Department of Business Development Announcement, May 22, 2020
Clarifications regarding the electronic version of the Certificate of Juristic Person
On October 2, 2018, the Cabinet passed a resolution to develop the government’s digital services and drive state agencies towards digitization, aiming to provide convenient, fast, and low cost services while also reducing the volume of document storage.
With these goals in mind, government agencies shall request documents from various departments through fax and email. Consequently, the DBD will now issue the Certificate of Juristic Person electronically and certify copies of corporate documents through the Department’s e-Service and e-Certificate channels. The DBD has also implemented Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology, which uses digital signatures in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Electronic Transactions Act (2001).
In order to shed light on the use and validity of these electronic certificates, the DBD has issued the following clarifications:
1. The electronic version of the Certificate of Juristic Person confirms the accuracy of the information registered by the juristic person with the DBD, as this information was stated on the date of the Certificate’s issuance.
The juristic person can modify their registered information at any time. Therefore, the electronic version of the Certificate is up-to-date until the juristic person submits a request to change their information with the DBD. If a government agency or private company would like to verify the accuracy of registered information, priority should be given to providing correct and current information, rather than the validity of the Certificate.
2. The electronic Certificate of Juristic Person, signed by the registrar with a digital signature, is as effective and valid as regular government documents. It is safe and compliant with international standards, and it can be used as evidence in legal proceedings.
3. The electronic Certificate of Juristic Person issued by the DBD can be certified in two ways: through 1) a QR code or 2) a reference number appearing below the certificate, which must appear exactly as it does on the electronic Certificate of Juristic Person.
Those who wish to check for current information on a juristic person may do so through the ‘DBD DataWarehouse’, which can be accessed on the DBD’s website or through the ‘DBD Service’ application. Any government agency that has linked their data with the DBD will also be able to check for up-to-date information on juristic persons immediately.