC account name and your public key). Digital Certificates use Public Key Infrastructure, meaning data that has been digitally signed or encrypted by a private key can only be decrypted by its corresponding public key. A digital certificate is an electronic “credit card” that establishes your credentials when doing business or other transactions on the Web.

Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 Digital Signature Certificates, in signing and in signing plus encryption (combo) form, along with DGFT certificates for import and export. Class 3 is what most portals ask for today, including income tax e-filing, MCA, ROC, GST, ESI, PF, DIN, director eKYC, e-tendering and e-procurement. Tell us which portal you need to file on and we will confirm the right class for it.

Message encryption provides confidentiality. It allows users to encrypt a document with the recipient’s public key, which can then be decrypted only with the corresponding private key. Message signing binds the identity of the message source to the message. It ensures data integrity, message authentication and non-repudiation. When signing, you use your private key to create the signature, and the recipient uses your public key to verify it is really yours.

We provide Digital Signature Certificates from Prodigisign, VSign, Pantasign and eMudhra, and we offer sub-dealership for the same. All of these are Certifying Authorities licensed by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), India.

eMudhra is a Certifying Authority authorised by the Controller of Certifying Authorities for the issuance of Digital Signature Certificates in India. Access-tech provides Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 Digital Signature Certificates along with digital signatures for specific needs such as Income Tax filing, MCA, e-tendering, e-procurement and Foreign Trade.

The most common uses are MCA e-filing, income tax e-filing, foreign trade (DGFT), e-tendering and e-procurement, and Employees’ Provident Fund filings. A DSC is also required for GST, ESI, DIN and director eKYC, and for applying for online licences.

Companies and LLPs must file GST returns and income tax returns using a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate. Individuals and proprietorships may use other verification methods, but a DSC is accepted everywhere and avoids OTP and Aadhaar dependency.

A USB token is a hardware device used to store a Digital Signature Certificate securely. A USB e-Token can be password protected so that the Digital Signature is never lost when the computer is formatted or the browser changed. A virus cannot affect a USB token, and the certificate stored on it stays secure. As per the CCA’s Office Order effective 7 December 2013, Access-tech issues Class 2 and Class 3 Digital Signature Certificates only on FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certified crypto tokens. A certificate stored on a USB token cannot be copied to any other device.

We supply ePass Auto 2003, mToken CryptoID, ProxKey and TrustKey tokens. TrustKey from Watchdata is FIPS certified and plug and play, with the driver built in, so no separate smart card reader driver installation is needed.

Three steps, in order. First install the driver for your USB token — drivers for the tokens we supply are on the downloads page. Second, plug the token in and confirm the computer recognises it. Third, run the download utility for your Certifying Authority, using the reference number and credentials issued when your certificate was approved. The utility then writes the certificate onto the token.

The one published by whichever Certifying Authority issued your certificate. Download utilities are not interchangeable — a Vsign utility will not download an eMudhra, (n)Code or Sify certificate, and vice versa. If you are not sure which you need, call us and we will send you the right one for your certificate.

Almost always this is a missing driver. Install the driver for your token from our downloads page, then unplug and reinsert the token. If it is still not detected, try a different USB port, close any other application that may be holding the token open, and check the token appears in Device Manager. If none of that works, call us and we will complete the download with you over remote desktop.

No. The private key is generated inside the USB token and cannot be exported, so the certificate cannot be copied off the token or duplicated onto another device. To sign from a different computer, install the token driver on that computer and plug the same token in.

Call our sales team, download the application form for your chosen Certifying Authority from the downloads page, and send it to us with the supporting documents. We handle verification and issuance, and provide free remote-desktop support to install the certificate on your computer.

Yes. We run a Channel Partner Programme with bulk pricing for chartered accountants, company secretaries and registration authorities, and we are looking for digital signature partners across India. See the reseller page for current rates and payment details.

We provide free after-sales support, including remote desktop assistance for installing drivers, registering the certificate and configuring your browser. Technical support is available Monday to Saturday, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM.