How to revoke Digital Certificate

Request for Revocation of Digital Certificate (d-Cert)

A d-Cert is an important electronic ID for use on the Internet. If a d-Cert is lost, damaged or stolen, you should request HKCA to revoke your d-Cert immediately. Applicants, Subscribers, or an organization’s authorised user or authorised representative may submit a revocation request at any time and for any reason.

Revocation requests may be submitted by the following parties:

• d-Cert (Personal) – The Applicant
• d-Cert (Organizational) – The organization’s authorised representative or the authorised user whose name is listed on the certificate
• d-Cert (Encipherment) – The organization’s authorised representative
• d-Cert (Server) – The organization’s authorised representative

The HKCA may revoke a certificate at any time under the following circumstances:

• Upon learning or having reason to believe that the Subscriber’s private key has been compromised;
• Determining that a certificate was not issued in accordance with the Certification Practice Statement;
• Determining that the Subscriber has failed to fulfill any material obligation stated in the Certification Practice Statement;
• Acting in accordance with any other agreement, regulation, or applicable legal requirement related to the certificate.

Methods to Revoke a d-Cert:

• Apply for revocation of a d-Cert (Personal / Organizational / Encipherment / Server) via the d-Cert Subscriber Portal; or
• Send a digitally signed email to enquiry@hkca.hk.

For the criteria regarding d-Cert revocation, please refer to the Certification Practice Statement.

Procedures for revoking d-Cert

After receiving a revocation request, the HKCA will temporarily suspend the certificate. If the request is submitted through the d-Cert Subscriber Portal, it is deemed confirmed by the Subscriber and considered final. Once the Subscriber confirms the revocation, it will be permanently invalidated.

Business Hours for Processing d-Cert Revocation Requests

In case a tropical cyclone warning signal no. 8 (or above) or a black rainstorm warning signal is hoisted, processing of revocation requests will be suspended immediately and will recommence at its usual hour if the signal is lowered at or before 6 am on that day. If the signal is lowered between 6 am and 10 am or at 10 am, processing of revocation requests will recommence at 2 pm for any weekday other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. If the signal is lowered after 10 am, processing of revocation requests will recommence at business hours on the next weekday other than a Sunday or public holiday.

Service Pledge and Certificate Revocation List Update

• HKCA will exercise reasonable endeavours to see that within 2 working days of (1) HKCA receiving a revocation request from the Subscriber or (2) in the absence of such a request, the decision by HKCA to suspend or revoke the certificate, the suspension or revocation is posted to the Certification Revocation List.
• However, a Certificate Revocation List is not immediately published in the directory access by the public following each certificate suspension or revocation. Only when the next Certificate Revocation List is updated and published will it reflect the suspended or revoked status of the certificate. Certificate Revocation Lists are published in the HKCA Repository.

For the avoidance of doubt, all Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and for all weekdays on which a tropical cyclone and rainstorm warning signal is hoisted, are not working days.

Find out more about d-Cert & Bank-Cert revocation from the Certification Practice Statement (CPS).