On This Page

• What Happens When Domains Expire?

• Active Registration

• Domain Expires

• Auto-Renew Grace Period

• Redemption Grace Period (RGP)

• Pending Delete

• Available To Public

• Related Topics

What Happens When Domains Expire?

When a domain name expires it goes through many stages before becoming available for public registration. Here is the lifecycle of an expiring .COM domain name.

Active Registration

1-10 Years

A domain name can be registered by a registrant for up to 10 years as specified by ICANN. Every domain name has an expiration date. This expiration date is public information and indicates when the domain name will expire. If a registrant does not renew the domain name before its expiration date it is considered expired. However, the registrant will still have the opportunity to renew the domain name.

Domain Expires

30 Days

Every domain has an expiry date. If a domain name is not renewed by the registrant by that date the domain will be considered expired. Once a domain is considered expired, it will move into the Redemption Grace Period.

Auto-Renew Grace Period

0-45 Days

When a domain name is expired it is assumed to auto-renew by the registry. The registrar has anywhere between 0 to 45 days to transmit a delete command on the domain name. A delete command will typically be sent if the registrant fails to pay for the renewal of the domain. If a delete command is not issued the domain will be kept per the registry-registrar auto-renew process.

Redemption Grace Period (RGP)

30 Days

The Redemption Grace Period begins when a registrar has deleted a domain name due to expiration. During this Grace Period the original registrant may still redeem the domain for a fee. If a domain name is redeemed by the original registrant during this time, it will not enter the pending delete status. If the domain name is not redeemed within the 30-day Grace Period, the domain name will move into the Pending delete status.

Pending Delete

5 Days

Before a domain is released by the registry it will enter a Pending Delete status. All domain names released by the registry will enter pending delete and will expire for release within 5 days. The domain name is dropped when the pending delete status has expired.

Available To Public

When a domain name leaves the Pending Delete status it ‘drops’ and becomes available for public registration on the open market.