How Long Do CCNA Certifications Last? A Complete Guide

The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification is one of the most popular and respected IT certifications for networking professionals. Many pursue the CCNA as their first step to advance their networking careers. However, once earned, it’s important to understand how long the CCNA certification lasts and what’s required to renew it. This guide provides a complete overview of CCNA certification validity periods and renewal requirements.

CCNA Certification Validity

The standard validity period for CCNA certifications is 3 years from the date you become certified. For example, if you pass the CCNA exam on June 1 2022, your CCNA will be valid until June 1, 2025.

During this 3-year period, your CCNA remains in an “active” status and you can use the CCNA credential You don’t need to do anything special to maintain the active status – it will automatically remain active until the expiration date.

Once the 3-year validity period ends, your CCNA will expire and move to an “inactive” status if you have not renewed it. At this point, you can no longer represent yourself as CCNA certified or use the credential until you renew it.

It’s important to note that Cisco does not provide extensions to CCNA expiration dates. It is your responsibility to make sure you renew your CCNA before it expires if you want to keep it active.

When to Renew Your CCNA

To keep your CCNA certification active, you must renew it before the expiration date printed on your certificate. The expiration date is 3 years from the date you originally earned your CCNA.

For example, if you earned your CCNA on June 1, 2022, it would expire on June 1, 2025. To renew and keep it active, you would need to complete the renewal requirements at some point between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2025.

Ideally, you should renew your CCNA well in advance of the expiration date to avoid any issues Cisco recommends starting the renewal process 6 months prior to your expiration date This ensures you have plenty of time in case you need to retake an exam.

Leaving renewal until the last minute risks letting your certification lapse if you don’t pass the required exam on the first try.

Renewal Requirements

To renew an active CCNA certification, you have two options:

• Retake the current CCNA exam – By retaking and passing the latest CCNA exam before your certification expires, you can recertify and extend your CCNA for another 3 years from the date you pass the renewal exam.

• Earn 40 Continuing Education (CE) credits – Cisco’s Continuing Education program allows you to renew certifications by earning CE credits through qualifying Cisco training courses, CCIE written exams, and other activities like the Cisco Certification Exam Tutorial. Earning 40 CE credits will renew your CCNA for another 3 years without retaking the exam.

Additionally, you can use a combination of exams and CE credits to renew your CCNA. For example, you could pass one qualifying Cisco exam and earn 20 CE credits.

The key is that you must complete the renewal requirements before the expiration date printed on your CCNA certificate.

How to Regain an Expired CCNA

If your CCNA certification expires because you did not renew it in time, you will lose your active status. Unfortunately there is no grace period after expiration – your certification immediately becomes inactive on the expiration date.

To regain your CCNA certification after it has expired, you will need to retake and pass the current CCNA exam. Simply meeting the renewal requirements after expiration will not reinstate an expired CCNA.

For example, if your CCNA expired on June 1, 2025, you would need to pass the latest CCNA exam again. Earning CE credits or passing another qualifying Cisco exam after the expiration date will not restore your CCNA.

The good news is that if you regained an expired CCNA by re-certifying, your new CCNA certification will be valid for 3 years from your new certification date.

Maintaining Multiple Cisco Certifications

Many networking professionals hold multiple Cisco certifications like the CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, and others. It’s important to note that renewing your CCNA does not automatically renew other Cisco certifications you may hold.

Each Cisco certification has its own independent 3-year validity period and renewal requirements. You must renew each one before its individual expiration date to keep all your Cisco certs active.

However, when renewing your CCNA or other certifications, you can often use one exam or set of CE credits to renew multiple certs at once if the qualifications align. But this is not automatic – you need to intentionally make sure you meet renewal requirements for each credential.

The Importance of Renewal

While renewal takes some planning and effort, it’s highly recommended to keep your CCNA active if you want to leverage it for career growth and advancement.

An expired CCNA holds much less value than an active certification. Letting your CCNA lapse can negatively impact your candidacy for new jobs, promotions, pay increases and other career opportunities.

By keeping your CCNA current through regular renewals every 3 years, you ensure you can maximize its value to achieve your career goals in networking.

Do CCENT or CCNA Security Expire?

In the past, Cisco offered associate-level certifications like CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician) and CCNA Security. These have been retired and replaced by the current CCNA certification.

For those that previously earned a CCENT or CCNA Security:

• CCENT – This entry-level certification does not expire and remains valid indefinitely.

• CCNA Security – This associate-level certification expires and must be renewed like the CCNA. The same 3-year validity period and renewal requirements apply.

Key Benefits of Keeping CCNA Current

Maintaining an active CCNA certification provides many benefits for your career:

• Validates current knowledge and skills in the latest Cisco technologies and best practices. Networking changes rapidly and renewals validate you are up-to-date.

• Allows you to continue using and claiming the CCNA credential. You’ve worked hard for it, so make sure you can maximize it.

• Reinforces your proficiency and value to employers. Keeping certifications current is impressive and can improve job mobility.

• Enhances your expertise through the preparation and learning involved in renewals. Recertification expands your skills.

• May satisfy employer policies that require certain certifications be kept current as a condition of employment.

• Avoid having to completely re-certify if you allow your CCNA to expire. Renewing is easier than starting over from scratch!

Steps to Renew Your CCNA on Time

Follow these best practices to make sure you renew your CCNA certification before it expires:

• Immediately note your CCNA expiration date when you become certified so you know when renewal is required. Put it on your calendar.

• Monitor your certification status in the Cisco Certification Tracking system. It will show you expiration dates and renewal requirements.

• Start the renewal process well in advance, at least 6 months before expiration. This avoids a time crunch and allows flexibility in case you need to retake an exam.

• If retaking the CCNA exam, thoroughly review the exam topics and practice hands-on skills to ensure you can pass the exam. Use study guides, practice tests, and other prep resources.

• If pursuing CE credits, identify qualifying courses/activities early and budget adequate time to complete them before expiration.

• Confirm successful renewal in the Certification Tracking system after completing requirements. Make sure your status shows as active.

• Mark your calendar when renewal is complete so you know when you’ll need to renew again later.

Staying on top of CCNA renewal requirements takes diligence, but is well worth the effort to maintain this gold standard networking certification long-term. Use this guide to make sure your CCNA remains current and active throughout your networking career!