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[Change] Adjustments to the Validity Period of DigiCert Public SSL Certificates and Code Signing Certificates

Dear Customers and Partners:

 Hello! Thank you very much for your continued trust and support in Racent.

 To ensure you are promptly informed of and can prepare for the upcoming industry standard changes, we hereby notify you that: in compliance with the CA/B Forum's SC-081v3 ballot and CSC-31 ballot, the maximum validity period for public SSL certificates and code signing certificates will be adjusted starting from February 25, 2026: the maximum validity period of public SSL certificates will be shortened from 397 days to 199 days, and the maximum validity period of code signing certificates will be shortened from 39 months to 459 days.

I. Core Changes and Timeline​

1. SSL Certificate Validity Adjustment​

  • All public SSL certificates issued at or after 2:00 AM Beijing Time on February 25, 2026 will have a maximum validity period not exceeding the new 199-day limit.
  • Affected certificates: Public DV SSL certificates, OV SSL certificates, EV SSL certificates, etc.

2. Code Signing Certificate Validity Adjustment​

  • All code signing certificates issued at or after 2:00 AM Beijing Time on February 25, 2026 will have a maximum validity period not exceeding the new 459-day limit.
  • Affected certificates: Standard code signing certificates and EV code signing certificates.
  • The maximum validity period of DigiCert certificates is one day less than the maximum period allowed by the CA/B Forum to avoid exceeding the permitted maximum limit.
  • The specific timeline may be adjusted according to DigiCert's release progress. We will issue a separate notice if there are any changes to the timeline.

II. Core Impacts of the Change on You​

1. Impacts on SSL Certificates​

  • New certificate requests: Starting from February 25, 2026, the system will automatically adjust the maximum validity period to 199 days for all public SSL certificate requests submitted through any channel. (To apply for certificates with a 397-day validity period, you must complete the request and issuance before February 25, 2026)
  • Certificate issuance: Certificates issued on or after February 25, 2026 will have a validity period of no more than 199 days. Applications submitted before February 25, 2026 that have not completed issuance will be issued with the new validity period.
  • Existing certificates: Certificates issued before the February 25, 2026 deadline with a validity period longer than 199 days will not be affected; these certificates will remain trusted until they expire. When you renew them near expiration, new certificates will be issued with a 199-day validity period.
  • Reissue and renewal: For 397-day certificate orders that have not been issued before the February 25, 2026 deadline, the order itself will retain the 397-day validity period, but when the certificate is reissued or renewed, the new certificate will have a maximum validity period of 199 days.

2. Impacts on Code Signing Certificates​

  • New certificate requests: Starting from February 25, 2026, applications for 2-year and 3-year code signing certificates will no longer be accepted, and all newly requested code signing certificates will have a maximum validity period of no more than 459 days. (To apply for 2-year or 3-year code signing certificates, you must complete the request and issuance before February 25, 2026)
  • Certificate issuance: Starting from February 25, 2026, public code signing certificates issued will have a maximum validity period of 459 days.
  • Existing certificates: Valid code signing certificates issued before the February 25, 2026 deadline will remain usable until they expire.
  • Certificate renewal: On and after February 25, 2026, renewed code signing certificates will have a maximum validity period of no more than 459 days.
  • Certificate reissue: For existing 2-year, 3-year, or 39-month public code signing certificates, if reissued before February 25, 2026, the new certificate will have a maximum validity period of up to 39 months (but cannot exceed the order validity period); if reissued on or after the 25th, if the remaining validity period of the original certificate exceeds the permitted 459-day maximum, we will truncate the validity period of your reissued certificate and order, and no refund will be provided.

 This adjustment is an important industry initiative to improve cybersecurity, and making preparations in advance is key to ensuring smooth business operations. Thank you for your understanding and support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.

 Racent, as a professional digital certificate provider and agent for over 10 globally renowned Certificate Authorities (CAs), always strictly adheres to industry compliance standards. We are committed to providing customers with high-quality services including instant issuance and priority validation, and offer cost-effective digital certificate products such as SSL certificates, code signing certificates, email security certificates, and document signing certificates, as well as the sslTrus CLM - SSL certificate automated operation and maintenance system.

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