Organization Validated (OV) SSL Certificates

Reliable security with organization validation

An OV SSL (Organization Validated SSL) certificate is a type of digital security certificate that verifies the identity and legitimacy of a business or organization before issuing the certificate. In addition to encrypting data transmitted between a website and its visitors, OV SSL certificates provide added assurance to users that the website they are visiting is owned and operated by a legitimate organization. This type of certificate requires a more rigorous validation process compared to DV (Domain Validated) SSL certificates, but is less comprehensive than EV (Extended Validation) SSL certificates.

Name Yearly Order Now Details
InstantSSL (OV) €31.78
Sectigo OV SSL €87.68
InstantSSL Pro (OV) €34.67
InstantSSL Premium (OV) €46.22
Elite SSL (OV) €52
Enterprise SSL €431.91
Enterprise SSL Pro €1024.15
Thawte SSL Web Server €85.27
GeoTrust True BusinessID €70.71


What is an OV SSL Certificate?

An OV (Organisation Validated) SSL Certificate is an SSL certificate that combines strong HTTPS encryption with verification of the organisation operating the website.

Before issuing an OV certificate, the Certificate Authority (CA) verifies both control of the domain name and information about the organization requesting the certificate. This additional validation provides a higher level of identity assurance than a standard Domain Validated (DV) certificate.

The verified organisation information is included in the certificate details, allowing users and other parties to confirm which organisation is responsible for the secured website.

Like other modern SSL certificates, OV certificates encrypt data transmitted between the web server and visitors’ browsers. Their main advantage over DV certificates is therefore not stronger encryption, but the additional verification of the organisation behind the website.

For this reason, Organisation Validated SSL certificates are particularly suitable for businesses, companies, organisations, and professional websites where establishing identity and trust is important.


Who Should Use an OV SSL Certificate?

An Organization Validated SSL certificate is a good choice for websites operated by companies and organizations that want to provide HTTPS encryption while also having their identity verified by a trusted Certificate Authority.

OV SSL certificates are particularly suitable for:

  • corporate and company websites;
  • professional and business websites;
  • organizations and institutions;
  • customer portals and online services;
  • websites handling customer or business information;
  • websites where verified organizational identity can provide additional assurance.

For a personal website, blog or project where only HTTPS encryption is required, a Domain Validated (DV) SSL certificate may be sufficient and can usually be issued more quickly.

Organizations requiring a more extensive identity validation process can instead consider an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate.

The right choice therefore depends primarily on the level of identity assurance you need. DV certificates verify control of the domain, while OV certificates add verification of the organization behind it, providing a suitable balance between security, identity validation and cost for many business websites.


DV vs OV SSL Certificates: What’s the Difference?

Both DV and OV SSL certificates provide secure HTTPS encryption. The key difference is what the Certificate Authority verifies before issuing the certificate.

A DV certificate verifies control of the domain name and can usually be issued quickly through an automated validation process.

An OV certificate goes one step further by also verifying the identity and legitimacy of the organization requesting the certificate. This additional verification takes longer but provides greater assurance about who operates the website.

If you simply need to enable HTTPS and encrypt website traffic, a DV certificate may be the most convenient solution. If your website represents a company or organization and verified identity is important, an OV SSL certificate is generally the more appropriate choice.