Activating turns your purchase into an issued certificate. In your dashboard you enter the domain and CSR and prove you control the domain, and the CA issues it: DV usually within minutes, OV in 1–3 business days, EV in 3–5 business days.
Where activation happens
Right after payment, your certificate appears in your account dashboard with a Set up action. Everything happens there; there is no separate portal to log into.
What you need before you start
- The domain you want to secure (e.g.
www.yourdomain.in, or*.yourdomain.infor a wildcard). - A CSR: see how to generate a CSR.
- Access to your DNS or your website files, to complete domain validation.
Step by step
- Buy the certificate that fits your needs. Not sure? Use the certificate finder.
- Open Set up from your dashboard.
- Enter your domain and paste your CSR.
- Choose a validation method. DNS is the default and the most reliable; see how domain validation works.
- Complete validation by adding the DNS record or file we show you. We detect it automatically. The CA checks it from several network locations, so it must be publicly visible, not only from your office network.
- Download and install once issued. The install guide covers Nginx, Apache, IIS and cPanel.
How long does activation take?
A DV certificate is usually issued within minutes of validation passing. OV takes 1–3 business days and EV 3–5 business days, because the CA also verifies your organisation; see business validation for OV & EV.
How long will the certificate last?
A certificate can be valid for up to 200 days now; up to 100 days from 15 Mar 2027; up to 47 days from 15 Mar 2029. If you bought a plan of a year or more, you reactivate it free before each expiry until the plan ends; see how plan reactivation works.
Common questions
What if validation doesn't pass?
Check that the record is live with the DNS, DCV & CAA Checker. If your domain has CAA records, they must allow the CA: sectigo.com for Sectigo, Comodo and PositiveSSL, or digicert.com for DigiCert, GeoTrust, Thawte and RapidSSL. Broken DNSSEC also blocks issuance.
Can I change the domain after issuance?
Yes. Reissues are free and unlimited for the certificate's life; see how to reissue.
Will the maximum lifetime change?
Yes. From 15 Mar 2027, new certificates can last at most 100 days. Your plan term doesn't change; you just reactivate more often.