Past facts and present claims
A certificate that a person completed a course in June is true forever. It may become less relevant, but it never becomes false. An expiry date on such a document would suggest that the completion has lapsed, which is not what happened.
A certificate that a person is currently qualified to do something is a different kind of statement. It depends on skills and rules that move: a first-aid qualification, an equipment operator's authorisation, a safety briefing. The body that sets the requirement usually fixes how long it stands, and the certificate should carry that period.
The rule of thumb is simple: if the certificate says "completed", it does not expire; if it says "is qualified to", it usually does, and the period comes from whoever sets the standard, not from the issuer's preference.
How an expiry is recorded and shown
In the W3C data model for verifiable credentials, the validity period of a credential is expressed with a start and an end: the value of the end must be an RFC 3339 date-time string in UTC representing the time at which the credential is no longer valid. Open Badges 3.0, which builds on the same model, supports expiry in the same spirit.
In Emitcert, the issuer may set an expiry on a certificate. The verification page then reports one of three states: valid, expired, or withdrawn by the issuer. A reader who opens an expired certificate is told so directly, and the page does not leave it to the reader to compare dates. The date of expiry is also printed on the sheet beside the date of issue where the design shows it.
Expiry is not withdrawal
The two ending states mean different things and should not be confused. A certificate expires because time passed, and nothing was wrong with it. It is withdrawn because the issuer decided it should not stand, for example because it was granted in error. A reader treats an expired certificate as a lapse and a withdrawn one as a problem, so the issuer should not use withdrawal to retire a certificate that has reached its end date.
Renewal
Renewing is issuing a new certificate for a new period, usually after a refresher course, a fresh assessment or a check that continuing requirements were met. It is not an extension of the old one, because the old certificate records what was true on its dates. Two certificates, each with its own dates, form the history; the newer one is the current claim.
- Decide the validity period when designing the programme, not when the first certificate lapses.
- Write the period on the certificate, so that nobody must look it up.
- Tell holders before expiry, with the date and the way to renew.
- Keep the expired certificate on record. Our guide to record retention explains how long.
Showing an expired certificate
Holders often keep an expired certificate on a profile or a CV, which is reasonable as a record of past training. It should be shown with its actual dates so that a reader does not assume it is current. Our guide to adding a certificate to LinkedIn covers the expiry field of a profile entry.
A checklist
- Is the certificate a past fact or a present claim?
- If a claim, who fixes the validity period, and how long is it?
- Is the period printed on the certificate?
- Is there a plan to tell holders before the date?
- Is renewal a new certificate, with its own dates?
Frequently asked questions
Does a certificate of completion need an expiry date?
No. It records a fact about the past. An expiry date suits certificates that state a present qualification, where the body that sets the requirement fixes a period.
What is the difference between an expired and a withdrawn certificate?
An expired certificate reached its end date and was otherwise sound. A withdrawn one was set aside by the issuer, for example because it was granted in error.
Is renewing a certificate the same as extending it?
No. Renewal issues a new certificate for a new period. The earlier certificate keeps recording what was true on its own dates.
Sources
The factual statements on this page rest on the documents listed below. Legislation and services change; consult the current version before relying on any of them.