How long does a Common Criteria certificate last?

Most CC certificates are issued for 5 years and may be extended via maintenance updates. The histogram below shows the actual distribution from 15 expired and archived certificates. Median validity period: 5 years.

  • 1-3 years 1
  • 4-5 years 14
  • 6-7 years 0
  • 8+ years 0

Expired certificates by scheme

Total expired or archived certificates per scheme.

  • CCRA 15

Expired certificates by EAL

Distribution of expired certificates across Evaluation Assurance Levels.

  • EAL2 4
  • EAL3 3
  • EAL4 3
  • EAL5 2
  • EAL7 1

Expiry year trend

Number of certificates expiring (or already expired) per year.

  • 2026 15

About Common Criteria certificate expiry

Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) certificates are issued with an explicit validity period, typically 5 years from the certificate's date of issue, though the period varies by scheme and Protection Profile. After expiry, the certificate is no longer valid for procurement claims unless the vendor has obtained a maintenance update or a fresh re-evaluation. Some schemes archive expired certificates rather than delisting them entirely; archived certificates remain in the public record but cannot be cited as active evidence.

Many procurement frameworks accept maintenance updates (also called assurance continuity) as proof that a previously certified product still meets its Security Target. NenkinTracker tracks maintenance update events alongside the original certification, so a product whose base certificate is expired but whose maintenance updates are current still surfaces correctly.