The SSL TLS industry is introducing changes to how certificates are issued. These changes affect certificate issuance and validation but do not change how long customers can purchase SSL products.
The most important point is that certificate lifespan and validation are separate concepts. They are now managed independently.
Certificate lifespan vs validation
Certificate lifespan is the period a single issued SSL certificate can be used on a server.
Validation is the period during which Sectigo can reuse a previously completed Domain Control Validation when issuing a new certificate.
A certificate can expire while validation is still valid. Validation can also expire while there is still paid time remaining on the order.
Maximum certificate lifespan from March 12 2026
From March 12 2026 any newly issued SSL certificate will have a maximum lifespan of approximately 199 days.
This applies to
• new orders
• renewals
• reissues
Certificates issued before this date remain valid until their original expiration date unless they are revoked.
Buying one year and multi year SSL products
Customers can continue to purchase one year and multi year SSL products. The commercial term does not change and there is no loss of paid time.
What changes is how certificates are issued during that term.
Instead of a single long certificate multiple certificates will be issued over the lifetime of the order.
Example
A one year SSL product issued after March 2026 will first be issued as a certificate valid for up to 199 days. When it expires a new certificate will be reissued for the remaining time. If 30 days remain the reissued certificate will be valid for 30 days.
Domain Control Validation reuse changes
From March 2026 Domain Control Validation reuse will be shortened to approximately six months.
This means some certificate reissues can reuse existing validation while others will require the customer to complete domain validation again.
Customers using manual validation methods may need to repeat validation more frequently.
Future changes
This is a phased industry wide approach.
In 2029 the maximum certificate lifespan will be reduced further to approximately 47 days.
The same rules apply. Customers keep their full paid term but certificates must be reissued more often during that time.
Pricing impact
There are no pricing changes related to these policy updates.
The impact is operational only and relates to certificate reissuance and validation frequency.
