Verifying Certificates
How a certificate number and verification code let anyone confirm a certificate is genuine.
Every certificate is verifiable. That means a learner can prove their certificate is real, and anyone they show it to — like an employer — can confirm it. This page explains how that works.
How verification works
Each certificate carries two things that make it unique:
- A certificate number — a one-of-a-kind reference for that certificate.
- A verification code — a private code that proves the certificate is genuine.
Together, these let anyone check that a certificate was really awarded by your platform and has not been faked.
How a third party verifies a certificate
When a learner shares their certificate, the certificate number and verification code are shown on it. Someone who wants to confirm it is genuine can use those details to look the certificate up and see that it is valid.
A genuine certificate will confirm:
- The course or learning path it was earned for.
- The learner's grade and completion date.
- That the certificate is still valid (not revoked or expired).
Expiry
A certificate can have an expiry date if you set one when configuring the offering.
- Most certificates do not expire — they stay valid forever.
- If you set an expiry date, the certificate is only valid up to that date. After it passes, the certificate shows as expired.
Use an expiry date when a credential should be renewed periodically — for example, a certification that needs refreshing every couple of years.
Good to know
A revoked certificate will not pass verification. If you revoke a certificate awarded by mistake, anyone who checks it will see that it is no longer valid.
The verification code is what proves a certificate is real, so it should be treated as part of the certificate itself. It is shown on the certificate the learner downloads.