About a year ago, the Certification Authority Browser Forum (CA/Browser Forum) approved a new schedule to reduce SSL/TLS certificate lifespans starting in March of 2026.
With the new schedule now in effect, the maximum validity period for SSL/TLS certificates is 200 days, down from 398 days previously. This effectively cuts the certificate lifespan in half and requires that the validation data be re-verified twice as often.
This new change does NOT mean that you’ll need to purchase twice as many SSL certificates. It means that if you purchase a 1-year certificate, you will have to reissue it (free) and reinstall it (free/or paid installation) twice as often.
Over the next few years, the current 200-day maximum will be reduced again in the following stages:
Certificate Lifespans (Max # of Days) | Certificate Renewals/Re-Issues (# Per Year) |
200 days (Current/March 2026) | Approx. 2 |
100 days (starting March 15, 2027) | Approx. 4 |
47 days (starting March 15, 2029) | Approx. 8 |
As the reissuance of these certificates has become more frequent and time-consuming for our clients, we are pursuing automation that will simplify the process.