SSL Certificate sales model upgrades to a subscription model - Certificate Management Service

Dear Alibaba Cloud user,

According to the latest decision by the Certification Authority/Browser (CA/B) Forum, the maximum validity period for all newly issued SSL certificates will be reduced to 200 days, effective February 24, 2026. Under our current retail model, this shorter validity period would require more frequent renewals and increase operational overhead.

Important

Starting February 24, 2026, DigiCert will reduce the validity period of all SSL certificates under its brands to 200 days.

To align with this industry-wide shift and simplify certificate management, Certificate Management Service will upgrade from a retail model to a subscription model, effective February 2026.

With this new subscription model, you can select a 1-, 2-, or 3-year term. Throughout your subscription, we will provide multiple SSL certificates to ensure service continuity and availability. When a certificate is about to expire, Certificate Management Service will automatically issue a new certificate to ensure coverage for the entire service term.

Changes

Item	Retail model	Subscription model
Certificate validity	1 year	Per CA/B Forum requirements (up to 200 days per certificate)
Services included	Certificate issuance and notifications	Certificate issuance for 1-, 2-, or 3-year subscriptions, hosted deployment, notifications, and free domain name changes
Number of certificates	One per year	Multiple items are included with the subscription service for its duration.

Impact

Issuance date	Affected by upgrade	Sales model	Certificate validity
DigiCert brand family: before February 24, 2026 Other brands: before March 15, 2026	No	No change	No change
DigiCert brand family: on or after February 24, 2026 Other brands: on or after March 15, 2026	Yes	Upgraded to subscription model	Up to 200 days per certificate (per CA/B Forum)

Action plan

If you purchased an SSL certificate before February 2026, we will ensure a smooth transition:

Certificate term	Certificate brand and issuance date	Action plan
One year	DigiCert brand family: issued before February 24, 2026 Other brands: issued before March 15, 2026	Unaffected. Your certificate retains its full 1-year validity.
One year	DigiCert brand family: issued on or after February 24, 2026 Other brands: issued on or after March 15, 2026	Your order is automatically converted to a 1-year subscription. In line with new CA/B requirements, the certificate validity is reduced to 200 days, and we will provide the number of certificates required to cover the 1-year term.
Multi-year	—	Multi-year SSL certificate orders purchased before February 2026 are automatically converted to a subscription service for the corresponding term. During the subscription term: We will issue multiple, consecutive certificates to ensure your certificate is available throughout the service term. Note Taking a 3-year certificate as an example, we will issue multiple 200-day certificates to cover the full 3-year service term. The subscription service activates upon successful issuance of the first certificate. Use each certificate within its validity period.

Alibaba Cloud Certificate Management Service remains committed to providing high-quality service. If you have any questions, contact your account manager for assistance.