SSL Certificate Validity Reduction – What You Need to Know

As of March 15, 2026, all SSL certificates have a maximum validity of 199 days. This is an industry-wide change enforced by all Certificate Authorities, including DigiCert. Your subscription and billing are not affected — certificates purchased annually or for multiple years remain the same price. However, your certificate must now be reissued and reinstalled partway through the subscription term to stay valid.

This guide explains what to expect and what action you need to take.

How the Change Affects Your Certificate

Your SSL subscription covers the full term you purchased. What changes is that the certificate installed on your server expires at 199 days and must be reissued and reinstalled before that point. The validity period will continue to shorten over the next few years:

Effective Date Maximum Certificate Validity
March 15, 2026 199 days
March 15, 2027 100 days
March 15, 2029 47 days

What Happens Automatically

WHMCS will automatically reissue your certificate as it approaches expiration. You will receive an email notification when the reissued certificate is ready.

Reissuance is automatic — installation is not. Once reissued, the new certificate must be installed on your server before the current one expires.

Certificate Installation

If your server is hosted with Nubius Solutions

Open a support ticket and our team will install the reissued certificate on your server.

If your server is hosted elsewhere

You will need to install the certificate manually. Follow these steps:

1. Retrieve the New Certificate

  1. Log in to the Nubius Customer Portal.
  2. Navigate to Services → My Services.
  3. Locate your SSL Certificate and click on it.
  4. Click Retrieve Certificate from the left-hand menu.
  5. Download the certificate files.

2. Install on Your Server

Install the certificate using the private key associated with your CSR. Follow your server or control panel's instructions to complete the installation.

Manually Triggering a Reissue

If you need to reissue your certificate manually (for example, if your private key was compromised), you will need to generate a new CSR and private key first. On Linux, use the following command:

 
 
bash
openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout your.domain.key -out your.domain.csr

Then follow the steps in our guide: How to Reissue an SSL Certificate.

Important Notes

  • If your certificate expires before the new one is installed, visitors will see a "Not Secure" warning in their browser. Some browsers may block access to your site entirely. Act promptly when you receive the reissuance notification email.
  • Reissuances within your subscription term are included at no extra cost.
  • Multi-year plans cover all reissuances for the full term.

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