*Changes to the maximum SSL validity period:
1 March 2018 – 2 years
18 August 2020 – 1 year
You may have noticed that if you purchased a 2*–5 year SSL certificate, the certificate issued to you is valid for only 1 year. Don't worry, this is not an error.
Since 18 August 2020, under new requirements published by the mainstream web browsers, the maximum validity period of an issued SSL certificate has been limited to 1 year.
An SSL term longer than 1 year is a prepaid option that lets you buy SSL at the lowest price. Buying a longer term earns you a volume discount and protects you from industry price increases.
You still get to use the full term you have paid for, through the reactivation process.
What does reactivation look like?
Go to “My SSL” and click the “Renewal” filter next to the search box. Certificates that need reactivating will have a “Reactivate” button beside them. Click it to start the activation process.
The rest is very similar to what you did when you first purchased and activated your SSL:
Submit your details to the CA.
Confirm that you control the domain you want to secure.
Pass the company checks: organization validation for OV SSL or extended validation for EV SSL.
Install the new SSL on your server.
What happens if you do not reactivate
If you do not reactivate, the 1-year SSL originally issued to you will expire. Your website will no longer have encryption protection and will be flagged as “Not secure”. The certificate status in your dashboard will change to “Suspended”. You can restore the secure connection at any time by reactivating.
How is “Reactivation” different from “Renewal”?
After reactivation you receive a new SSL within the term you have already paid for. Once that paid term ends, you will need to renew the entire SSL — meaning you pay again for another term of your choice.
Both operations involve sending an activation request to the certificate authority, having the SSL issued, and installing the issued SSL on your website. Whether you need to reactivate or renew your SSL, you will receive an email reminder from us guiding you through the relevant process.