Requesting a SSL Professional Opinion Letter in Australia

If you are obtaining an Extended Validation (EV) SSL Digital Certificate, you may be asked to provide a Professional Opinion Letter to verify your business’ identity. This letter is one of many strict requirements to be fulfilled in order to successfully process the certificate request from your Certification Authority (CA). LegalVision can verify businesses and draft a Professional Opinion Letter for Australian and international businesses looking at obtaining an EV SSL Digital Certificate.
Once you obtain an EV SSL Certificate and it is successfully installed onto your website, any visitors landing on your page will see their address bar turn green and your business’ name will be displayed in the web address bar.
What is a Professional Opinion Letter or Lawyer’s Opinion Letter?
A Professional Opinion Letter verifies particular facts about your business. Whether you are registering through GeoTrust, Symantec, Thawte, Digicert, GoDaddy, VeriSign or another Certification Authority, there are a number of facts that must be verified in order to issue the EV SSL Certificate.
The most commonly verified facts include:
- The business name and Australian Business Number;
- The primary address of the business;
- The primary telephone number of the business;
- The business structure for your company;
- The registered domain name matching the WHOIS record and registered with an
- ICANN or an IANA registrar for CCTLDs; and
- The authority of the person who executed the Extended Validation documents.
A lawyer can verify and provide a letter that states that these facts have been formally verified. Once submitted to the Certification Authority, a representative from the Certification Authority will contact the lawyer to confirm that the facts have been verified. This verification will be followed up with a telephone call with the business. The CA representative will either call the business’ number as listed in a public telephone directory, or the number listed in the Professional Opinion Letter.
In addition to obtaining a Lawyer’s Opinion Letter, a business requesting an EV SSL Certificate must also submit a signed Acknowledgement Letter of the SSL Agreement, also known as a EV Acknowledgement of Agreement Form or Letter.
Why is an Opinion Letter Necessary?
An Extended Validation SSL Certificate is the most premium SSL certificate option for a website – it establishes trust and security for website visitors. Consequently, there is a rigorous process to validate applicants who request an EV Certificate. Specifically, the submitted information about the domain registration must align with the legally registered business name on the certificate. This online and offline validation process requires a lawyer or accountant to formally verify the applicant.
Key Takeaways
EV SSL Certificates require adherence to strict authentication standards. Whether you are running an eCommerce website or establishing a startup, the added level of verification can mean your website visitors are more likely to trust your business and brand. LegalVision has drafted numerous Professional Opinion Letters for online businesses, startups and companies with websites. If you are looking to obtain the highly coveted green address bar and website seals, get in contact with LegalVision through the form on this page for a fixed fee quote.
Redundancies and Restructuring: Understanding Your Employer Obligations
Thursday 7 July | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
How to Sponsor Foreign Workers For Your Tech Business
Wednesday 13 July | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
Advertising 101: Social Media, Influencers and the Law
Thursday 21 July | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
Structuring for Certainty in Uncertain Times
Tuesday 26 July | 12:00 - 12:45pm
Online
Playing for the Prize: How to Run Trade Promotions
Thursday 28 July | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
Web3 Essentials: Understanding SAFT Agreements
Tuesday 2 August | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
Understanding Your Annual Franchise Update Obligations
Wednesday 3 August | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
Legal Essentials for Product Manufacturers
Thursday 11 August | 11:00 - 11:45am
Online
Was this article helpful?
We appreciate your feedback – your submission has been successfully received.
About LegalVision: LegalVision is a commercial law firm that provides businesses with affordable and ongoing legal assistance through our industry-first membership.
By becoming a member, you'll have an experienced legal team ready to answer your questions, draft and review your contracts, and resolve your disputes. All the legal assistance your business needs, for a low monthly fee.
If you would like to get in touch with our team and learn more about how our membership can help your business, fill out the form below.