Glossary
What Is E-certificate?
An e-certificate is a certificate issued and delivered electronically instead of on paper — at minimum a file, and at best a link anyone can open and check.
Also called: electronic certificate, online certificate, digital certificate
What it's for
The word covers a wide range of quality. At one end, an e-certificate is a PDF attached to an email — cheaper than printing, and no better in any other way. At the other, it's a link with a verification page, a QR code and a signed credential behind it, which is a different thing wearing the same name.
The gap between those two is where most of the value sits, and it's worth being precise about which one you're issuing.
How it works
A worthwhile e-certificate has four parts:
- A design carrying the recipient's name, the achievement, the issuer and the date — the part a human reads.
- A permanent address. A URL that resolves to this certificate, so it can be linked rather than attached.
- A verification path. A QR code or a link taking anyone to the issuer's own record.
- A downloadable copy. PNG for sharing, PDF for printing — and critically, one that still points back to the verification page.
That last point is what separates the two ends of the range. If the downloaded file is a dead end, everything downstream of the first email is unverifiable.
Where you'll see it
Everywhere certificates used to be printed: college fests, MOOCs, webinars, workshops, corporate training, conferences. The shift accelerated sharply from 2020, when printing and handing out certificates stopped being possible and nobody went back.
In Verifycate
Every certificate is issued at the fuller end of that range. Each recipient gets a public page and a QR code on the design; they can download a PNG or a print-ready PDF, and the QR on the downloaded file still resolves to the verification page. There's an Open Badge 3.0 credential behind it and an Add to LinkedIn button on the page.
Issued pages stay up after your event ends, and after a workspace stops paying. That matters more than it sounds: an e-certificate whose link dies in two years was a PDF with extra steps.
Everything on this page runs in Verifycate. The first 300 certificates are free, no card. Start for free
Common questions
- Is an e-certificate valid?
- As valid as the organisation issuing it — the format isn't what makes a certificate count. What a good e-certificate adds is that the claim can be checked, which a printed one can't be without contacting the issuer.
- Can an e-certificate be printed?
- Yes, and a print-ready PDF at the right dimensions is worth providing. Keep the verification QR code on it, so the printed copy is still checkable.
- How do I stop people editing their e-certificate?
- You can't stop someone editing an image, and trying to is the wrong goal. Make the certificate checkable instead: a QR code and a public page mean an edited copy fails the moment anyone looks it up.
Related terms
- Certificate RecipientIn Verifycate, a certificate recipient is one person on a certificate's list — the record carrying their name, contact details, attribute values and status from import through issue to verification.
- Bulk Certificate GenerationBulk certificate generation produces one personalised certificate per person from a single design and a list of recipients, instead of editing a file once per name.
- QR Code VerificationQR code verification puts a scannable code on the certificate itself, so anyone holding a copy — printed or digital — can reach the issuer's own record of it in one scan.
- Certificate VerificationCertificate verification is confirming that a certificate was really issued by the organisation it names, to the person it names, and hasn't been altered since.
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