Order client certificate

  14 minute read  

POST https://www.digicert.com/services/v2/order/certificate/{{client_certificate_id}}

Use this endpoint to create a client certificate order request. Replace {{client_certificate_id}} in the URL with the product identifier for the type of certificate to order:

NOTICE: Upcoming endpoint changes

Starting July 10, 2025 17:00 UTC, all S/MIME certificates (Premium, Digital Signature Plus, Email Security Plus, Class 1 S/MIME) issued through this legacy Services API endpoint automatically use the Multipurpose profile.

Quick checklist

Use this checklist to make sure you are ready for changes to Premium, Digital Signature Plus, and Email Security Plus certificate orders.

Add common_name_indicator and specify given_name_surname or pseudonym.
Provide an individual object based on common_name_indicator. For example, first_name AND last_name.

Request parameter changes

NameReq/OptTypeDescription
common_name_indicatorconditionalstringRequired for client_premium, client_digital_signature_plus, and client_email_security_plus certificates.
Allowed: given_name_surname, pseudonym
individualconditionalobject
.. first_name / last_nameconditionalstringRequired when common_name_indicator = given_name_surname.
.. pseudonymconditionalstringRequired when common_name_indicator = pseudonym.

Example request body (truncated)

{
  "certificate": {
    "emails": ["alice@example.com"],
    "common_name": "Alice Example",
    "common_name_indicator": "given_name_surname",
    "individual": {
      "first_name": "Alice",
      "last_name": "Example"
    }
  }
}

For complete details, see DigiCert Knowledge Base: New certificate profile requirements for public secure email (S/MIME) certificates.

  • Premium*: client_premium
  • Digital Signature Plus*: client_digital_signature_plus
  • Email Security Plus*: client_email_security_plus
  • Class 1 S/MIME*: class1_smime
  • Authentication Plus: client_authentication_plus

Common name value for public S/MIME certificates

For public S/MIME client certificates, the common name value depends on the S/MIME validation type. Use this table to determine which values to provide in your certificate order request:

Product nameCommon name
Class 1 S/MIMEClass 1 S/MIME certificates are mailbox-validated S/MIME certificates. For mailbox-validated certificates, DigiCert automatically sets the common name value to the first email address you provide in the emails array. Do not provide a separate common_name value in your certificate order request.
Premium
Digital Signature Plus
Email Security PlusThese products are sponsor-validated S/MIME certificates. For sponsor-validated S/MIME certificates, you must provide a common_name value in your order request. The common_name value should be one of these options:

Email address validation for public S/MIME certificates

Before issuing your public S/MIME certificate, DigiCert must verify you control the email address on the order. The verification process depends on the product type.

Class 1 S/MIME certificates

When you create an order for this mailbox-validated S/MIME certificate, DigiCert sends a validation email to the email address in the emails array. Before DigiCert can issue the certificate, the email recipient must follow the instructions in the email to prove they control the mailbox.

Premium, Digital Signature Plus, and Email Security Plus certificates

When you create an order for one of these sponsor-validated S/MIME certificates, you must complete a domain control validation (DCV) check for the email domains in the emails array.

By default, when DigiCert receives your order, we send authorization emails to:

  • The approved DCV contact email addresses for the public domain. These include DNS-based contact emails published in DNS TXT records.
  • The constructed email addresses for the domain.

As an alternative to completing DCV using authorization emails, you can add the domains](/certcentral-apis/services-api/domains/add-domain.html) to your CertCentral account and validate them for the organization using another DCV method. You can do this either before you create the order or while the order is in a pending state. Learn more about domain validation: [Manage domains.

Example requests and responses

cURL

curl -X POST \
  'https://www.digicert.com/services/v2/order/certificate/{{client_certificate_id}}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'X-DC-DEVKEY: {{api_key}}' \
  -d '{
  "certificate": {
    "common_name": "john.doe@example.com",
    "emails": [
      "john.doe@example.com"
    ],
    "signature_hash": "sha256",
    "csr": "{{csr}}"
  },
  "skip_approval": true,
  "organization": {
    "id": 112233
  },
  "order_validity": {
    "years": 1  
  },
  "payment_method": "balance"
}'

{
  "id": 112233,
  "requests": [
    {
      "id": 113,
      "status": "pending"
    }
  ]
}
{
  "id": 112233,
  "requests": [
    {
      "id": 113,
      "status": "submitted"
    }
  ]
}
{
  "id": 112233,
  "requests": [
    {
      "id": 113,
      "status": "approved"
    }
  ],
  "certificate_id": 113
}

Request parameters

NameReq/OptTypeDescription
certificaterequiredobjectCertificate details.
.. common_nameconditionalstringCommon name for the certificate.
Required on orders for Authentication Plus, Premium, Digital Signature Plus, and Email Security Plus certificates.
For public S/MIME certificates, usage requirements depend on S/MIME validation type. Learn more: Common name value for public S/MIME certificates
.. emailsrequiredarrayEmails to be placed on the certificate.
If using an email address as the common name on the certificate (for example, if the order is for a Class 1 S/MIME Certificate), DigiCert automatically uses the first email address in this array as the common name on the certificate.
Note: Orders for sponsor- and organization-validated S/MIME certificates cannot include email addresses from public email service providers unless the domains for those email providers are already validated for the organization in your CertCentral account. Learn more: Email address validation for public S/MIME certificates.
.. signature_hashrequiredstringHash algorithm used to signing the certificate.
Allowed values:
sha256
.. organization_unitsoptionalarrayDepartment in your organization associated with the certificate.
Deprecated for public S/MIME. This field is ignored in requests to create an order for public S/MIME certificates. See our knowledge base article.
.. csroptionalstringCertificate signing request (CSR).
Note: The Services API does not extract information from the CSR to fill in the details of a certificate request. You must provide values for all relevant request parameters, including certificate.common_name, certificate.dns_names, and organization.id. If you are requesting a certificate for an organization without an existing ID, you must provide values for all required parameters of the organization object.
.. ca_cert_idoptionalstringID of the intermediate certificate authority (ICA) certificate to select as the issuing certificate. To get the ca_cert_id value for an ICA, use the Product list endpoint.
Account administrators can customize the default and allowed ICAs for each product at the container or user role level. If you do not provide a value for this parameter, we issue the certificate using the default ICA. If you provide the ca_cert_id value for an ICA that is not allowed, the request returns an error*. To see the custom ICA settings for each product, use the Product limits endpoint.
*This parameter is ignored if the option for ICA selection is not enabled for your account. Learn more about the ICA certificate chain feature for your public TLS certificates.
auto_renewoptionalintNumber of times the certificate should renew automatically.
renewal_of_order_idoptionalintIf order is a renewal, enter the previous order’s ID.
skip_approvaloptionalboolSpecify if the order should skip the approval step and be immediately submitted for validation and issued when complete.
Default:
false
organization_contactoptionalobjectOrganization contact for the order.
Include this object at the root of the request body to create the order with a different organization contact than the one assigned to the organization on the request. If omitted, the order uses the same organization contact assigned to the organization.
Note: The order-level organization_contact is only used on the order. It does not replace the organization contact assigned to the organization on the request.
.. first_namerequiredstringContact first name.
.. last_namerequiredstringContact last name.
.. emailrequiredstringContact email address.
.. job_titleoptionalstringContact job title.
.. telephoneoptionalstringContact telephone number.
.. telephone_extensionoptionalstringTelephone extension.
technical_contactoptionalobjectTechnical contact for the order.
Include this object at the root of the request body to create the order with a different technical contact than the one assigned to the organization on the request. If omitted, the order uses the same technical contact assigned to the organization.
Note: The order-level technical_contact is only used on the order. It does not replace the technical contact assigned to the organization on the request.
.. first_namerequiredstringContact first name.
.. last_namerequiredstringContact last name.
.. emailrequiredstringContact email address.
.. job_titleoptionalstringContact job title.
.. telephoneoptionalstringContact telephone number.
.. telephone_extensionoptionalstringTelephone extension.
organizationconditionalobjectRequired on orders for Premium, Digital Signature Plus, Email Security Plus, and Authentication Plus certificates. Not used on orders for Class 1 S/MIME Certificates.
Object with information about the organization to associate with the request. You can associate the request with an existing organization, or you can create a new organization when you submit the order request.
To associate the request with an existing organization, pass the ID of the organization as the value of organization.id in the body of your request. To create a new organization, include the details of the organization in the organization object. For more information about the structure and required parameters of the organization object, see the Create organization documentation.
Note: When you submit an order with organization details instead of providing an organization ID, we check the organizations that already exist in your account to avoid creating a duplicate.
To override this behavior and force the request to create a new organization, set the organization.skip_duplicate_org_check parameter to true in the body of your request.
Important: When you want to associate an order with an existing organization, we recommend always using the ID of the organization instead of the organization’s details in the body of your request. To get the ID values for organizations in your account, use the List organizations endpoint. Additionally, we recommend deactivating unused organizations to ensure they are never accidentally assigned to a new order request. To deactivate an organization, use the Deactivate organization endpoint.
.. idrequired*intThe ID of an existing organization to associate with the order. To get the ID of organizations in your account, use the List organizations endpoint. *Not required if you are creating a new organization with your request.
.. contactsconditionalarray of objectsList of contacts for the organization.
When creating a new organization:
Providing an organization_contact is conditional. An organization_contact is required if the request is from a service user. If omitted, the organization is created and the authenticated user is used as the organization contact.
Providing a technical_contact is optional. If omitted, the organization is created with no technical contact.
When using an existing organization ID:
Providing an organization_contact and technical_contact is optional. If provided, the new organization and technical contact replace the existing contacts stored on the organization.
Note: By default, DigiCert creates the order with the organization contact and technical contact (if one exists) assigned to the organization on the request. To create the order with a different organization or technical contact than those assigned to the organization, include the organization_contact or technical_contact object at the root of the request payload.
.. skip_duplicate_org_checkoptionalboolUse true to skip the check for duplicate organizations in your account. When you skip this check, you force the request to create a new organization, regardless of whether the details you provide in the request match the details of an organization that already exists in your account.
Default: false
containeroptionalobjectIf needed, specify the container the order should be placed under.
.. idoptionalintContainer ID.
order_validityrequiredobjectDefines the validity period of the certificate and order.
.. yearsrequired*intNumber of years the certificate and order are valid.
*Can be replaced by order_validity.days or order_validity.custom_expiration_date.
Range: 1-3
.. daysoptionalintNumber of days the certificate and order are valid. Overrides order_validity.years.
.. custom_expiration_dateoptionalstringCustom expiration date for the certificate and order. Overrides order_validity.days and order_validity.years.
Format: dd MMM YYYY (for example, “09 JUN 2025”)
validity_yearsoptionalintNumber of years the certificate and order are valid.
Deprecated. Use the order_validity object to set the validity period of the certificate and order.
Allowed values:1 - 3
custom_expiration_dateoptionalstringCustom expiration date for the certificate and order. Overrides validity_years
Deprecated. Use the order_validity object to set the validity period of the certificate and order.
Format:
yyyy-MM-dd
custom_fieldsoptional*objectAccount-specific custom fields.
*Whether or not these fields are required depends on your custom field settings.
.. metadata_idrequiredintCustom field ID.
.. valuerequiredstringValue for the custom field.
Data validation type depends on your custom field settings.
payment_methodoptionalstringPayment method for the order. Allowed values:
credit_cardconditionalobjectObject with information about the credit card charged for the order. Required if payment_method is card.
.. numberrequiredstringCredit card number.
.. expiration_monthrequiredintegerCredit card expiration month. Format as a two-digit number between 01 (Jan) and 12 (Dec).
.. expiration_yearrequiredintegerCredit card expiration year. Format as a four-digit number. For example: 2026
.. cvvrequiredintegerCard verification value (CVV). Format as a three- or four-digit number. For example: 333 or 4444
.. cardholder_namerequiredstringCardholder’s first and last name.
billing_addressconditionalobjectObject with information about the billing address. Required if payment_method is card.
.. addressrequiredstringBilling street address.
.. address2optionalstringContinuation of street address.
.. cityrequiredstringBilling city.
.. stateconditionalstringBilling state or province. Optional for some countries.
.. countryrequiredstringBilling country.
.. zipconditionalstringBilling zip or postal code. Optional for some countries.
vat_numberoptionalstringIf the payment method is card (new credit card) or profile (default credit card), use the vat_number request parameter to set a value-added tax (VAT) or goods and services tax (GST) identification number for the order transaction. DigiCert includes this number on the transaction receipt as a reference for your financial records.
If omitted, DigiCert uses the VAT/GST number from the finance settings for the CertCentral account. If the VAT/GST number is absent from both the order request and account settings, DigiCert doesn’t store a VAT/GST number for the transaction.
Note
DigiCert only stores a VAT/GST number for credit card transactions. For orders using other payment methods, the vat_number request parameter is ignored.
VAT/GST numbers are not supported for DigiCert USA and DigiCert Japan billing entities. If the billing entity for the account is DigiCert, Inc. (US) or DigiCert Japan G.K. (Japan), the vat_number parameter is ignored, and DigiCert doesn’t store a VAT/GST number for the transaction. To learn more about your account’s billing entity, contact your account manager.
alternative_order_idoptionalstringA custom alphanumeric ID to assign the order. To see the alternative_order_id assigned to an order, use the Order info endpoint.
Alternative order IDs do not replace the unique order ID that DigiCert assigns each order request. You cannot use alternative order IDs to search for or identify orders in API calls that require an order_id parameter in the URL path or request body.
If the Require unique alternative order IDs option is enabled in your account settings, you cannot submit order requests with an alternative order ID that is already assigned to an order in your account. Use this feature to enable nonce order requests, or to prevent your integration from creating duplicate orders in cases where you do not receive a response from the API. Account administrators can toggle this option from the CertCentral console. From the Settings > Preferences page, open the Advanced Settings menu, and look for the Alternative order ID option.
This parameter is always optional, even if the Require unique alternative order IDs option is enabled in your account. If a request does not use this parameter, no alternative_order_id value is assigned to the order.
Maximum length: 64 characters
Note: The Require unique alternative order IDs option may not appear in the advanced settings menu for all CertCentral accounts. To enable this option for your account, contact your account manager or our Support team.
enable_guest_accessoptionalintWhether to enable guest access for the order. This parameter is not allowed if guest access is disabled in your account settings.
Allowed values:1 (enabled) or 0 (disabled)
Default: The default configuration for new orders is determined by your account settings. Account administrators can change these settings from the Guest Access page in the CertCentral console.

Response parameters

NameTypeDescription
idintOrder ID.
organizationobjectContainer for new organization details. Only returned if a new organization was created with the order.
.. idintOrganization ID for the new organization.
requestsarrayContains information about the request.
.. idintRequest ID.
.. statusstringRequest status.
Possible values:pending, submitted, approved, rejected
certificate_idintCertificate ID. Returned if request status is approved.