Domain Verification Process - HTTP Verification

Mar 3, 2026

Domain Verification Process - HTTP Verification

HTTP Verification

This method is ideal for customers who can easily modify their website. 

This method is applicable to:

• Issuance of DomainSSL (DV) and AlphaSSL certificates
• Adding SANs to CloudSSL certificates 
• Adding OV and EV domains to you mSSL account
• Domain self-validation process for Partner and Retail OV and EV SSL Certificates*

CA/B Forum Changes

The CAB Forum has specified a new standardized location to be used by all Certificate Authorities when performing domain verification using the HTTP Verification Method. GlobalSign has historically referred to this as the Meta-Tag or URL verification method because we allowed users to insert a meta-tag in the head of the main index page. All customers must use the new location, which involves placing the Domain Validation Code (DVC) in this file http(s)://example.com/.well-known/pki-validation/gsdv.txt. Please see the example below for your reference.

Guidelines

1. Upon submission of your order you will be provided with a link to their order-specific Domain Verification Page (DVP) where the domain validations can be performed. Click the link to open the DVP. 
   
   You can find the DVP link on the following channels: 
   • Shown in the order acknowledgement window upon submission of order. 
   
   
   
   • Sent to your email as part of the order acknowledgement email.
   
   • View it in GCC via Search Order History > Enter Order Number or click Search to view all orders > Click the order number > Scroll to the bottom and click the Domain Verification Page link under SANs Options. 
   
   
   
   • Available via the GCC SSL APIs.

   IMPORTANT: If you are still unable to locate the DVP, contact support for assistance and to send you your unique DVP URL. For questions and clarifications about the information presented here, please contact your Account Representative.

2. In the DVP, you can find your order and organization information, as well as the unique Domain Verification Code (DVC) and the list of all SANs in your order. Click the dropdown and select the domain verification method you prefer for your SAN. 

   INFORMATION: For each SAN in the table, you can select one of the domain validation methods listed. In the event that the domain was recently verified for the same Organization (same Applicant), the domain validation of the prior order will be re-used and the domain will appear as already approved.

3. Select HTTP in the Method dropdown, then click Verify to open a pop-up window.
   
   

4. In the pop-up window, perform the following instructions:
   Step 1: Copy the DVC and place it in a text file named gsdv.txt.
   Step 2: Select the protocol (http or https) to use in order to access gsdv.txt. Then, select the exact domain name to use.
   Step 3: When the file containing the DVC is in the designated location, you can verify the domain. 
   
   Once you have placed the verification code in the designated location, click Verify.
   
   

5. GlobalSign will verify that the DVC is at the selected location and approve the SAN if successful.

   IMPORTANT: If the site cannot be verified an error will appear. If you receive an error, check the insertion of the code and try again. If the error persist, please contact support for assistance

6. Once approved, an email will be sent to you confirming the order has been completed with the details of your certificate.