Is an Israeli VAT-registered sole proprietor eligible for Artifact Signing Public Trust?

Question

I am an Israeli VAT-registered sole proprietor (עוסק מורשה), not an Ltd. company.

I would like to use Azure Artifact Signing Public Trust to sign a Windows EXE installer.

The current Artifact Signing Quickstart lists Israel as supported for Organization Public Trust.

Microsoft PKI Services Third Party CPS also defines a “Legal Entity” as including a “proprietorship.”

Could you please confirm the following:

1. Is an Israeli VAT-registered sole proprietor (עוסק מורשה) eligible to register under Organization → Public?
2. What should I enter as the Organization Name — my legal personal name or my registered business/trade name?
3. What should I enter as the Business Identifier — my Israeli VAT registration number / Israeli ID number?
4. Which Israeli document should I provide if requested — Certificate of VAT Registration (תעודת עוסק מורשה), an Israeli Tax Authority document, or another document?
5. What name will appear as the Publisher in the resulting code-signing certificate and in Windows when users run the signed installer?

Thank you.

Answer 1

The current Artifact Signing documentation lists Israel as a supported country for Organization Public Trust certificates. It also states that Organization identity validation requires the organization name to be the legal business entity to which the certificate is issued.

However, the documentation does not appear to explicitly state whether an Israeli VAT-registered sole proprietor (עוסק מורשה) is treated as an Organization or as an Individual for Artifact Signing Public Trust validation.

That distinction matters because Microsoft separately documents Individual Public Trust validation, and the current geographic rules for Individual developers are different from those for organizations.

For that reason, I would not assume that the following are automatically accepted:

• Israeli VAT registration number as the Business Identifier

Israeli ID number as the Business Identifier

VAT Registration Certificate (תעודת עוסק מורשה) as the required validation document

A trade name instead of the proprietor's legal name

The Quickstart only specifies that the Organization Name must correspond to the legal business entity. Public Trust identity attributes are validated according to the Microsoft PKI Services Third-Party CPS.

Therefore, the safest approach is to confirm with the Artifact Signing team before submitting the validation:

Whether an Israeli עוסק מורשה qualifies as an Organization for Public Trust.

Whether the legal proprietor's name or registered trade name should be entered as Organization Name.

Which identifier Microsoft expects for an Israeli sole proprietor.

Whether the תעודת עוסק מורשה is an accepted supporting document.

What exact subject/publisher name will be placed in the resulting Public Trust certificate.

This is particularly worth confirming because there have been recent Microsoft Q&A discussions about the availability and eligibility of Artifact Signing Public Trust validation in Israel, so the published documentation has been evolving.

I would provide the actual registration documents and personal identifiers only through Microsoft's private support/validation process, not in a public Q&A post.The current Artifact Signing documentation lists Israel as a supported country for Organization Public Trust certificates. It also states that Organization identity validation requires the organization name to be the legal business entity to which the certificate is issued.

However, the documentation does not appear to explicitly state whether an Israeli VAT-registered sole proprietor (עוסק מורשה) is treated as an Organization or as an Individual for Artifact Signing Public Trust validation.

That distinction matters because Microsoft separately documents Individual Public Trust validation, and the current geographic rules for Individual developers are different from those for organizations.

For that reason, I would not assume that the following are automatically accepted:

Israeli VAT registration number as the Business Identifier

Israeli ID number as the Business Identifier

VAT Registration Certificate (תעודת עוסק מורשה) as the required validation document

A trade name instead of the proprietor's legal name

The Quickstart only specifies that the Organization Name must correspond to the legal business entity. Public Trust identity attributes are validated according to the Microsoft PKI Services Third-Party CPS.

Therefore, the safest approach is to confirm with the Artifact Signing team before submitting the validation:

Whether an Israeli עוסק מורשה qualifies as an Organization for Public Trust.

Whether the legal proprietor's name or registered trade name should be entered as Organization Name.

Which identifier Microsoft expects for an Israeli sole proprietor.

Whether the תעודת עוסק מורשה is an accepted supporting document.

What exact subject/publisher name will be placed in the resulting Public Trust certificate.

This is particularly worth confirming because there have been recent Microsoft Q&A discussions about the availability and eligibility of Artifact Signing Public Trust validation in Israel, so the published documentation has been evolving.

I would provide the actual registration documents and personal identifiers only through Microsoft's private support/validation process, not in a public Q&A post.