DV methods are enumerated in Baseline Requirements §3.2.2.4: random values in DNS TXT records (ACME dns-01) or at a well-known HTTP path (http-01), the TLS-ALPN challenge (tls-alpn-01), and e-mail or phone contacts for the domain. Since 2025 public CAs must also corroborate domain validation from several network perspectives, which makes single-network BGP or DNS hijacks harder to exploit.
DV certificates carry the policy OID 2.23.140.1.2.1 and no organization in the subject. Almost all certificates on the web are DV, because issuance can be fully automated through ACME. The validation can be reused for a limited time: under ballot SC-081v3 that window shrank from 398 to 200 days on 15 March 2026 and falls to 10 days in March 2029.
Browsers show DV, OV and EV certificates identically, so the level does not change what users see; what it proves is control of the name at issuance time.