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domain life cycle

The stages a domain passes through from registration Obtaining the right to use a domain name for a set period. Full definition to release. A typical gTLD generic top-level domain A top-level domain not tied to a country, run under ICANN contracts. Full definition domain is registered, renewed or left to expire, then deleted, kept for a time in redemption and pending delete The final days before a deleted domain is released, when it can no longer be saved. Full definition, and finally dropped so that anyone can register it. Stage names and lengths differ in many ccTLD country code top-level domain A top-level domain for a country or territory, usually two letters long. Full definition.

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Registration life cycle

Updated on 5 min read

A domain name A readable internet name made of labels separated by dots. Full definition passes through set stages, from registration to the day anyone can register it again. Usually it is simply renewed. When it is not, deadlines decide how long the holder can still get it back, at what cost, and when it is lost.

The stages of a domain’s life

As of October 2026, for a gTLD such as .com, the usual path after a missed renewal Paying to extend a domain registration for more time. Full definition is:

  1. Expiry: the registration period ends.
  2. An optional auto-renew grace period A period after expiry when an auto-renewed domain can still be renewed or canceled. Full definition offered by the registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition, of 1 to 45 days.
  3. deletion Removing a domain registration from the registry, which starts the path to its release. Full definition: the registrar asks the registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition to delete the name.
  4. The Redemption Grace Period (RGP Redemption Grace Period A last chance to recover a deleted domain, usually for an extra fee. Full definition): 30 days at the registry.
  5. Pending delete: usually five days.
  6. The drop The moment a deleted domain becomes available to register again. Full definition: anyone can register the name.

Most rules come from ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition’s ERRP Expired Registration Recovery Policy ICANN rules on expiry reminders and recovering expired gTLD domains. Full definition (ERRP) and the 2013 RAA Registrar Accreditation Agreement The contract between ICANN and each accredited registrar. Full definition (RAA). As of October 2026, the ERRP in force is the version updated on 21 February 2024, mandatory from 21 August 2025.

RFC Request for Comments A numbered document in the series recording the internet's technical standards and practices. Full definition 3915 defines the EPP status codes Standard labels showing a domain's state and what actions are blocked. Full definition for these stages but leaves their length to each registry. A name deleted within the add grace period A few days after registration when a registrar can delete a domain and get a credit from the registry. Full definition, just after registration, skips the RGP and is available at once.

What happens on the expiry date

As of October 2026, a gTLD registrar must send at least two reminders before expiry: about one month before (26 to 35 days counts) and about one week before (4 to 10 days). If the name is neither renewed nor deleted, one more notice must follow within five days after expiry.

After expiry, the registrar may delete the name at any time. It must interrupt the name’s DNS Domain Name System The internet's directory that links domain names to computer addresses. Full definition resolution: from expiry until deletion if it deletes within eight days, otherwise for at least the last eight days the name can still be renewed. Website and email stop working. If the registrar shows a web page instead, it must say that the name has expired and how to renew it.

Until the interruption ends, the holder must be allowed to renew, possibly at a different post-expiration renewal fee, and service must then come back as soon as is commercially reasonable.

The auto-renew grace period

At the registry, an unrenewed gTLD name is usually renewed automatically the day after expiry. If the registrar deletes it during the auto-renew grace period, the registry credits the renewal back.

For the holder, ICANN describes it as optional: a registrar may offer 1 to 45 days to renew, sometimes for a fee, and depending on its terms may auction the name to a third party meanwhile. Under the 2013 RAA, registrars must publish their deletion and auto-renewal policies and tell new registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition when an unrenewed name will be deleted, within a range of ten days at most. Absent extenuating circumstances, such as a UDRP Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ICANN's out-of-court process for trademark disputes over domain names. Full definition case or a court order, a name must be deleted within 45 days of the registration agreement ending.

Redemption: recovering a deleted domain, and what it costs

After deletion, every gTLD registry except sponsored ones must offer a 30-day RGP. The registry disables DNS, blocks transfers and shows the RGP status in its RDDS Registration Data Directory Services ICANN's umbrella name for public lookup services for registration data, formerly WHOIS and now RDAP. Full definition results. Only the registrar that deleted the name can restore Bringing a deleted domain back during the redemption grace period. Full definition it, at the request of the person who held it at expiry.

The registrar sends a restore request, and the status becomes pendingRestore Status code for a deleted domain being restored while the registry awaits the restore report. Full definition. It then sends a restore report The registrar's written record explaining why a deleted domain was restored. Full definition: the registration data The information kept about a domain and its owner. Full definition before and after deletion, the times, the reason, and a statement that it is not restoring the name to use or sell it itself. If the report is late (the window is often seven days, as of October 2026), the name returns to redemptionPeriod Status code for a deleted domain that its former holder can still recover. Full definition.

As of October 2026, the registry charges the registrar, and the registrar sets the restore fee The extra charge for recovering a deleted domain during redemption. Full definition for the holder; ICANN sets no amount. Registrars must publish their renewal, post-expiration renewal and restore fees, including the maximum a holder might pay.

Pending delete and the drop

If nobody restores the name within 30 days, it enters pendingDelete: it leaves the zone and the registry rejects any change. After five calendar days it is purged and becomes available: the drop, the moment drop catching Registering a deleted domain the moment it becomes available. Full definition services aim for.

Example: example.com expires on 1 October. Reminders arrive around 1 September and 24 September. Nobody renews, and the registrar deletes it on 20 October, so its DNS must have been interrupted at least from 12 to 20 October.

How ccTLDs such as .es handle expiry differently

ICANN’s rules apply to gTLDs; each ccTLD sets its own. As of October 2026:

  • .es (Red.es The Spanish public body that manages the .es domain through its unit Dominios.es. Full definition): the administrative contact gets email reminders 30, 10 and 5 days before expiry if the holder manages the name directly, or 5 days before if the registrar has not renewed it. At expiry the name is temporarily deactivated. There are five days to pay, then five to reconcile payments. Ten days after expiry the name is deregistered and becomes available; the published procedure describes no recovery stage after that. Renewal can be requested at any time while the name is in force, for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 years.
  • .nl (SIDN Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland The organization that runs the Netherlands' .nl domain. Full definition): a 40-day quarantine A waiting period after cancellation in some ccTLDs when only the former holder can recover the domain. Full definition follows cancellation, when only the former holder can recover the name, through the old registrar or a new one.
  • .de (DENIC Deutsches Network Information Center The Frankfurt-based cooperative that runs Germany's .de domain. Full definition): the domain contract has no end date. After deletion, a 30-day RGP lets only the last holder, or a third party they name, re-register it, and registrars may pass the cost on.

How to avoid losing a domain

  • Keep contact details current, with an email address on another domain: notices sent to the expiring one may not arrive.
  • Read the registrar’s deletion, auto-renewal and restore fee policies.
  • Renew early or for several years, turn on automatic renewal and keep payment details valid.
  • Watch the domain’s EPP status in an RDDS lookup.

Holders should confirm the details with their registrar.

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