Comodo SSL Certificate Lifespans Drop to 199 Days

Starting March 12, new SSL/TLS certificates from ComodoSSLstore.com will have shorter validity periods (i.e., reissue certificates every 199 days)

In an effort to make publicly trusted SSL/TLS certificates more secure, industry leaders are capping the validity periods of all publicly trusted SSL/TLS certificates at a maximum of 200 days. The first of three phases begins on March 12, 2026 for Comodo CA customers.

Once this happens, it means all publicly trusted Comodo CA SSL/TLS certificates will be limited to a maximum lifespan of 199 days. So, you will have to reissue a certificate twice a year moving forward.

TL;DR: Reissue Every 199 Days or Automate to Not Have to Deal with It

Want the “must-know” highlights? We’ve got you covered:

• The changes will take effect on March 12, 2026 for ComodoSSLstore.com SSL/TLS certificates.
• You can keep buying the same SSL/TLS products, but you’ll have to reissue your certificate (at no additional cost) every ~6 months.
• We offer automation options, so you don’t have to worry about it.
• If automation isn’t for you, we’ll still send out reissuance notifications.

That’s it — you’re all caught up. If you want to learn more about these changes and why they’re happening, then keep reading. Otherwise, adios.

When These Changes Will Take Effect

These changes will take effect for all ComodoSSLstore.com orders effective March 12, 2026. This is a few days ahead of the industry’s hard deadline of March 15, which gives a few days’ grace period to ensure all T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted.

Starting March 12, all one-year SSL/TLS certificates will have to be reissued every 199 days.

This Is Just One of Multiple Validity Period Reductions…

Of course, this move is the first of three reductions, with the next two rolling out over the next few years.

• March 2027: We’ll see the SSL validity period halved again, meaning that ComodoSSLstore.com will issue certificates that must be reissued every 99 days.
• March 2029: The validity period will be reduced, meaning that Comodo CA certificates will have to be reissued every 46 days.

What These Changes Mean for Your Business

Halving certificate lifespans means that you must reissue every public SSL/TLS certificate twice as frequently as current industry standards require. This means doubling the time you spend managing each certificate throughout the year. 

When managing only one or two certificates, this isn’t a big deal. But if you’re managing more, then this time requirement will only increase as certificate validity periods continue to reduce over the next three years.

Consider Automation to Set SSL Reissuances on Autopilot

As an admin or business owner wearing multiple hats, every second you can save by not reissuing and reinstalling certificates matters.

If you want peace of mind (or don’t want to manually deal with reissuances), then consider automating SSL with one of our two solutions:

1. Comodo CA ACME Certificate-as-a-Service (CaaS) — COMING SOON

With Comodo ACME CaaS, you get to enjoy a fully automated SSL/TLS certificate lifecycle. After buying an SSL certificate, simply connect your server directly to Comodo CA via virtually any ACME-compatible system or client to automate the renewal of your SSL/TLS certificate before it expires. (This will become even more of a time saver as certificate validity periods increasingly get shorter.)

No muss, no fuss — no more playing the tedious game of “certificate-manager-in-the-middle.”

2. AutoInstall SSL^® — COMING SOON

With just two commands, AutoInstall SSL^® lets you set the SSL/TLS certificate renewal + installation + configuration process on autopilot.

You just set it up once, and our installation client will handle everything from there. No more late-night or weekend outages due to expired or forgotten SSL certificates.

Keep an eye out, as these new tools will roll out over the next couple of weeks.

FAQs About the Certificate Validity Period Reduction

Alright, now that we’ve gotten some of those big points out of the way, it’s time to answer some of the additional frequently asked questions you may have:

Q: Why are these SSL reduction changes occurring?

A: Industry leaders reduced the certificate validity period to make SSL/TLS certificates (moreover, their private keys) more secure.

Q: How does shortening certificate validity make SSL keys more secure?

A: There are several reasons for this rationale:

• The public-private key pair remains in use for as long as the certificate is valid. Imagine that the private key gets compromised. The longer the key is valid, the more damage an attacker can do by decrypting communications and stealing or modifying data in transit.
• Certificates with longer lifespans may support outdated ciphers. History has repeatedly shown that nothing lasts forever. Many algorithms that were once trusted and viewed as secure were eventually deprecated for security reasons. Shortened SSL/TLS certificate validity basically says, “out with the old, in with the new!” This helps companies keep their cryptographic algorithms up to date.  

Q: Why only 199 days?

A: Because of something known as the “one-second rule” within the industry that hearkens to the specific language used in the IETF’s RFC 5280 regarding certificate validity periods.

While we won’t go into the specifics of all of that here, the big takeaway is that CAs issue SSL/TLS certificates with lifespans shorter than the maximum allowed to prevent misissuing certificates that must later be revoked. 

Q: When’s the last day to get a one-year SSL certificate?

A: You must order your one-year SSL/TLS certificate through ComodoSSLstore.com by no later than March 11. After that, all certificates will be issued with a one-year coverage period and will have to be reissued after 199 days.

Q: Do these changes mean you must buy a new certificate every ~6 months?

A: No. All Comodo CA certificates are issued with free unlimited reissuances. This means that you can reissue a certificate as many times as necessary during its validity period.

Q: Can I manually manage my certificates once this change takes effect?

A: Yes, absolutely. You can continue managing your certificates manually, and we’ll provide reissuance notifications to help you stay on top of upcoming certificate expirations.

Q: Can I automate the certificate reissuance and installation processes?

A: Yes — and we encourage you to do so! At ComodoSSLstore.com, we will soon offer Comodo CA ACME Certificate-as-a-Service (CaaS), which provides fully automated SSL certificates and works with virtually any ACME client.

AutoInstall SSL^® is also available. This intuitive tool enables you to set up your certificate once, so you can enjoy automated certificate renewals, reissuances, and installations.

Keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks as these new tools roll out.