Certificats

Certificats, or certificates in English, are formal documents or electronic credentials issued by an authority to attest a fact, status, or achievement. The term is used in several languages, most notably French, where certificat means certificate.

Civil certificates include documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates. They may also record changes of name, nationality, or residence and are typically issued by a government civil registry. They function as legal proofs of identity and status and are often required for passport applications, school enrollment, or inheritance matters.

Educational and professional certificates verify completion of coursework, attainment of degrees, or the granting of licenses or credentials by recognized institutions or professional bodies. They are used to demonstrate qualifications for admission to study, employment, or regulated trades and are often subject to verification by employers or authorities.

Other certificates include certificates of origin or authenticity for goods, health certificates for international shipments, and ownership or title certificates for property. The exact forms and legal recognition vary by country and jurisdiction.

In information technology, digital certificates are electronic attestations that bind a subject to a public key, issued by a trusted certificate authority as part of a public key infrastructure. They enable encrypted communication, digital signatures, and identity verification in protocols such as HTTPS, email, and code signing. Digital certificates include data such as the subject’s identity, the public key, validity period, and the CA’s digital signature, and they can be revoked if compromised.

Issuance typically requires verification of identity and eligibility. Certificates may have expiration dates; some are reusable or renewable. The integrity of certificates relies on secure issuance, storage, and revocation mechanisms to prevent fraud.