Glossary · Security

Organization Validation (OV) Certificate

An OV certificate is a TLS certificate where the CA verified the organization behind the domain as well as domain control, and lists it in the certificate.

Updated November 11, 2026

An Organization Validation (OV) certificate is a TLS certificate issued after the certificate authority checks both that the applicant controls the domain and that the named organization legally exists. The verified organization name is recorded in the certificate's subject field.

Why it matters

OV sits between a domain validation certificate, which only proves control of the domain, and an extended validation certificate, which applies stricter vetting. Encryption strength is identical across all three. The difference is the identity information stored in the certificate, which some enterprises, procurement teams and compliance programs ask for. Modern browsers do not display the organization name in the address bar, so visitors rarely see the benefit. You can still read it by opening the certificate details.

Example

openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -servername example.com </dev/null 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -subject

An OV certificate prints a subject that includes an O= field, for example O=Example Ltd. A domain-validated one usually shows only a common name.

Common mistakes

  • Buying OV expecting a visible browser padlock upgrade. The interface looks the same as for DV.
  • Letting validation lapse. CAs reuse vetting for a limited period and may ask you to re-verify at renewal.
  • Using stale company details in the order, which delays issuance.

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