Azure Trusted Signing — Identity validation failed: "Email verification failed"

Question

I'm trying to set up Identity validation for Azure Trusted Signing (Code Signing) for my organization, but the validation keeps failing with the error "Email verification failed."

• I have submitted the required document (website screenshot showing organization name and address)
• The email inbox is working and I never received any verification email (checked spam/junk folders as well)
• I have attempted the validation twice, both times resulting in the same "Email verification failed" error

What exactly does the "Email verification failed" check validate?

Any guidance on how to resolve this would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer 1

Does the email address shared have permission to receive emails from external email addresses with links? The email verification link expires in 7 days, so could be the email may land in your junk/spam folder and is expiring before it can be actioned on.

Answer 2

For Artifact Signing (Azure Trusted Signing), the “Email verification failed” status means the primary email address specified in the identity validation request was not successfully verified via the verification link that is sent as part of the process.

For organization identity validation specifically:

• When creating the identity validation request, a verification link is sent to the Primary Email address entered in the form.
• That link expires after 7 days.
• If the link is not selected within 7 days, or if the email cannot be delivered/used, the email verification step fails, and the overall identity validation can end in Failed with a reason like “Email verification failed.”

From the Artifact Signing documentation:

• If email verification fails, a new identity validation request must be initiated. The same request cannot be reused and a new link cannot be resent on that request.
• Creating additional identity validation requests for the same entity that are in progress does not help; each request must complete its own email verification.
• The Primary Email must:
  • Belong to an individual (no distribution lists).
  • Be able to receive emails with links from external senders.
• The Secondary Email must be different from the primary and, for organizations, its domain must match the primary email’s domain.

Given the behavior described (no email ever received and repeated “Email verification failed”):

1. Create a new identity validation request in the Azure portal.
2. In that request, set:
   • Primary Email to an individual mailbox in the organization that can receive external mail and is actively monitored.
   • Secondary Email to a different address on the same domain (can be a distribution list) that also receives external mail.
3. After submitting, monitor the Primary Email inbox for the verification message and select the link within 7 days.
4. If the email still does not arrive, verify with the mail admin that messages from Microsoft (including links) are not being blocked and that the mailbox can receive external messages.
5. If problems persist, contact Microsoft via Azure Support or Microsoft Q&A using the artifact-signing tag for assistance with the identity validation process.

The “Email verification failed” check itself is only validating that the verification link sent to the Primary Email address was successfully used within its validity period; it is not validating the website screenshot or other uploaded documents.

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References:

• Artifact Signing FAQ
• Quickstart: Set up Artifact Signing