--- title: Certification Expiration Policy and Badge Updates --- ## Certification Expiration Policy FAQs Looking for general FAQs for the certification program as a whole? Check out [this page](https://academy.hubspot.com/certification-faq). Table of Contents ### General Expiration Policy questions ##### HOW LONG ARE CERTIFICATIONS VALID FOR? Certification badges and certificates are valid for either 13 or 25 months from the date they were attained. You'll gain access to take the newest version of the certification 60 days from when your certification is scheduled to expire. The following certifications are valid for 25 months from the month they were acquired: - Inbound Certification - Content Marketing Certification - Email Marketing Certification - Inbound Sales Certification - Growth-Driven Design Agency Certification - Agency Partner Certification  The following certifications are valid for 13 months from the month they were acquired: - HubSpot Marketing Software Certification - HubSpot Sales Software Certification - HubSpot Design Certification - HubSpot Contextual Marketing Certification You’ll notice that your badge is valid through the month *following* the month you got certified the previous year or two. So, if you became inbound certified any time in September of 2016, your badge will say “Valid - October 2018.” Or if you became HubSpot marketing software certified June 10, 2016, your badge will say "Valid - July 2017."   If there is a practicum associated with the certification, you are considered officially certified once you've passed the exam and the practicum has been approved.   ##### WHAT DOES THE EXPIRATION AND RENEWAL POLICY LOOKS LIKE? WHAT CAN I EXPECT AS MY EXPIRATION DATE NEARS? We want to be sure that everyone has equal access to (and equal time to renew) each and every certification we offer. As a result, everyone - regardless of when you took your certification exam - gets two months to renew their certification. That being said, two months (60 days) before your certification badge expires, you'll get access to the newest, most up-to-date version of the certification test. Go wild! Review the content, watch the videos, complete the next steps - do what you've go to do. This is your time to get smart on what's happening with inbound! We'll keep sending you reminders as your expiration date approaches, as well as once it's passed. You're welcome to opt out of these at any point, but we just want to make sure you're aware what's happening with your certification! If you don't get re-certified after 30 days, we'll take the hint and part ways. ***NOTE:** If you have ever unsubscribed from HubSpot emails, you may NOT receive certification expiration notice emails. If you'd like to resubscribe to only certification-related emails, [follow these instructions](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/email/how-can-i-resubscribe-to-hubspot-emails).* ##### WHERE CAN I SEE MY CERTIFICATION STATUS? Login to your [HubSpot Academy account](https://app.hubspot.com/l/learning-center/), and view any of the certifications on your learning center homepage.  From here, you should be able to see the status in the format of "**Valid - Month Year**", or select the eye icon to see more information like your score, share to social media, access your badge's embed code, or download and print your certificate. ![VIEW CERTIFICATION STATUS.png](https://academy.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Certification_Files/Certifications_Tests/VIEW%20CERTIFICATION%20STATUS.png?t=1513641696749&width=498&name=VIEW%20CERTIFICATION%20STATUS.png) ##### HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN MY BADGE EXPIRES? HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN I CAN RE-TAKE THE TEST? Not to worry, we'll let you know! As mentioned above, you'll start to receive emails from us 90 days before your certification expires, and we'll let you know as soon as you get access to the new test all the way to when your badge expires - and beyond.  ***NOTE:** If you have ever unsubscribed from HubSpot emails, you may NOT receive certification expiration notice emails. If you'd like to resubscribe to only certification-related emails, [follow these instructions](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/email/how-can-i-resubscribe-to-hubspot-emails).* ##### I DIDN'T KNOW CERTIFICATIONS EXPIRE WHEN I PASSED MINE. WHERE'S THIS MENTIONED? First off, we apologize for the confusion! Certification expirations are discussed on the Certification [FAQ page](https://academy.hubspot.com/certification-faq) as well as listed in your portal, on your badge, as well as on your certificate itself. ##### WHEN DO NEW VERSIONS OF CERTIFICATIONS BECOME AVAILABLE? Certification updates are released as the Academy team determines an update has happened to the industry.  ##### WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T RENEW MY BADGE/MY BADGE EXPIRES? When your badge expires, the "Valid - " date listed on it will be out-of-date. You're welcome to keep your old badge, but keep in mind that badges are stamped with an expiration date of 13 or 25 months from when you last passed the certification so it will appear as "expired." Come back at any time to take the new test and renew your certification badge! ##### MY BADGE IS ALMOST EXPIRED/HAS EXPIRED AND NO ONE TOLD ME! WHAT GIVES? We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience! Unfortunately, if you have ever unsubscribed from HubSpot emails you may NOT receive certification expiration notice emails. If you'd like to resubscribe to only certification-related emails, follow these instructions: [https://knowledge.hubspot.com/search?q=resubscribe+to+Hubspot+emails.' ](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/search?q=resubscribe+to+Hubspot+emails.%27)   ##### I WANT MY WHOLE TEAM TO BE CERTIFIED ON THE NEW CONTENT. CAN YOU HELP? They can access the new content any time after the most up-to-date version of a certification is released, but they won't be eligible to re-take the certification exam itself until 12 or 24 months from when they took it the previous year. Keep in mind, though, that if they were recently certified, their badges are still valid - so no need to worry about looking out-of-date! ##### I WANT TO WATCH THE CLASSES BEFORE MY BADGE EXPIRES/I GET ACCESS TO THE TEST. CAN I? Depending on the certification, yes! New content is released around the same time each year (see above), so after that point you're welcome to watch and participate in the most up-to-date version of a certification. Keep in mind, though, that you won't get access to the certification test until 12 months after you took it previously. Because we want to be sure that everyone getting re-certified is getting the freshest, hottest inbound education, you must take the *newest version* of a certification's content in order to renew your badge. ##### MY CERTIFICATION EXPIRES BEFORE THE NEW TEST AND CONTENT ARE RELEASED. WHAT DO I DO? Nice job, you go-getter, you! If you're in the group of people who's badge expiration date is listed 1 month or less from when the a certification's newest version is released, not to worry! Because you're so on the ball and got certified early on, we'll give you up to an extra 3 months to get re-certified with the new materials. You'll receive an email with more information about your extended access when your expiration date approaches. ##### I WANT TO GET RE-CERTIFIED ASAP! DO I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FROM WHEN I LAST TOOK THE TEST? Yep. Depending on the certification, you're more than welcome to view new content any time after the most up-to-date version of a certification is released, but you won't be eligible to re-take the certification exam itself until 12 months from when you took it the previous year. At the 12-month mark from when the test was taken the previous year, you'll then have 2 months to renew your certification credentials themselves.  Keep in mind, though, that if you were recently certified, your badges is still valid - so no need to worry about looking out-of-date! ##### I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GET RE-CERTIFIED. WHAT DO I DO? CAN I GET AN EXTENSION ON MY BADGE'S EXPIRATION DATE? We'll let you know a full month before you even have to *think* about getting re-certified - and once you get access to the new certification test, you'll have a full two months before it's no longer current. While we strongly suggest you watch the videos and access the content associated with a particular certification, once you're eligible to take an updated certification test, you're always welcome to go in and take it without having dedicated the time to learn the associated content.  ##### I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO GET RE-CERTIFIED, BUT I STILL WANT TO SEE THE NEW CONTENT. CAN I? While it depends on the certification, yes: you're more than welcome to view a certification's new content any time after the most up-to-date version of a certification is released. ### Badge-related questions ##### I DON'T WANT MY "VALID THROUGH" DATE LISTED ON MY BADGE. CAN YOU REMOVE IT? Your personal "valid through" date is listed on your certification badge to prove you're on the cutting edge of inbound knowledge. Because we want to make sure you look like the inbound expert you are, dates cannot be removed from certification badges. ##### I HAVE AN OLD BADGE THAT DOESN'T CURRENTLY HAVE A DATE ON IT. WHAT DO I DO? If you’re using the embed code to display your badge, no action is needed on your part. We’ll automatically update it for you. If you’ve downloaded and used just the badge **image**, you’ll need to log into your certifications at academy.hubspot.com/certifications and grab your updated badge. ##### DO I HAVE TO GET RE-CERTIFIED? CAN'T I JUST KEEP MY OLD BADGE? We update our certification content so you can remain up-to-date on what's happening in the world of inbound. Getting re-certified is optional, but if you want to stay current on inbound knowledge, you'll need to get re-certified on a yearly basis. You're welcome to keep your old badge, but keep in mind that badges are stamped with an expiration date of 13 months from when you last passed the certification. ### HubSpot Design Certification-related questions ##### WHY DID YOU CHANGE THE NAME OF THE COS DESIGNER CERTIFICATION? With recent developments in our tools, the COS has become increasingly integrated into the entire product. As more and more HubSpot customers are brought onto the tool, the use of the COS acronym becomes less and less relevant to their usage. In a way, the COS is best described as the HubSpot content creation tools, hence calling it the 'HubSpot Design Certification'. The certification will still focus on the same unique and powerful design tools and the content covered will remain the same, the only thing changing is the name. ##### DOES THE HUBSPOT DESIGN CERTIFICATION CONTAIN ANY DIFFERENT CONTENT THAN THE COS DESIGNER CERTIFICATION? As Shakespeare said, "[A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_rose_by_any_other_name_would_smell_as_sweet)" Even though we've changed the *name* of the COS Designer Certification to HubSpot Design Certification, the content is still the same as it was prior to the name change. ##### HOW DO I GET THE NEW BADGE? If you’re using the embed code to display your badge, no action is needed on your part. We’ll automatically update it for you. If you’ve downloaded and used just the badge **image**, you’ll need to log into your certifications at http://academy.hubspot.com/certification/ and grab your updated badge.   ##### DO I LOSE ACCESS TO UN-GATING TOOLS IF MY HUBSPOT DESIGN CERTIFICATION EXPIRES? Yep. An active Design Certification is required in order to use the un-gating tools. Already lost access? Dive into the new curriculum now! It's ready and waiting for you.