Domain Registration

Domain Expiry Process

When your domain reaches its expiry date, the registry will no longer delegate the DNS servers to us and all services will cease.

This does not necessarily mean that your domain has been deleted. Some registries allow a grace period after this deactivation before it will be deleted.

33 days after expiry, your domain will automatically be put up for auction to interested parties.

Once the domain is finally deleted, it will become available for registration by someone else. Therefore it is important that you renew your domain in good time. See the references at the bottom of this page.

What happens when my domain expires?

Once your domain reaches its expiry date, all associated services will cease working until the name is renewed (if and when this happens). As well, name server/DNS changes and transfers will not be possible.

This example is illustrative only and is an example from the .com/.net Registry.

From Date	To Date	State	Description
-	Expiry Date	Active	The domain is active and can be accessed normally.
Expiry Date	Expiry Date + 39	Expired	The domain is not active and all services are terminated. It can still be renewed. Renewal will take up to 2 business days. An auction automatically commences on the 33rd day after expiry.
Expiry Date + 40	Expiry Date + 69	Redemption Period	The domain is not active and all services are terminated. It can be brought out of Redemption Period by paying the Redemption Period fee (see below) and can then be renewed.
Expiry Date + 70	Expiry Date + 75	Pending Delete	The domain is not active and all services are terminated. The Registry is about to delete the domain and it cannot be renewed at all.
Expiry Date + 76	-	Deleted	The domain is deleted and is available for registration by other parties.

How does this differ between registries?

Expired domains will be held for a grace period defined by the registry.

For .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .us, .name, and .cc the grace period is 40 days.

For .ca it is 30 days.

For .tv it is 55 days.

.uk domains are held until the 25th day of the month after they expire.

There are no registrant grace periods for .cn domains.

There are no grace periods for .de domains. They are deleted on the day after the expiration date.

What is the .com and .net Redemption Period?

The Redemption Period is a 30 day, Registry-imposed hold period for domains that occurs after your domain has expired and after the renewal grace period. Domains will have reached the REDEMPTION PERIOD state if they have been EXPIRED for at least 40 days, and were NOT renewed by the owner. Normally domains would be deleted at this point, but the REDEMPTION PERIOD provides the owner with one last chance to recover the domain before it is dropped and potentially re-registered by a new owner.

The Redemption Period comes about as a result of Registry policy. See the proposal linked at the bottom of this page for more information.

How do I renew a domain that is in Redemption Period?

The Redemption process is costly, both in fees ($150USD) and in paperwork. For this reason it is very important that you renew your domain before the expiry or, in the worst case, during the grace period. Renewal during either of these two periods does not incur the REDEMPTION PERIOD renewal fee and is charged as a normal domain renewal.

Please note that the large REDEMPTION PERIOD renewal fee is a result of Registry policy and cannot be waived.

If you have a domain that is in REDEMPTION PERIOD and wish to renew it, please contact support urgently, stating the domain name in question. We will raise an invoice for your immediate attention, and when it is paid, we will instruct the Registry to restore the domain. This process can take approximately 3-4 business days from the date payment is received.