Skip to main content

Supported DCV methods for validating the domains on OV/EV TLS/SSL certificate orders

Demonstrate control over domains on a pending OV or EV TLS/SSL certificate order

Before DigiCert can issue an SSL/TLS certificate, you must demonstrate control over the domains and any SANs (Subject Alternative Names) on the certificate order. We refer to this process as the Domain Control Validation (DCV) process.

DigiCert currently supports these DCV Methods:

  • WHOIS-based Email

  • Constructed Email

  • Email to DNS TXT contact

  • DNS CNAME

  • DNS TXT

  • HTTP Practical Demonstration (also referred to as File or FileAuth).

Important

Industry standards prevent Certificate Authorities (CAs), such as DigiCert, from issuing an SSL/TLS certificate until domain control validation is complete.

When ordering a certificate, you select a DCV method to demonstrate control over the domain on the order. On the certificate's Order details page, use the DCV method selected during the order process to complete the domain validation. You can always switch validation methods if needed.

Notice

Domain prevalidation

CertCentral features a domain prevalidation process that allows you to validate your domains before you begin ordering certificates for them. See Domain prevalidation: Domain control validation (DCV) methods.

Completing the domain validation ahead of time allows for quicker certificate issuance. For immediate certificate issuance, Domain prevalidation is required. See OV/EV certificate immediate issuance.

Email DCV method

With this validation method, DigiCert sends three sets of DCV emails: WHOIS-based, constructed, and DNS TXT-based.

To demonstrate control over the domain, an email recipient follows the instructions in a confirmation email sent for the domain. The confirmation process consists of visiting the link provided and following the instructions on the page.

See Use the Email validation method to verify domain control.

WHOIS-based email DCV method

For the WHOIS-based method, DigiCert sends an authorization email to the registered owners of the public domain as shown in the domain's WHOIS record.

Important

Are you expecting to receive an email at an address published in your domain’s WHOIS record?

Verify that your registrar/WHOIS provider has not masked or removed that information. If the information is masked, find out if they provide a way (such as anonymized email address, web form) for you to allow Certificate Authorities (CAs) to access your domain’s WHOIS data.

Constructed email DCV method

For the Constructed Email method, DigiCert sends the authorization email to five constructed email addresses for the domain: admin, administrator, webmaster, hostmaster, and postmaster @[domain_name].

Notice

When you register a domain, you must provide contact information (e.g., administrative and technical contacts).

Instead of using a personal email address, you can use one of the constructed email addresses for your domain (e.g., webmaster@yourdomain.com). Using one of the constructed email addresses allows you to create a "non-expiring" email address that you can add or remove people from when necessary.

If we can't find an MX record for [domain_name], you must use one of the other supported DCV methods to demonstrate control over the domain.

MX records (mail exchanger records)

Before we can successfully send an authentication email (DCV Email) to the domain owner (or domain controller), we must verify that an MX record (a resource record in the Domain Name System [DNS]) exists in the DNS records of the recipient's domain name. The presence of valid MX records enables us to send the authentication email.

For example, you want to receive your DCV email at one of the constructed email addresses for example.com, admin@example.com. To successfully send a DCV Email to admin@example.com, we must first find an MX record for the address that identifies the server (e.g., mailhost.example.com) set up to receive the emails destined for admin@example.com

If we find an MX record, we can successfully send a DCV email to admin@example.com. If we don't find an MX record, no DCV email is sent because we cannot identify the proper mail server.

Email to DNS TXT contact DCV method

For the email to DNS TXT contact DCV method, DigiCert sends an authorization email to the email addresses found in the DNS TXT record on the _validation-contactemail subdomain of the domain being validated.

Notice

To use the Email to DNS TXT contact DCV method, make sure to choose the Verification Email DCV method when ordering a certificate or changing DCV methods for a domain.

DNS TXT record email contacts

To use the Email to DNS TXT Contact DCV method, you must place the DNS TXT record on the _validation-contactemail subdomain of the domain you want to validate. The RDATA value of this text record must be a valid email address.

Name

TTL

Message

_validation-contactemail

Default

validatedomain@digicerttest.com

See section B.2.1 DNS TXT Record Email Contact in the Appendix of the baseline requirements.

DNS CNAME DCV method

Add a DigiCert generated token (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) to the domain’s DNS as a CNAME record. Then, add dcv.digicert.com as the CNAME target. When DigiCert does a search for a DNS CNAME records associated with the domain, we can find a record that includes the DigiCert verification token.

See Use the DNS CNAME validation method to verify domain control.

DNS TXT DCV method

Add a DigiCert generated token (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) to the domain’s DNS as a TXT record. When DigiCert does a search for DNS TXT records associated with the domain, we can find a record that includes the DigiCert verification token.

See Use the DNS TXT validation method to verify domain control

HTTP Practical Demonstration DCV method (also referred to as File or FileAuth)

Host a file containing a DigiCert generated random value (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) at a predetermined location on your website: [your-domain]/.well-known/pki-validation/fileauth.txt. Once the file is created and placed on your site, DigiCert visits the specified URL to confirm the presence of our random value.

See Use the HTTP Practical Demonstration validation method to verify domain control.