Knowledge Base

Moving to 459-day validity for public Code Signing certificates

Solution ID : ALERT70

Last Modified : 12/23/2025

Per Ballot CSC-31, certificate validity goes from 39 months to 460 days

Description

On February 24, 2026, DigiCert will stop accepting public Code Signing certificate requests with the validity greater than 459 days.

Additionally, all public Code Signing certificates issued on or after February 24, 2026, cannot exceed the new 459-day maximum validity. This change affects both Code Signing and EV Code Signing

Important: DigiCert may update this article if new information becomes available. Save this page and check for updates. The Last Modified date appears under the title.

Why is DigiCert reducing the maximum validity of public Code Signing certificates to 459 days?

DigiCert is making this change to align with the CA/Browser Forum’s Ballot CSC-31: Maximum Validity Reduction. This ballot reduces Code Signing certificate validity from 39 months to 460 days (about 15 months) by March 1, 2026. Learn more about Ballot CSC-31.

Note: DigiCert's maximum certificate validities are one day shorter than the maximum validity allowed by the CA/Browser Forum’s, to avoid exceeding the maximum permitted validity.

Maximum validity period of public Code Signing certificates in the CA/Browser Forum

Certificate issued	Maximum certificate validity
Before March 1, 2026	39 months
As of March 1, 2026	460 days

What’s changing?

Today, DigiCert can issue public Code Signing certificates with a maximum 39-month validity. On February 24, 2026, DigiCert will issue Code Signing certificates with a maximum 459-day validity

DigiCert will stop supporting 2- and 3-year Code Signing certificate requests

On February 24, 2026,, you will have three options to specify certificate validity when ordering Code Signing certificates in CertCentral: 1 year, custom expiration date with a 459-day limit, and custom length up to 459 days.
- In CertCentral, we will remove the 2- and 3-year options.
- If you want a 2-year, 3-year, or 39-month public Code Signing certificate, order it before February 24, 2026.

DigiCert will issue public Code Signing certificates with a maximum 459-day validity

On February 24, 2026, DigiCert will issue public Code Signing certificates with a maximum 459-day validity.

Important: Any pending Code Signing requests with 2-year or 3-year validity that are submitted prior to February 24, 2026, must be issued before February 24, 2026. Otherwise, the Code Signing certificate will be issued with the maximum validity of 459 days.

What do I need to do?

No immediate action is required. We recommend you prepare for this change:

Get your 2-year, 3-year, or 39-month certificates before DigiCert stops issuing them:

Order your certificates before February 24, 2026.
When placing the order, make sure to allow plenty of time to complete the needed organization validation to ensure your certificate is issued before February 24, 2026. Maximum allowed certificate validity is based on when the certificate is issued, not when the order is placed.
Help us issue your certificates before February 24, 2026.

a. Make sure your organization validation is up to date

When ordering Code Signing and EV Code Signing certificates make sure the organization validation is update to date. Please contact DigiCert support if you need to revalidate your organization.

b. Keep verified contacts informed

When ordering Code Signing and EV Code Signing certificates let the verified contacts on your order know you’ve placed the order and encourage them to respond to the approval email as soon as they receive it. Learn how the verified contact order approval process works

How does this affect existing code signing certificates with a validity greater than 459 days

This change doesn’t affect active certificates issued before the February 24, 2026, deadline. These certificates will continue to be used until they expire. When the certificate nears its expiration date, you need to renew it with a 1-year or 459-day certificate order.

How does this affect existing 2-year, 3-year, or 39-month public Code Signing certificate reissues?

The new 459-day maximum validity does impact 2-year, 3-year, and 39-month Code Signing certificate reissues.

Before February 24, 2026, when you reissue a Code Signing certificate, the new certificate can have a validity period up to 39 months (but cannot exceed the order validity).
On or after February 24, 2026, If the primary certificate’s remaining validity is greater than the 459-day maximum validity allowed, we will truncate your reissued certificate and your order without a refund.

How does this affect public Code Signing certificate renewals?

You can still renew a certificate order as early as 90 days to 1 day before it expires. As of February 24, 2026, DigiCert will issue your certificate with a 1-year or up to 459-day maximum validity.

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