How long should cookie consent last before you re-ask?
There is no single legal number, but there is clear best practice. Re-ask too often and you nag people into rejecting; leave it too long and consent is arguably no longer valid. Most sites land between six and twelve months.
What the guidance says
Regulators have not fixed an exact lifespan, but UK and EU guidance points to re-asking periodically rather than remembering a choice forever. Commonly cited practice is around six months, and up to twelve, before prompting again. Datahound's own banner config, for example, defaults to a 180-day cookie.
Why the window matters both ways
- Too short: the banner reappears constantly, opt-in rates fall, and visitors get irritated, which can look like a consent-not-remembered bug.
- Too long: consent given years ago may no longer count as informed, especially if your cookies or purposes have changed.
Handling re-consent well
Re-ask when the window lapses, and always re-ask if you add new cookies or change what you use data for. Keep a record of when consent was given so you can prove it if audited. And make the re-prompt as painless as the first one, since every re-ask is a chance to lose the opt-in, which ties into your opt-in rate.
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