Digital Signature Certificate for the importer and exporter community might be utilized to safely log on to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade Online License Filing Application and could be utilized to electronically sign the License Application Form, which is filled on the web. It guarantees that the data is secure and can't be seen or changed by any unauthorized person. It will also improve on response time taken while applying a license with Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

Why do I require a Digital Signature Certificate ?

A digital Signatur certificate (DSC) provides an electronic means of proving your identity. It also provides a high level of security for online transactions. You can use certificates to encrypt information so that only the recipient can read it. You can digitally sign information to provide assurance that the recipient has not been modified in transit, and allow verification that actually sent the message.

How does Digital Signature Work ?

Digital Signature Certificate, in simple terms, is a file created by a Licensed Certifying Authority through encryption and is then issued to you, in the USB eToken. When signing any particular document this file is accessed, which acts like a 'key' (Private Key) and locks & securest the document being signed (through encryption). [This is similar to using a key in a physical lock to secure your valuables in a bank locker - a lock can only be opened by its own key].

In addition to locking the document being signed, this file also adds a Digital Certificate to it containing your identity details, viz. name, Organization's name, email ID, etc.

It also adds a key code (known as public key) which is the same key that resides in the certifying authority server, thereby allowing the other party to validate the authenticity of your DSC. Contrary to popular myth, the DSC does NOT contain a scanned copy of your physical signature.