Digital Signature

Description

A Digital Signature is a physical signature in an electronic format. Digital Signature Certificate is a digital equivalent of a handwritten signature which has an extra data attached electronically to any message or a document. 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.

Digital Signatures come in the form of a USB E-Token, wherein the Digital Signature Certificate is stored on a USB Drive and can be accessed through a computer to sign documents electronically. Digital signatures are easily transportable, cannot be imitated by someone else, and can be automatically time-stamped.

Types of Digital Signatures

1. CLASS I DIGITAL SIGNATURE:  issued to individuals/private subscribers, for private purpose
2. CLASS II DIGITAL SIGNATURE: issued for business / personal use – used in income tax, annual filings, company incorporation
3. CLASS III DIGITAL SIGNATURE: issued to business/ personal use – used for e-tendering