🔄 Certificate Renewal Guide
Keep your identity current, keep your trust tier
Space Duck birth certificates carry a rolling validity period. Renewing your certificate is quick, preserves your trust tier and verified data, and keeps your duckling identity active in the registry.
Certificate expiry rules
How long a certificate stays valid and when renewal is needed.
📅 180-day validity window
Every birth certificate issued in Spaceduckling Galaxy 1.1 carries a 180-day validity period from the date of issuance. After 180 days, the certificate enters an aging state and may be flagged for renewal in the registry.
Validity milestones
✅ Days 0–149
Certificate is VALID and active. No action needed. You can share, embed, and verify normally.
⚠ Days 150–179
Renewal recommended. Your profile shows an amber nudge. Certificate remains valid during this window.
❌ Day 180+
Certificate is expired. Verification lookups return EXPIRED. Renewal required to restore VALID status.
🔄 After renewal
A new 180-day period begins from the renewal date. Your cert ID changes; your trust tier carries forward.
Note on Galaxy 1.2
Galaxy 1.2 will introduce automatic renewal reminders via email and extend the validity period for T2 certified ducklings. Until then, check your profile for the renewal nudge card and renew manually before day 180.
How to renew your certificate
Step-by-step process for renewing in Spaceduckling Galaxy 1.1.
1
Sign in to your duckling account
Navigate to auth.html and sign in with your email and password. A valid, active session is required to initiate renewal.
2
Open your birth certificate
Go to birth-certificate.html. The validity panel shows your current certificate status and days remaining. If renewal is available, a Renew button will appear.
3
Initiate the renewal
Click Renew Certificate. The registry will issue a new certificate record, preserve your T2 profile data, carry forward your verified email and phone, and assign a new cert_id. The old certificate record is archived.
4
Confirm your identity details
Review the pre-populated profile data (legal name, city, country). If anything has changed, update it now — this becomes the data on the new certificate.
5
New certificate issued
Your new certificate is issued with ISSUED status, a fresh 180-day validity window, and the same trust tier as your previous certificate. A confirmation email is sent to your verified address.
Renewal is available in Galaxy 1.2
Full in-app certificate renewal is shipping in Galaxy 1.2. Until then, if your certificate has expired and you need to renew, contact support with your duckling_id and cert_id and we will manually process your renewal within 48 hours.
Trust tier continuity
What happens to your T1, T2, or T3 status when you renew.
T1 Basic
Email verified
Your verified email carries forward automatically. No re-verification needed.
✅ Auto-preserved
T2 Certified
Email + phone + profile
Email, phone, legal name, and address all carry forward. Your T2 status is preserved on the new certificate.
✅ Auto-preserved
T3 Operator
Spaceduck Operator
T3 status is preserved if your agent connections remain active. You may need to re-verify agent bonds in Galaxy 1.2.
⚠ Bond re-verify
Tier degradation only happens if verification data is removed
If you remove your phone number before renewing, your new certificate will be issued at T1 (email only). Adding your phone back and re-verifying will restore T2 status. Trust tiers are tied to the verification data present at the time of renewal.
What data carries forward
A complete breakdown of what's preserved, updated, or reset on renewal.
| Data field | Renewal behaviour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Duckling ID | ✅ Preserved | Your unique identity identifier never changes |
| Email address | ✅ Preserved | Verified email carries forward automatically |
| Phone number | ✅ Preserved | Verified phone carries forward if still on account |
| Legal name | ✅ Preserved | Pre-populated from your profile; editable before renewal |
| City / state / country | ✅ Preserved | Carried from existing profile; editable before renewal |
| Display name | ✅ Preserved | Unchanged on renewal |
| Agent connections | ✅ Preserved | All active agent bonds carry forward |
| Passkeys | ✅ Preserved | Enrolled passkeys remain active; no re-enroll needed |
| Certificate ID (cert_id) | 🔄 New ID issued | A new cert_id is assigned; old ID becomes archived |
| Issuance timestamp | 🔄 Reset | New issued_at date recorded; original issuance date preserved in history |
| Trust tier | ⚠ Depends on profile | Tier is derived from verification data present at renewal |
| QR code and share links | 🔄 Updated | New QR and share URLs generated for new cert_id |
| Audit log | ✅ Preserved | Existing activity log is retained; renewal event is appended |
Old certificate links and embeds
When you renew, the old cert_id becomes archived. Anyone with a link to your old certificate will see its archived status. Update any shared links, embedded certificates, and iframes to the new cert_id after renewal.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about certificate renewal and identity continuity.
Yes. You can initiate renewal at any point — even if your certificate is still valid. Early renewal simply starts a new 180-day window from the renewal date. There is no penalty for early renewal.
An expired certificate shows as EXPIRED on the verify-cert page. Agents and third parties relying on your certificate status will see this. You can still renew an expired certificate — your account and data remain intact. There is no automatic deletion for expired certificates.
No. Agent bonds are tied to your duckling_id, not your cert_id. Renewal does not sever or affect any existing agent connections. Your Spaceduck agents continue to operate normally after renewal.
Yes — your duckling card and shared certificate links will reflect the new certificate status, issuance date, and cert_id. Update any iframes or embeds that point to your old cert_id after renewal.
Yes. If you add your phone number and complete your T2 profile before renewing, the new certificate will be issued at T2. Renewal is a good opportunity to upgrade your trust tier if you previously only had T1.
There is no limit on renewal count. You can renew as many times as needed for as long as your account is active. Each renewal creates a new 180-day period.
Certificate renewal in Galaxy 1.1 is free for all duckling account holders. Pricing for Galaxy 1.2 and commercial Spaceduck Operator certificates will be published separately.
Ready to check your certificate?
View your current certificate status, check days remaining, and get a renewal nudge if you're in the renewal window.