The era of “set it and forget it” SSL/TLS certificates is officially over. Driven by Apple, Google, and the CA/Browser Forum, the industry is moving toward significantly shorter certificate lifecycles. This isn’t just a minor administrative update—it is a fundamental shift in how organizations must manage digital trust and security.
This blog breaks down the timeline of these changes, the operational risks involved, and why automation is no longer optional.
A Brief History: The Shrinking Lifespan of Trust
To understand where we are going, we have to look at where we’ve been. The industry has been aggressively shortening certificate validity for over a decade to improve security and “cryptographic agility.”
- Before 2011: You could purchase SSL certificates valid for up to 8 or 10 years.
- 2012–2015: The limit was reduced to 5 years, then 3 years.
- 2018: The maximum validity dropped to 825 days (roughly 2 years).
- 2020: Apple unilaterally announced it would only trust certificates valid for 398 days (roughly 1 year), forcing the rest of the industry to follow.
- Today (Early 2026): We are currently in the final window of the 398-day era.
The Industry’s New Roadmap
We are moving from a world of years to a world of weeks. Here are the hard deadlines you need to know:
Why You Should Take Advantage of 398-Day SSL Certificate Validity Now
The current 398-day SSL certificate validity offers a clear operational advantage over the upcoming 200-day lifecycle. A longer validity period means fewer renewals, fewer reissuances, and significantly lower administrative effort for security and IT teams.
With a 200-day validity, certificates will need to be reissued more frequently, increasing manual workload, coordination across teams, and the risk of missed renewals or service disruptions. Buying and renewing a 398-day certificate now helps maintain operational stability, reduce management overhead, and buy valuable time before shorter lifecycles become mandatory.
This is a one-time opportunity—once the new rules take effect, 398-day SSL certificates will no longer be available.
The Big Shift: What Happens After 18 February 2026?
Starting in February 2026, the standard “one-year” SSL certificate effectively disappears. As a business owner or IT decision-maker, you will face a fundamental change in your infrastructure management:
- 200-Day Maximum Validity: Any new SSL/TLS certificate issued after the cutoff will be capped at a maximum of 200 days.
- The Reissue Treadmill: While you can still buy “multi-year” plans for billing convenience, the actual certificate must be reissued and redeployed multiple times within that period to stay valid.
- Operational Strain: This doubles the manual workload for teams still using spreadsheets or calendar reminders to track expirations.
Understanding the “Reissue Treadmill”
After February 18, 2026, the way you buy and use certificates changes forever. Even if you purchase a “3-year subscription” from your provider, the identity file (the certificate) on your server must be replaced every 200 days.
This creates a “Reissue Treadmill”:
- More Coordination: IT, Security, and DevOps teams must sync twice as often.
- Higher Outage Risk: Every manual renewal is a chance for a typo or a missed deadline that takes your site offline.
- The Validation Crunch: By 2029, you won’t just be renewing certificates; you’ll be performing Domain Control Validation (DCV) every 10 days.
Why Is This Happening?
The primary goal is Cryptographic Agility. Shorter lifespans provide three critical security benefits:
- Reduced Window of Exposure: If a private key is stolen, an attacker can only use it for weeks, not a year.
- Faster Algorithm Updates: When new threats (like Quantum computing) emerge, the industry can transition to stronger encryption across the entire web in under two months.
- Ownership Accuracy: Shorter cycles ensure that if a domain is sold or abandoned, the old owner’s certificates expire quickly.
What If I’ve Already Purchased a Multi-Year SSL Certificate?
Many organizations have already invested in multi-year SSL subscriptions, and with upcoming changes to certificate validity rules, it’s natural to wonder how existing certificates will be affected.
In practical terms, an SSL subscription purchased for multiple years remains valid. However, each certificate issued under that subscription will now follow a shorter validity period. As a result, certificates will need to be issued or reissued more frequently to align with evolving browser and industry requirements. The scenarios below explain how these changes apply based on the certificate issuance or reissue date.
Scenario 1: Certificate Reissue Date Before 18 February 2026
- If an SSL certificate is issued or reissued before 18 February 2026, it will continue to adhere to the existing one-year validity framework.
- In such cases, the certificate may be issued with a validity period of up to 398 days, in accordance with current industry standards. Renewals or reissues completed before this date will therefore continue to benefit from the longer validity duration.
Scenario 2: Certificate Reissue Date On or After 18 February 2026
Under these updated guidelines, each certificate issued will be limited to a maximum validity of 200 days. Consequently, certificates will need to be reissued or renewed more frequently—typically around twice per year—to remain compliant with browser trust requirements and Certificate Authority policies.
If an SSL certificate is issued or reissued on or after 18 February 2026, the revised industry-mandated validity limits will apply immediately.
How to Prepare: From Manual to Automatic
After February 2026, the margin for error becomes razor-thin. A single missed renewal in a 47-day cycle could take your site offline before you even notice the expiration warning.
In this new reality, manual certificate management methods such as spreadsheets and calendar reminders are no longer sustainable.
Certificate Lifecycle Management enables organizations to adapt to shorter SSL lifecycles by providing:
- Centralized visibility into all SSL certificates across environments.
- Automated issuance, installations, renewal, and reissuance aligned with policy timelines
- Reduced reliance on spreadsheets and manual follow-ups
- Renewal processes designed to avoid service disruption
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