Volkswagen uses a Pull method - you make your certificate available, and Volkswagen retrieves it automatically when they need it. You don't send anything directly to VW, and you won't receive a confirmation when they've retrieved it. That's expected and set up by Catena-X standard, not an error.
How long does this take? Most of the time is waiting, not working. Expect 2–3 business days total, with about 30 minutes of actual work.
Step 1 - Onboard to the Cofinity-X Portal
If you haven't already, complete your company onboarding to the Cofinity-X Portal and select Dataspace OS as your certificate management solution.
Already done? Move to Step 2.
Step 2 - Request your Data Governance Credentials
You need these credentials before you can use Certificate Management.
Step 3 - Add your sites to the Cofinity-X Portal
Volkswagen requires a BPNS (Business Partner Number Site) for each location covered by a certificate. A BPNS is a unique identifier for a company site - you need one per site before you can upload any certificate.
For your own company's sites:
Go to Your Company → Your sites and addresses in the Portal and add each site.
For sub-companies you manage (Managed Partners):
Make sure the Managed Partner is onboarded - see the Onboard as a Virtual Participant guide.
Go to Managing Companies in the Portal to add sites for that partner.
After adding your sites, wait 2 business days before continuing. Site registration is not instant. Your BPNS will not be available until processing is complete.
Step 4 - Sign in to Dataspace OS
Once your BPNS is ready (after the 2-day wait), sign in to Dataspace OS.
Step 5 - Register your EDC
Your EDC (Eclipse Dataspace Connector) is what makes your certificate technically accessible to Volkswagen. It must be registered before sharing works.
In Dataspace OS, go to Dataspace Components
Select your EDC component
Scroll down to EDC Registration
Check the status - it should show Registered
If it shows "Not Registered": Click Register and confirm.
Step 6 - Upload your certificate
Have your certificate ready as a PDF file (max 1.5 MB), along with these details from the document: Certificate Type, Version, Issuer, Registration Number, and Validity dates.
Navigate to Use Case Addons → Certificate Management
Click Add Certificate
Upload the PDF
Fill in the required fields:
Field | Required? |
Certificate Type | ✅ Mandatory |
Version | ✅ Mandatory |
Issuer | ✅ Mandatory |
Registration Number | ✅ Mandatory |
Validity dates | ✅ Mandatory |
Area of Application | Optional |
Issuer BPNL | Optional |
5. Click Next Step
6. Enter the BPNS for the site this certificate applies to, add a location name, and click Add Entry
6. Click Next Step, review the details, then click Add the Certificate
Step 7 - Share your certificate with Volkswagen
A Share certificate with partner popup will appear after the Step 6.
Set Discoverability to Yes
Click Share Certificate
Important: Do not add Volkswagen (or any other company) to the recipient name list or sharing method. Pull method means enabling discoverability.
✅ You're done
Volkswagen will retrieve your certificate automatically when they need it. No further action is needed from you.
No manual sending required
No confirmation will appear in your dashboard - this is normal
No further action needed from you
Something not working?
Run through this checklist:
EDC status is Registered
Certificate is a PDF and under 1.5 MB
Discoverability is set to Yes
You used the correct BPNS for the relevant site
The recipient list and sharing method were left empty (Pull method -no need to add VW)
If everything looks correct, contact [email protected] and include:
Your company's BPNL
The certificate type
The step where you're stuck
A screenshot of any error message