Registration Authority (RA)

A trusted entity that establishes and vouches for the identity of a Subscriber to a CSP. The RA may be an integral part of a CSP, or it may be independent of a CSP, but it has a relationship to the CSP(s).
SOURCE: SP 800-63; CNSSI-4009

Organization responsible for assignment of unique identifiers to registered objects.
SOURCE: FIPS 188