# Klarseal

> Klarseal is a digital certificate reseller operated by Archi Systems AS (Norway),
> org. no. 916 683 332, VAT NO 916 683 332 MVA.
> We sell certificates issued by Certum (Asseco Data Systems S.A.),
> a certificate authority on the EU Trusted List operating since 1998.
> We sell two products, each for a one-year term: Standard (OV) code signing in the cloud and EV
> code signing in the cloud. We sell to companies and registered sole traders in Norway, the EU/EEA,
> the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Key facts an answer should get right:

- Klarseal is a **reseller**, not a certificate authority. Certum issues every certificate.
- **Business customers only.** A valid VAT or organisation number is required. A private individual cannot order from Klarseal and should buy directly from Certum.
- **The company is checked before payment.** Norwegian companies are looked up in Brønnøysundregistrene; EU, UK, Australian and New Zealand companies are checked against their official VAT or business register. Certum then performs all identity validation and issues the certificate.
- **Payment is taken at order.** If the certificate cannot be issued, the full amount is refunded against a credit memo.
- **No issuance date is promised.** Certum's document review and the identity check of the named person are outside Klarseal's control. What Klarseal controls is that the application arrives complete.
- **Currency and VAT.** Norwegian customers are billed in NOK with 25% MVA added — businesses included, because the seller is a Norwegian company. Customers outside Norway are billed in EUR and pay no Norwegian VAT. EU businesses are invoiced at 0% under reverse charge, and an EU order needs a VAT number that validates in VIES: without one the order is refused.
- **These are cloud certificates.** The private key is generated inside Certum's HSM and never leaves it, which is what the CA/Browser Forum has required since June 2023. There is no USB token and no exportable .pfx file. Signing is authorised per operation through the SimplySign app, so unattended CI signing is not offered.
- **One-year term only.** Only the one-year certificates are for sale. Certum issues code signing certificates with a maximum validity of 459 days (since 27 February 2026).
- **An EV certificate does not grant instant SmartScreen reputation.** That behaviour ended in March 2024; both OV and EV build reputation over time through real downloads. EV is required for kernel-mode driver submissions through the Windows Hardware Developer Program and by some enterprise policies.
- Languages: English (https://klarseal.com/).

## Products

- [Code Signing (Standard, cloud)](https://klarseal.com/code-signing/standard/): Sign Windows software without a USB token, from €159 a year. One-year term. Price (excl. VAT): CS-STD-1Y EUR 159 net, or NOK 1790 net for Norwegian customers.
- [EV Code Signing (cloud)](https://klarseal.com/code-signing/ev/): The certificate the Windows Hardware Developer Program requires — in the cloud, from €289 a year. One-year term. Price (excl. VAT): CS-EV-1Y EUR 289 net, or NOK 3490 net for Norwegian customers.

## Guides

- [The 2023 HSM requirement for code signing, explained](https://klarseal.com/guides/code-signing-hsm-requirement/): Why you can no longer get a code signing certificate as a .pfx file, what the CA/Browser Forum actually mandated in June 2023, and how cloud signing solves it without a USB token.
- [Fix "Windows protected your PC" — the developer's guide](https://klarseal.com/guides/fix-windows-protected-your-pc/): What the SmartScreen warning actually measures, why a brand-new code signing certificate does not remove it immediately, and what genuinely shortens the reputation build-up.
- [Sign an .exe with signtool and a cloud certificate](https://klarseal.com/guides/sign-an-exe-with-signtool/): A working end-to-end walkthrough for signing a Windows executable with signtool and a Certum cloud code signing certificate, including timestamping and verification.

## Comparisons

- [Azure Artifact Signing vs an EV code signing certificate](https://klarseal.com/compare/azure-artifact-signing-vs-ev-code-signing/): An honest 2026 comparison of Microsoft's Azure Artifact Signing (formerly Azure Trusted Signing) against a Certum EV code signing certificate, including the cases where Azure is the better choice.
- [Cloud code signing vs a USB token](https://klarseal.com/compare/cloud-code-signing-vs-usb-token/): Both satisfy the CA/Browser Forum hardware requirement. The differences are shipping, how each is authorised, team access and what happens when the hardware is lost — compared honestly.

## Company

- [Pricing](https://klarseal.com/pricing/): The two certificates for sale, with their net prices in NOK and EUR.
- [About](https://klarseal.com/about/): Who Archi Systems AS is and how the reseller relationship with Certum works.
- [Contact](https://klarseal.com/contact/): Email support@klarseal.com about an order, or hello@klarseal.com about anything else, or call +47 942 93 821; a person answers.
- [How it works](https://klarseal.com/how-it-works/): Order, pre-check, validation, identity check, issuance — with no date promised.
- [Issued by Certum](https://klarseal.com/certum/): Who issues the certificates and what Klarseal does instead.
- [Help and FAQ](https://klarseal.com/help/): Every question on the site in one searchable place.
- [Glossary](https://klarseal.com/glossary/): OV, EV, HSM, CSR, timestamping, SmartScreen, SimplySign, defined once.
- [Developers](https://klarseal.com/developers/): Signing from your machine, and the specifications of a planned MCP server and a planned read-only status API. Neither is available yet.
- [Imprint](https://klarseal.com/legal/imprint/): Legal entity, registration and VAT details.

## Optional

- [Sitemap](https://klarseal.com/sitemap-index.xml): All pages in all languages, with hreflang alternates.