What happens when a domain expires
An expired domain is not deleted at once: reminders go out, the registrar may allow a grace period, and a deleted name spends 30 days in redemption before it is released. Enter your expiry date to see the dates that ICANN’s policy fixes.
From your registrar or from the checker.
Not set by ICANN: ask your registrar. 0 to 45.
First reminderabout Jul 13, 2027Tuesday
The registrar sends the first of at least two expiry notices.
Basis: ERRP 2.1.1
Second reminderabout Aug 6, 2027Friday
The second notice goes out about a week before expiry.
Basis: ERRP 2.1.1
Expiry dayAug 13, 2027Friday
The registration ends unless it was renewed. The registrar may renew it, wait, or delete it.
Basis: Registry record
One more noticeno later than Aug 18, 2027Wednesday
If the name is still neither renewed nor deleted, the registrar must send at least one more notice by this day.
Basis: ERRP 2.1.2
Website and e-mail stop workingno later than Sep 4, 2027Saturday
Deleted eight or more days after expiry: the registrar interrupts DNS for at least the last eight days in which the holder can still renew. The cut can be earlier.
Basis: ERRP 2.2.3
Deleted (your assumption)if Sep 12, 2027Sunday
The day the registrar deletes the name. The policy does not fix it: ask the registrar.
Basis: Assumption
Redemption period endsOct 12, 2027Tuesday
For generic domains the registry must offer 30 days to restore the deleted name. After that it is purged and can be registered again under the registry’s rules.
Basis: ERRP 3.1
Not confirmed: Everything above is what ICANN’s policy says for generic top-level domains (.com, .org, .net and most new endings). Country-code domains such as .br or .uk follow their own registry’s rules, which we have not read, and registrars can add steps of their own, such as the auto-renew grace period.
What is fixed by policy and what varies
| Step | What ICANN’s policy says | What varies |
|---|---|---|
| Notices before expiry | At least two: about one month and about one week before (ERRP 2.1.1). | Registrars may send more. |
| Notice after expiry | At least one more, within five days, if the name is neither renewed nor deleted (ERRP 2.1.2). | The wording and channel are the registrar’s. |
| Auto-renew grace period | Not fixed. ICANN says a registrar may offer 1 to 45 days to renew an expired name. | By registrar. Some offer none. The name may become available to others in it. |
| DNS interrupted | From expiry if deleted within 8 days; otherwise at least the last 8 days of renewal (ERRP 2.2.2 and 2.2.3), where the registry allows. | When the registrar deletes the name. |
| Redemption grace period | 30 days after deletion in generic domain registries, DNS off, transfers prohibited (ERRP 3.1 and 3.2). | Country-code endings: not confirmed. |
| Release | After pendingDelete, the name is purged and can be registered again (ICANN EPP page). | Registry’s own rules and schedule. |
Source: ICANN: Expired Registration Recovery Policy (version of 21 February 2024); ICANN: 5 things every registrant should know about the ERRP, opened on .
What happens when a domain expires?
The registration ends unless it was renewed, and the registrar decides what comes next: it may renew the name itself, wait, or delete it. If it deletes the name, a generic domain goes into a 30-day redemption period and is then released for anyone to register. ICANN’s policy fixes the notices, the DNS interruption and the redemption period; the length of any other grace period varies by registrar.
What notices must the registrar send?
ICANN’s Expired Registration Recovery Policy says a registrar must notify the registrant at least two times before expiry: one notice about a month before and one about a week before. If the name is still neither renewed nor deleted within five days after expiry, it must send at least one more notice with renewal instructions. The notices go to the contact e-mail on the domain, so keep it current.
Does the website stop working on the expiry day?
It can. The policy says that for a name deleted within eight days of expiry the registrar must interrupt DNS from the expiry day until the deletion, and for a name deleted later it must interrupt DNS for at least the last eight days in which the holder can still renew, both where the registry allows it. The site and its e-mail stop working when DNS is off.
Can I still renew after the expiry date?
Often, but for how long depends on the registrar. ICANN says a registrar that does not delete the name right away may offer an auto-renew grace period of 1 to 45 days in which an expired name can be renewed, and during it the name may be available to third parties depending on the registrar’s terms. After deletion, the redemption period is the last chance, and restoring through the registrar may carry a fee.
What is the redemption grace period?
It is the 30 days after a generic domain is deleted in which the name can be restored. The policy requires the registry to disable DNS and prohibit transfers during it, and requires the registrar to let the holder redeem the name. Restoring goes through the registrar, which may charge a fee. When the 30 days pass, the status becomes pendingDelete and the name is purged shortly after.
When can someone else register an expired domain?
After the registry purges it, under the registry’s own rules; ICANN describes pendingDelete as the step just before that. A registrar’s own terms can make an expired name available to others earlier, during its auto-renew period, which is one more reason to renew before the date.
Questions about domain expiration timeline
How long is the grace period after a domain expires?
It varies. ICANN mentions that a registrar may offer 1 to 45 days, and some registrars offer none. The only fixed period in ICANN’s policy is the 30-day redemption period after deletion. Ask your registrar for its terms before you rely on any grace.
Is the redemption period the same for every ending?
The policy requires 30 days for generic domain registries, with an exception for sponsored endings. Country-code domains such as .br or .uk are outside that policy, and we have not read their registries’ rules, so we do not state their periods: not confirmed.
Who sends the renewal reminders?
The registrar. ICANN says all notices are sent to the registrant e-mail address in the domain’s official contact information, so that address has to be kept up to date.
What if I never got a reminder?
Check the contact e-mail registered for the domain and the spam folder, then ask the registrar. Keep in mind that the policy sets the notices the registrar must send, not what your mail provider does with them.
Does it cost more to renew after expiry?
Fees are set by the registrar. The policy requires registrars to make renewal, post-expiration renewal and redemption fees reasonably available, so look for them on the registrar’s site or in its agreement.
Can I move an expired domain to another registrar?
ICANN’s renewal FAQ says registrars are not allowed to deny a transfer due to expiration or non-renewal. A lock code on the domain, such as clientTransferProhibited, is a separate matter and still has to be lifted first.
Sources and limits
- ICANN: Expired Registration Recovery Policy (version of 21 February 2024)
Section 2.1: at least two notices before expiry (about a month and about a week) and one more within five days after expiry. Section 2.2: DNS interruption for names deleted within eight days of expiry, or for at least the last eight days of renewal otherwise. Section 3: a 30-day Redemption Grace Period in gTLD registries, with DNS disabled and transfers prohibited. Contracted parties may implement it from 21 August 2024 and must by 21 August 2025.
ICANN. Opened on .
- ICANN: 5 things every registrant should know about the ERRP
The registrant’s view: reminders go to the contact e-mail, a registrar may offer an auto-renew grace period of 1 to 45 days, and the 30-day redemption period lets the name be restored through the registrar, which may charge a fee. The page does not discuss country-code domains and shows no update date.
ICANN. Opened on .
- ICANN: FAQs for registrants on domain name renewals and expiration
Registrars must not deny a transfer because of expiration or non-renewal; most registrars offer auto-renewal; the 30-day Redemption Grace Period; keep contact information up to date.
ICANN. Opened on .
- ICANN: EPP status codes, what do they mean
The meaning of each client, server and grace-period status code, and which are set by the registrar and which by the registry. The page shows no calendar date.
ICANN. Opened on .
Not confirmed: The policy applies to generic top-level domains. We did not read the rules of any country-code registry, so we state no period for them. Registrars’ own grace periods, fees and deletion day are not published by ICANN and are not listed here.
This is information, not advice. A registry or registrar can change a record at any time. Before you rely on a date, confirm it with your registrar, who is the only one that can renew the domain.