DigiLocker

How to verify a DigiLocker document's digital signature

Updated June 2026 · 5 min read

DigiLocker has become the default way Indians carry their driving licence, RC, PAN, marksheets and dozens of other records. The documents it holds come in two flavours — "issued documents" pulled directly from the issuing authority, and "uploaded documents" you added yourself. Issued documents are digitally signed by the issuer, and that signature is what lets a verifier trust the file even after you've downloaded and shared it.

Issued vs uploaded — why it matters

Only issued documents carry a live digital signature from the source authority. An uploaded scan is just a file you added; it has no cryptographic backing. So when you download an issued document as a PDF and someone asks "is this the real thing?", the honest answer comes from checking its signature, not from the DigiLocker logo printed on it.

Verify the downloaded PDF

In DigiLocker, open the issued document and download it as a PDF.
Upload that PDF to our signature verifier.
Click Verify. You'll see whether the file is intact and whether the issuer's certificate chains to a trusted Indian root.

A green verdict confirms the document is exactly as the issuer released it. If a photo-editing tool or a "PDF compressor" re-saved the file along the way, the signature will break and you'll get a red result — a strong signal that the copy you were handed isn't the pristine issued version.

Why Adobe may still say "unknown"

DigiLocker issuers sign using DSCs from CCA-licensed authorities. Adobe Reader doesn't trust those Indian roots by default, so it hedges with "validity unknown". That's a trust-store gap on your machine, covered in our fix guide — not a sign the document is fake. Our verifier already trusts every CCA root, so it gives you a straight answer.

Good practice when sharing

Always share the original downloaded PDF rather than a screenshot or a re-printed copy, because only the original keeps its verifiable signature. If you want a friendly, viewer-safe proof to attach alongside, our tool can also produce a flattened green-tick copy. For the underlying mechanics, read how to verify a digital signature in a PDF.