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🔐 Person AND organization — both verified · Sponsor S/MIME (IV+OV)
Certificates › S/MIME › Sponsor S/MIME
S/MIME · Sponsor (IV+OV) — Highest Tier

The strongest S/MIME tier — verified person AND verified company

Sponsor-Validated S/MIME: dual individual + organization identity verification.

A Sponsor S/MIME certificate is the highest commercial S/MIME tier, aligned with the CA/B Forum S/MIME Baseline Requirements. It verifies both the individual email user's identity and the organization that sponsors their use — producing a certificate that contains both the person's legal name and the company's verified identity. The compliance target for regulated industries and enterprise email security.

✓ Person + organization verified ✓ CA/B Forum S/MIME BR aligned ✓ Highest commercial S/MIME tier ✓ Built for enterprise compliance
mailto://team@yourco.com
SSP
Email Security
SSL.com · S/MIME Sponsored · Enterprise bulk issuance
Signing
✓ Included
Encryption
✓ S/MIME
Issuance
Bulk
Validation
Sponsored
Bulk issuance
Enterprise grade
S/MIME standard
Get Sponsor S/MIME on ssl.com →
Sponsor S/MIME (IV+OV)
from $48/yr
Per mailbox · Person + organization verified
  • Individual identity verified (IV)
  • Organization identity verified (OV)
  • Both person + company in certificate
  • CA/B Forum Sponsor-Validated tier
  • Strong S/MIME sign + encrypt
  • 1–5 business day issuance
Get Sponsor S/MIME → Compare S/MIME tiers
Secure checkout on SSL.com · 256-bit encrypted

What is a Sponsor S/MIME Certificate?

A Sponsor S/MIME certificate is the CA/B Forum's Sponsor-Validated tier — the highest assurance level in the S/MIME Baseline Requirements framework. It verifies both the individual mailbox holder's legal identity (like IV S/MIME) AND the organization that authorizes their use of the certificate (like OV S/MIME). The result is a certificate that carries both a verified personal name and a verified company name — the strongest commercially available S/MIME tier.

Why choose Sponsor S/MIME

The strongest email identity standard

Dual validation: individual person + sponsoring organization
Highest commercial S/MIME assurance tier
Aligned with CA/B Forum S/MIME Baseline Requirements
Ideal for regulated industries (finance, healthcare, legal)
Strong compliance and audit evidence
Personal name + company name in every signature
Who is it for

The highest tier of email identity

Financial institutions

Banks, investment firms & insurance

Law firms & legal departments

Regulated correspondence

Healthcare organizations

Clinical & administrative teams

Regulated enterprises

Both individual & company identity

Business impact

Maximum accountability in every message

Both identities verified

Employee name AND company name appear in the certificate — the strongest identity assertion available in S/MIME.

Regulatory-grade email signing

Meets the strictest CA/B Forum standards for S/MIME identity, suitable for legal, compliance, and financial environments.

Non-repudiation

Signed communications cannot be credibly denied — critical for legal, compliance, and financial correspondence.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What makes Sponsor S/MIME different from IV and OV?
IV validates an individual; OV validates an organization. Sponsor (IV+OV) validates both — producing a certificate that carries the verified individual's name AND the verified organization's name. It's the CA/B Forum's highest commercial S/MIME tier.
What is the CA/B Forum S/MIME Baseline Requirement?
The CA/Browser Forum formalized S/MIME tiers in 2023. The tiers are: Mailbox-Validated (Basic), Individual-Validated (IV), Organization-Validated (OV), and Sponsor-Validated (Sponsor). Sponsor is the highest tier, with explicit requirements for both individual and organizational validation.
How long does issuance take?
1–5 business days, including both individual identity verification and organizational validation.
Is this required for regulatory compliance?
It depends on your regulation. Many financial services (MiFID II, SEC) and healthcare (HIPAA) frameworks recommend or require email security measures that Sponsor S/MIME can satisfy — consult your compliance team for specific requirements.
Can encryption be used with Sponsor S/MIME?
Yes — Sponsor S/MIME supports both signing and end-to-end encryption with compatible recipients who also have S/MIME.

The highest assurance for enterprise email identity

Sponsor S/MIME — verified person, verified organization, CA/B Forum aligned.

Get Sponsor S/MIME →Compare all plans