Troubleshooting SSL Certificate Issuance Delays
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After ordering an SSL certificate, it moves through validation and issuance before it is ready to install. If your certificate has not been issued, one of the following issues is likely the cause.
Sectigo Certificate Delays
Email validation not completed
The most common cause of Sectigo certificate delays is that the domain validation email has not been approved. Sectigo will not issue the certificate until someone clicks the approval link in the validation email.
Check:
- Verify you selected the correct validation email address on the certificate page in DNSimple.
- Check the inbox (and spam/junk folder) of that email address for the validation message from Sectigo.
- If the email was not received, see Troubleshooting Email Validation for SSL Certificates.
CAA records blocking issuance
If your domain has CAA records and Sectigo is not listed as an authorized certificate authority, Sectigo will refuse to issue the certificate even after email validation succeeds, and the order is canceled.
Fix: Add a CAA record authorizing Sectigo: example.com. CAA 0 issue "sectigo.com". For wildcard SSL certificates, also add: example.com. CAA 0 issuewild "sectigo.com". A wildcard SSL certificate also covers the bare domain, so it needs the issue record too. Then order the certificate again.
Extended CA review
Occasionally, Sectigo holds a certificate for additional review. This can add hours or days to the issuance process. If your certificate has been pending for more than 24 hours after email approval, contact support and we will investigate with Sectigo.
Let’s Encrypt Certificate Delays
Let’s Encrypt certificates are usually issued faster than Sectigo certificates, because DNSimple completes the validation automatically. If yours is taking longer than expected, see Troubleshooting Let’s Encrypt Certificate Failures for DNS delegation, rate limit, and CAA issues.
General Tips
- Check the certificate status on the certificate detail page in your DNSimple account. The status indicates which stage the certificate is in.
- Review How long does it take to issue an SSL certificate? for what affects the timing of each certificate type.
- If the certificate has been pending for an unusually long time and you have verified all the above, contact support and we will investigate.
Have more questions?
If you have any questions about certificate issuance, contact support, and we’ll be happy to help.