Do certificates need to be renewed?

Most certificates need to be renewed, yes — and the renewal is your responsibility, not the issuer's. SSL/TLS certificates must be reissued before their expiry date (maximum lifetimes are shrinking every year — see the 47-day mandate). Professional and trade licenses renew on fixed cycles, often with continuing-education requirements attached. Compliance certifications like ISO standards require surveillance audits between full recertifications. Insurance certificates renew with each policy period.

Issuers may send a courtesy reminder; many don't, and those that do send it to whoever's inbox was on file years ago. The reliable pattern is to treat every certificate as a small project with a deadline: record the expiry date, work out the realistic lead time (paperwork, audits, budget approval), and set reminders at that lead time — not at the expiry date itself.