SSL Certificate - Extended Validation (EV) Step 1 - Enrollment Form

Step 1 of applying for an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate is completing the Enrollment Form. This is the document that formally opens your EV request and tells the Certificate Authority who is applying, for which domain, and on behalf of which legal organisation. Until this form is completed and returned, none of the later validation checks can begin.

You can download the form here: Click here for the Enrollment Form (EV). Fill it in, then return it so we can start the verification process on your behalf.

What the Enrollment Form covers

EV is the strictest tier of SSL validation, so the form asks for accurate, verifiable details rather than just an email address. When you complete it, have the following ready:

• The exact legal name of your organisation, as registered with the relevant authority.
• The registered business or physical address.
• The domain name (or names) the certificate will secure.
• A named contact who is authorised to request the certificate for the organisation.
• A working telephone number that can be independently verified later in the process.

Accuracy matters here. EV validation cross-checks what you submit against public and official records, so any mismatch between the form and your registration documents will slow the certificate down.

Where Step 1 fits in the full EV process

The Enrollment Form is the first of six stages. Knowing the whole sequence in advance helps you gather the right paperwork once, rather than being asked for it piece by piece:

1. Enrollment Form (this step) opens the request.
2. Organization Authentication confirms your business is a real, registered legal entity.
3. Operational Existence confirms the business is actively trading.
4. Physical Address confirms a verifiable place of business.
5. Telephone Verification confirms a listed, reachable phone number.
6. Domain Authentication confirms you control the domain being secured.

Why choose EV over other SSL types

All valid SSL certificates encrypt traffic to the same standard, so a basic Domain Validated (DV) certificate protects the connection just as well. What EV adds is a vetted, published statement about the legal organisation behind the site. For an agency or business that wants visitors and partners to see a verified corporate identity behind a checkout or client portal, that assurance can be worth the extra verification effort. It is a trust signal for people, not a search ranking signal, so choose it for the confidence it gives users rather than any expected SEO benefit.

If you run multiple client or network sites, each site secured with its own certificate keeps identities cleanly separated, which fits the same footprint-control thinking behind putting each site on its own dedicated IP. You can compare certificate types and pricing on our SSL certificates page, and browse further guides in the SSL certificates FAQ.

After you submit the form

Once we receive your completed Enrollment Form, the request moves to Step 2, Organization Authentication, and continues through the remaining stages. If any detail on the form cannot be verified against official records, we will contact you so it can be corrected before the certificate is issued. If you are unsure about any field, reach out through our contact page before returning the form.

For background on how modern TLS certificates are deployed and configured on a server once issued, Mozilla maintains a well-regarded reference at the Mozilla SSL Configuration Generator.