EV (Extended Validation) is the highest tier of SSL certificate. The CA performs an exhaustive identity check including:
- Business registration verification (same as OV)
- Operational existence (proof the company has been in business)
- Physical address verification (sometimes via in-person visit)
- Phone verification (third-party directory)
- Authority of the requester (legal documentation)
Validation takes 7-14 business days. Cost: $150-$500/year.
EV used to display the company name in green in the browser address bar — the "green bar" that financial sites loved to advertise. In 2019, all major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) removed this visual treatment after research showed users couldn't distinguish EV from DV, and the green bar provided no measurable security benefit.
Today, EV looks identical to DV and OV in the browser. The validation is still rigorous; the public-facing UI distinction is gone.
Use cases where EV still makes sense:
- Banking and financial institutions — industry convention, some regulators expect it.
- Healthcare — HIPAA-covered entities sometimes prefer EV for patient portals.
- Very large e-commerce — high-volume sites preferring the warranty + insurance against mis-issuance.
For most businesses (including ours, including everyone reading this), EV is overkill. DV via Let's Encrypt is enough.
