Credential format · Digital certificates
The certificate is the page. The proof is the record.
Design a certificate for the event, course, or programme. Every recipient gets a page they can keep, a file they can print, and a signed credential a verifier can check — without asking you to confirm it.
- Page sizes
- A4 / Letter
- Pages and badges
- Up to 10
- Recipient files
- PDF + PNG
- Signed credential
- OB 3.0
ACME University
Certificate of Participation
This is to certify that
Priya Nair
of
IIT Madras
has successfully participated in theACME Hackathon 2026
Registrar
12 Mar 2026
Date
Pages
The certificate
What you control on the page
The artwork is yours. The fields that change per recipient are Attributes, and the record around the artwork is generated at issue. You do not have to rebuild a design to change a name or a course title.
A real design canvas
Place text, images, shapes, signatures, and a QR code. Start blank, use a curated pack, bring a Canva background, or generate a draft with AI and keep editing it.
Attributes that fill themselves
Map name, email, course, team, grade, or any custom field once. The same design produces a different, correct certificate for every recipient in the batch.
Page sizes and orientation
A4 and Letter, landscape or portrait. Additional pages can use a different size from the certificate, so a portrait transcript is not forced into a landscape page.
Primary design
A credential can carry a certificate page and a badge mark. Star the design that should lead the public page and represent the credential image; issued credentials keep the primary they were issued with.
Versions, not live mutation
Publish a design when it is ready. Existing recipients keep the version they were issued with; a design change reaches them only when you choose to reissue.
QR code and public page
Add the verification QR to the design. A printed or downloaded copy still resolves to the recipient's page, where the issuer and status are visible.
Sponsor slots
On Pro, place sponsor logos, links, and captions on the public page without putting every sponsor mark on the certificate itself.
Canva, AI, or both
Import a finished Canva design as the background, or generate editable directions with AI. The design stays in Verifycate, so Attributes and the QR are still live at issue.
The issue model
One recipient, one public record
A certificate is created once and issued to many people, but each recipient gets their own credential. That distinction decides what a correction, a reissue, a revocation, and a replacement actually do.
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Recipient record | One per email address. Duplicate entries in an import are skipped; the same person does not get two credentials for one send. |
| Issue | One credit, one public ID, one public page, and one signed credential. A certificate with several pages or a badge is still one issue. |
| Correction | Updates the same credential ID and public page. It does not spend a credit. Allowed fields are your choice. |
| Reissue | Publishes a new version of the same credential, using the latest published design. It spends a credit; the public page and ID stay the same. |
| Expiry | Reports the credential as expired after the date passes. The page stays online, and expiry is not deletion or revocation. |
| Revocation | Keeps the page online but marks it revoked, masks recipient details, and hides downloads. The internal reason is never published. |
| Replacement | Creates a new issue with a new public ID, a new email, and one credit. The old link stays revoked permanently. |
| Blockchain anchor | Optional on Pro. One extra credit; the signature is still what proves authenticity, and the anchor adds an issuer-independent timestamp. |
Multi-page
A transcript, syllabus, or results page under the same link
Some achievements do not fit on one page. A course needs a transcript, a university needs a syllabus, a programme needs a completion letter. Instead of a second email and a merged PDF, add the page to the credential.
Add a page
Each page is a normal design: its own canvas, Attributes, label, size, orientation, and published version. Duplicate one for a bilingual or recurring version.
Order is explicit
Reorder pages in the design rail. The order is what recipients see and what the assembled PDF uses. Issued credentials freeze that order.
One assembled PDF
The download control merges page designs in order. Recipients can also take one page, a chosen subset, page PNGs, or the whole ZIP.
Ten designs, one issue
Up to ten page and badge designs in one credential, with no second public ID and no second credit. A badge mark is never added to the PDF.
Pages are public in this release. Private pages that open only after a recipient verifies their email are not included. A multi-page credential is still one achievement with several pages, not a Comprehensive Learner Record or a bundle of several recipients.
Recipient experience
What the recipient opens
The public page is the canonical record. It has to work for the recipient sharing it, for an employer checking it, and for someone who only has a printed QR code.
ACME University
Certificate of Participation
This is to certify that
Priya Nair
of
IIT Madras
has successfully participated in theACME Hackathon 2026
Registrar
12 Mar 2026
Date
The award, in context
Certificate title, issuer, recipient, issue date, skills, earning criteria, duration, and a learn-more link when configured.
Every page in one rail
When a credential has more than one design, the page shows a thumbnail rail. The primary design leads; the rest stay one click away.
Downloads that match the format
Page credentials download PNG and print-ready PDF. A multi-page credential can download one page, a subset, or the complete ZIP.
One LinkedIn entry
The recipient adds one achievement to Licenses & certifications. A combined certificate and badge does not create two profile entries.
Corrections without a reissue
The recipient requests a change from the page. You approve it, and the same page updates without another credit.
A clear state when it changes
Expired credentials report expiry; revoked credentials report revocation and mask personal details. Downloads disappear for revoked credentials.
Proof
What travels with the certificate
A downloaded file can be copied. The signed credential is what carries the claim, and the public page is what a verifier reads. The two are connected by the credential ID and the QR code.
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Signed credential | An Open Badge 3.0 credential under the W3C Verifiable Credentials 2.0 context, signed with the workspace's Ed25519 key. It carries the issuer, recipient, achievement, dates, criteria, and status. |
| Achievement image | When the credential has a badge design, that mark is used as the credential's achievement image, so the image and data point at each other. |
| Public page | The readable record. It carries the details, the verification controls, and the downloads. The page is reachable by link, QR, or credential ID and is not indexed. |
| Blockchain anchor | Optional on Pro. A fingerprint is committed to Ethereum's Base L2 and timestamped on Bitcoin. The anchor proves the record existed; the signature still proves who issued it. |
| Downloaded PDF or PNG | A copy of the artwork, not a replacement for the page. The QR on it points back to the canonical record. |
The verification contract
Anyone can open the page and see the issuer and award. A verifier who wants to check independently can download the credential JSON and verify the signature. The page also reports whether a blockchain anchor is confirmed, when one exists. It does not prove the person holding the page is the named recipient — verification is not identity.
Operations
The work around the certificate
Issuing is one step. The product also handles the list, the missing names, the feedback you need before release, the corrections after, and the follow-up. Those workflows are what make the certificate operation survive a real event.
Bring the list
CSV, Excel, pasted rows, one-at-a-time entry, or the API. Duplicates and missing emails are caught before the send; importing does not spend credits.
- Pro
Collect missing people
The Issue Request Form lets someone who is not on the list apply. Applicants confirm their email, and you choose automatic issue or review first.
- Pro
Gate release on a response
The Unlock Form asks for feedback, a testimonial, a link, or a file before the certificate is released. Release automatically or review each response.
- Pro
Fix mistakes in place
The Correction Form sends a change request to one inbox. Approving it updates the same credential and page without a reissue credit.
Reissue with intent
A design change can be sent only to recipients on an earlier version. A reissue spends a credit; a correction does not. They are different actions for different problems.
See what happened
Delivery, opens, page views, downloads, LinkedIn adds, verifications, and the recipient funnel. The reports are for follow-up, not just a dashboard.
- API on Pro
Connect the source
Canvas LTI 1.3, a WordPress LMS plugin, REST API, webhooks, or Zapier. Issue from completion data instead of exporting another spreadsheet.
- Domain on Pro
Carry your brand
Use your logo, colours, custom domain, and your own email sender. Remove Verifycate branding from the recipient experience on Pro.
Give recipients one place to return
The recipient portal collects every credential they have earned, with square thumbnails for badge-primary credentials. No account is needed to open a public page.
- Pro
Keep the operation governed
Workspace roles, SSO (OIDC or SAML 2.0), SCIM provisioning, and an append-only audit log. The certificate workflow sits inside the access model your institution already runs.
Scope
What this release does not include
A few boundaries worth knowing before you choose Verifycate.
- It is not a degree, diploma, or official transcript system. A transcript page attached to a course credential is supported; a university's official transcript operation, with SIS integration and formal records, is not.
- It does not provide an employer-recognised badge network. Open Badges 3.0 makes the credential portable; it does not make an employer recognise it.
- It does not hold SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification. We describe our security posture and answer questionnaires; we do not claim an attestation we do not have.
- It does not issue Apple or Google Wallet passes.
- A downloaded file is a copy. If the certificate is corrected, the page updates but the old file does not. Share the link when the current record matters.
- Revocation changes the status a verifier reads. It cannot erase a copy someone already downloaded.
Feature questions
- Is a digital certificate just a PDF?
- No. The PDF is one download from a record that has a public page, a QR code, and a signed Open Badge 3.0 credential behind it. The page is the canonical record; the PDF is a copy of the artwork.
- Can one certificate include a transcript?
- Yes. Add Page creates another page in the same credential, with its own canvas, Attributes, size, and published version. A course can issue a certificate page and a transcript or results page under one public ID, then download them as one assembled PDF.
- What happens when a recipient's name is wrong?
- The recipient can submit a Correction Form request, or you can edit the recipient record. An approved correction updates the same public page and credential ID without spending another credit. A design change is different: that needs a reissue.
- Can an issued certificate be revoked?
- Yes. Revoke a single credential or a batch. The public page stays online, reports the credential as revoked, masks recipient details, and hides downloads. New credentials publish a Bitstring status entry so external verifiers can read the status.
- Do recipients need an account to view their certificate?
- No. The recipient opens the public page from the email, a shared link, or the QR code. Viewers do not need an account either. The recipient portal is optional and only collects the credentials a recipient has earned.
- Does a certificate expire by default?
- No. Leave the expiry date empty and the credential does not expire. If you set a date, the page reports the credential as expired after it passes; the page stays online, and expiry is separate from revocation.
- Is the certificate page indexed by search engines?
- Certificate pages are noindex. A page is reachable by link, QR code, or credential ID rather than by searching a recipient's name. Issuers who need a public directory can build one separately; Verifycate does not index recipient pages.
- What happens if I stop paying?
- Issued pages keep the original design, issuer name, and verification. We do not take the links down when a plan lapses. Some Pro features, such as creating a new custom domain or issuing through the API, require an active plan.
Next format
Digital badges
A square mark for a profile, an email signature, or a wall of achievements, issued from the same credential and the same credit.
Explore badgesUse case
Course certificates
See how the same certificate, transcript page, and badge fit a cohort, an LMS trigger, and a completion claim.
See the course workflowStart issuing
Issue the certificate people can check.
Start with 300 free credits. Design one certificate, import the list, and send every recipient a page, a file, and a signed credential.
Related: e-certificate, Open Badges 3.0, revocation.