Removal of OU field – announcement

Please be advised that due to a change in CA/B Forum regulations, the Organizational Unit (OU) field will be removed from certificates in the Data Security category. This change will be implemented on June 23.

Learn more: https://cabforum.org/2021/06/30/ballot-sc47v2-sunset-subjectorganizationalunitname/

What certificates are affected by the change?

The change applies to SSL certificates.

Reasons for change

The Organizational Unit (OU) field identifies the internal structure of the company and does not have the necessary information sources that could be used by a certification authority to confirm the authenticity of the information contained in the field. This means that this field cannot be authenticated. Although the guidelines for completing the Organizational Unit field prohibit the inclusion of unauthenticated domain and brand names, this policy is still very difficult to enforce. Removing this field from the OU will make it easier to enforce.

How do I renew a certificate with the OU field?

If previously purchased certificates had an OU field, this will not affect the renewal, revocation, or reissue process. The field will automatically be omitted from the form on the store.