JUMP TO CHAPTER

1. Key benefits of Extended EV SSL
2. Documentation required to issue EV SSL
3. MANDATORY registration in the World Business Register
4. Obtaining, installing and renewing EV SSL

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Do you have a website through which personal or other sensitive information is exchanged? If visitors can register or make a purchase on your website, you must be in this group. Online shops are a prime example, where data flows over the internet and must never end up in the wrong hands.

The security of online data is slowly improving, thanks in no small part to SSL certificates. Their primary function is to encrypt data, which can only be ‘unlocked’ by the person to whom it is intended by means of an electronic encryption key. You can read more about the process and the other benefits of an SSL certificate in this article.

If you follow our blog regularly, you will know how important SSL certificates will become in 2017. A few months ago, Google announced on its official blog that a security warning would gradually appear on all unsecured web pages in Chrome. As a result of this change, all websites accessed via HTTP can expect a drop in visitors.

The growing awareness of web security, and the major changes that are no doubt coming to other major browsers, has already led to a growing trend in the use of SSL certificates. Among them, the so-called extended SSL certificates are also on the rise. These are particularly suitable for websites of large companies and government institutions, and for online shops where personal and financial data is transferred on a daily basis.

Do you know the key benefits of an Extended SSL Certificate?

An Extended Validation SSL certificate, also abbreviated as EV SSL ( Extended Validation SSL), has a number of key advantages over other types of certificate.

DISPLAY OF THE COMPANY NAME IN THE CERTIFICATE

Extended Validation SSL certificates allow the verified company name to be displayed directly in the certificate, providing greater confidence to website visitors. During the EV certificate issuance process, the existence and identity of the company is thoroughly verified by the certificate provider, including legal registration, physical address and contact details. Once the verification is successfully completed, the name of the company, along with the country of incorporation, is displayed in the certificate details – visible when you click on the padlock icon in your browser.

This level of transparency and verification is particularly important for online shops, banks and other companies that want to make it clear to visitors that they stand behind a trustworthy website. Displaying a company’s name on a certificate is proof that it is a genuine registered company and not just an anonymous web presence. This reduces the possibility of phishing attacks and helps to increase the credibility of the company online.

Maximum level of credibility for the website and the company

The Extended Validation Certificate provides the highest level of credibility of any SSL certificate, as it is virtually impossible for a certificate to be issued unjustifiably due to the numerous checks on the various documentation. This is also evidenced by the issuer’s guarantee, which for the most popular Extended Validation Certificate, Sectigo EV SSL, is a high USD 1 750 000.

Web users can use websites that have an Extended SSL Certificate without worrying about falling victim to phishing scams. The impact of installing an EV certificate is therefore greatest in online shops, where many studies have shown that:

• fewer abandoned baskets,
• a higher number of purchases made,
• higher average purchase value.

Improved trust and brand awareness

You would probably agree with us that a lack of trust in the business world has a very negative impact on the reputation of a brand or the company itself. It’s no different online. If visitors don’t feel safe in an online shop, they will certainly not follow through with their purchase. It can also happen very quickly that rumours or questions about a suspicious website start appearing on various forums, which can have an even worse impact on business.

Installing an EV certificate removes the fear of sensitive data being misused, and the business benefits immediately. And with so few websites using the widely used certificate today, the opportunity to stand out from the crowd is even greater. An EV certificate, which displays the name of a thoroughly verified company in the certificate, is the perfect solution for increasing brand awareness and thus growing sales faster.

Evidence and other documentation required for EV certification

The decision to invest in an Extended SSL Certificate requires a thorough verification of the customer by the issuer of the certificate. The entire process takes up to 41 days for companies based in Slovenia, and the certificate can be issued for one or two years. After the expiry of the period, the extended certificate must be renewed, which again requires the preparation and submission of the required documentation.

Below you can find a list of documents that must be submitted by the subscriber of the EV SSL certificate.

Proof of company existence (1)

Whether your company wants to lease an EV certificate for one or two years, the company must have been in existence for at least three years. Proof of this is an extract from the register of the Slovenian Agency for Public Records and Services (AJPES), which must be in English. In addition, you will need an official notarial letter from a lawyer or notary public.

Proof of paid tax obligations (2)

Proof of tax obligations must be provided to the issuer of the EV Certificate. For a one-year certificate, you will need this proof for the last three years, and for a two-year certificate, you will need it for the last five years. Proof that all recorded taxes and other compulsory levies that have become due have been paid for the required previous period will be issued by the FURS. This proof must also be obtained in English.

If, after the purchase of the SSL certificate, it turns out that the company has outstanding tax obligations, or if these arise at any time after the certificate has been issued, the certificate will be terminated. In this case, Sectigo and other recognised issuers of extended certificates will not refund any money.

Proof of physical address (3)

Proof of physical address shall be deemed to be the registered address of the company in the AJPES, and shall also be provided by obtaining the most recent operating costs invoice from the manager or owner of the building in which the company is established.

Proof of a valid telephone number (4)

The invoice from the service provider (e.g. a bill from T-2, Telekom, Amis or another telecommunications provider) is valid proof of a valid telephone number, and the same telephone number must also be registered with AJPES.

Printout showing the name and surname of the owner or director of the company and his/her telephone number (5)

If you cannot find an official document with the required information, a scanned business card of the director or owner of the company will suffice. During the verification process, the latter will receive a call from the SSL Certificate issuer to his/her telephone number.

Form – Application for an Extended SSL Certificate (6)

In order to obtain an EV certificate, it is necessary to fill in the form – Application for Extended SSL Certificate. By clicking on the link you can download the form to your computer. Please fill it in electronically and remember to sign it when you print it.

Form – Subscriber’s confirmation of agreement (7)

The Subscriber’s Certificate of Agreement with the EV Certificate Issuer must also be completed and signed. By this certificate, the subscriber confirms that he/she agrees to the verification of the company and the acquisition of the digital SSL certificate.

The company MUST be entered in the World Business Register

If your company is not registered in one of the recognised global business registers, you will need to make sure it is. Without this, it is not possible to obtain an Extended SSL Certificate. We recommend that you register with the Dun & Bradstreet Business Register, which is also recognised by Sectigo, the world’s leading certificate issuer.

First of all, please check if your company, association or organisation is already listed in this register. As shown in the image below, click on the “Company Search” link at the top of the page, enter your company name in the search engine, select the country “Slovenia” and click on the “Search” button. You may also need to tick the box to indicate that you are not a robot.

Are you present in the business register? Excellent, but this will most likely not be sufficient to issue a certificate, as all the data must be entered (usually only the name and registered office of the company are entered). You will therefore need to add the required missing data to your entry in the register.

Both entering and editing data in the D&B register are chargeable services. The price for each service is $408.99. We have good news for you! As part of the agreement between the D&B Registry and NEOSERV, we can edit the data for you. This service costs only € 30 + VAT.

So you have two options:

A) You enter the data, including annual sales and revenue, in the register yourself and pay the service fee.

B) You entrust us with the requested data and we enter it for you. The information that needs to be entered in the business register is shown in the figure above.

Obtaining, installing and renewing an EV certificate

Once the issuer has received and reviewed all the documentation, the next step is for the issuer to call the company’s telephone number, which is recorded in the D&B register. Before the actual call, it is necessary to coordinate the appointment, as the owner or director of the company must be present. NEOSERV can help with this by arranging with the Sectigo issuer, in accordance with your wishes, when the call should take place.

Once the last little details have been checked via a phone call (please have your EMN and tax number with you), the SSL certificate is issued within 10 minutes. The bureaucratic verification procedures are now complete, all that is needed is to install the certificate on the website and to correctly switch to the HTTPS protocol.

The process of installing an SSL certificate in the cPanel control panel is not difficult, but it is still not possible without technical knowledge. Don’t worry, NEOSERV will be happy to help. If you have a shared hosting contract with us and your website is hosted with us, we will install the SSL certificate for you free of charge. We will also make sure that your website works properly on the secured link, which will now start with https://.

After the expiry of the extended certificate lease period, the verification process will be much faster, as you will only need to provide the issuer with three of the documents listed above:

• Proof of tax liability,
• proof of physical address,
• proof of a valid telephone number.

Although at first glance it may seem like too much to check and you will never get through the whole process, it’s not that complicated. And of course, the best part – once you’ve done all the “paperwork” and your company has been verified by the EV Certificate issuer, your company name will appear on the certificate itself once the certificate has been installed. This will let visitors to your website know that they are on a completely secure and trustworthy website, where entering sensitive data is not left to chance. And when you see the first signs of improved business results, you’ll know that your investment has paid off.