GeoTrust True BusinessID with EV is an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate, the highest assurance tier a certificate authority issues. Before it is granted, GeoTrust verifies not just that you control the domain but that your organisation is a real, registered legal entity. That vetting is what separates an EV certificate from the free domain-validated certificates most sites use, and it is the reason issuance takes a little longer.
Certificate at a glance
- Validation type: Extended Validation (full organisation vetting)
- Green address bar: Available
- Subdomains: N/A (this is a single-domain certificate, not a wildcard)
- Reissue: Unlimited, for the life of the certificate
- Issuance time: 1 to 5 days, because of the organisation checks
- Warranty: $1,500,000
- Site seal: Dynamic GeoTrust Smart Site Seal
- Encryption: excellent 256-bit encryption, signed with a 2048-bit root
- Browser compatibility: 99.9%
- Mobile: mobile compatibility is very strong
- Money-back guarantee: 15-day
What Extended Validation actually gives you
Every valid SSL certificate does the same core job: it encrypts traffic between the visitor and your server so passwords, card numbers and form data cannot be read in transit. A cheap domain-validated (DV) certificate encrypts exactly as strongly as this EV certificate does, so if all you need is the padlock and encryption, you do not need EV.
What EV adds is identity assurance. The certificate carries your verified legal business name, checked by GeoTrust against official records during the 1 to 5 day issuance window. That vetting, plus the $1,500,000 relying-party warranty, is aimed at organisations that handle payments or sensitive data and want to demonstrate they are who they claim to be.
DV Domain checked only OV Organisation checked EV Full legal vetting This certificate Increasing identity assurance, same encryption strengthA note on the green address bar
The green address bar is listed as available, and historically EV certificates did turn the browser bar green and show the company name beside the padlock. It is worth being honest that most modern browsers have since changed how they present this, so the prominent green bar many people remember is no longer shown the same way everywhere. The identity information still lives inside the certificate and remains verifiable, and the Dynamic GeoTrust Smart Site Seal gives you a visible trust mark you can place on your pages regardless of browser behaviour.
Encryption and compatibility
The certificate provides 256-bit encryption and is signed with a 2048-bit root, which is the modern standard for strong, well-trusted SSL. It carries 99.9% browser compatibility and very strong mobile compatibility, so visitors on current desktop and mobile browsers should see a valid, trusted connection without warnings. How strong your connection ultimately is also depends on your server configuration; Mozilla's SSL configuration generator is a good free reference for cipher and protocol settings once the certificate is installed.
Reissues and money-back guarantee
Reissue is unlimited, so if you need to regenerate the certificate (for example after a key change or a server migration) you can do so as many times as needed for the life of the certificate at no extra cost. There is also a 15-day money-back guarantee, giving you time to confirm the certificate installs and behaves as expected on your site.
Is EV the right choice for you?
Choose this certificate if you run a registered business, take payments or handle sensitive data, and want the added identity assurance and $1,500,000 warranty that comes with full vetting. If you are securing a personal site, a staging environment, or one of many sites in a network where identity display is not the priority, a domain-validated certificate will encrypt just as well for far less effort. For a plain-language comparison of DV, OV and EV and answers to common questions, see our SSL certificates FAQ. To view pricing, the full range of certificates we offer, and to order, visit our SSL certificates page.
