OV Code Signing Certificate

The OV Code Signing Certificate is also called regular code signing certificate. It requires both telephone verification and organization information verification, which generally takes 1-3 working days. Since only the basic information of the applicant enterprise needs to be verified (requirements vary slightly depending on the brands), the OV code signing certificate can be obtained faster than the EV code signing certificate.

EV Code Signing Certificate

The EV code signing certificate is also called enhanced code signing certificate. It not only requires telephone verification and organziation information verification, but also requires filling out the certificate agreement and final review. The verification takes generally 1-5 working days. In addition to verifying the basic information of the company, the company's business address and the identity of the applicant are also reviewed. Requirements will vary slightly depending on the brands.

How to choose between OV and EV code signing certificates?

In fact, both OV and EV code signing certificates support digital signing of 32-bit or 64-bit .exe, .dll, .cab, .ocx (ActiveX), .msi, .xpi and other files. After successful signing, the integrity of the code can be guaranteed, and the security warnings that pop up upon downloading can be removed.

In comparison, the advantage of applying for an OV code signing certificate lies in that it takes less time and cost, but the OV code signing certificate cannot be used for kernel mode drivers, and cumulative downloads are required to eliminate the SmartScreen filter warnings. The EV code signing certificate can support Windows 11 kernel driver file signing, and once installed, the SmartScreen filter warnings can be eliminated. And if you need digital signatures for .sys and .cat files and get WHQL certified, you must select an EV code signing certificate.