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grace period

A set number of days after a registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition action, such as a new registration Obtaining the right to use a domain name for a set period. Full definition, renewal Paying to extend a domain registration for more time. Full definition or transfer, during which the action can be undone or changed on special terms. If the registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition deletes the domain in that window, the registry usually credits the registrar with its fee. Lengths differ by registry.

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Registration life cycle

Updated on 4 min read

A grace period is a short window after a registry operation, such as a new registration, a renewal or a transfer, in which the registrar can undo the operation by deleting the domain. The registry then usually gives the registrar a credit for the fee. registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition rarely see grace periods except as a status in a domain lookup, but they shape costs and the rules against abuse.

What a grace period is

ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition defines a grace period as a set number of calendar days after a gTLD generic top-level domain A top-level domain not tied to a country, run under ICANN contracts. Full definition registry operation in which the operation may be reversed and a credit may be issued to a registrar.

Three parties are involved:

  • The registry runs the clock and issues the credit.
  • The registrar decides whether to delete the name within the window.
  • The registrant sees only an EPP status codes Standard labels showing a domain's state and what actions are blocked. Full definition code in a lookup: addPeriod Status code for a domain in the add grace period just after registration. Full definition, renewPeriod Status code for a domain in the grace period after a renewal ordered by the registrar. Full definition, autoRenewPeriod Status code for a domain in the grace period after the registry renewed it automatically. Full definition or transferPeriod Status code for a domain in the grace period just after a registrar transfer. Full definition. ICANN calls them informative statuses; for addPeriod it adds that there is no issue with the domain name A readable internet name made of labels separated by dots. Full definition.

The credit goes from the registry to the registrar. Whether a customer gets any money back depends on the registrar’s own terms.

The four registry grace periods and their lengths

RFC Request for Comments A numbered document in the series recording the internet's technical standards and practices. Full definition 3915, published in September 2004, describes four grace periods tied to EPP Extensible Provisioning Protocol The protocol registrars use to manage domain names at registries. Full definition operations, based on an ICANN task force report of March 2003:

  • add grace period A few days after registration when a registrar can delete a domain and get a credit from the registry. Full definition: after a new registration.
  • renew grace period The days after a manual renewal when the registry refunds the registrar if the domain is deleted. Full definition: after the registrar explicitly renews a name.
  • auto-renew grace period A period after expiry when an auto-renewed domain can still be renewed or canceled. Full definition: after the registration period expires and the registry renews the name automatically.
  • transfer grace period The days after a transfer when the registry credits the new registrar if the domain is deleted. Full definition: after the name moves to a new registrar.

The RFC leaves their length to each registry. The classic values come from Appendix 7 of the .com registry agreement, dated 1 December 2012: 5, 5, 45 and 5 calendar days respectively (as of October 2026). The 2013 .org text uses the same values. The base registry agreement for new gTLD A generic top-level domain added to the internet through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Full definition, approved on 12 March 2026, sets no lengths. ICANN describes the add grace period as typically five days, and not every gTLD agreement has one.

The transfer grace period is not a transfer lock A restriction that blocks a domain from moving to another registrar. Full definition. As of October 2026, the rules that let a registrar deny a transfer within 60 days of creation or of a previous transfer come from ICANN’s Transfer Policy ICANN's rules for moving gTLD domains between registrars and changing registrants. Full definition. On 7 June 2026 the ICANN Board ICANN's board of directors, which adopts policies and approves key decisions. Full definition adopted changes that, among other things, turn optional security locks into mandatory ones; as of October 2026 they are not yet in force.

Credits and who gets them

In .com, what happens on deletion Removing a domain registration from the registry, which starts the path to its release. Full definition depends on the window:

  • Add grace period: the registrar is credited for the registration, and the name is free for anyone to register at once. It skips the Redemption Grace Period (RGP Redemption Grace Period A last chance to recover a deleted domain, usually for an extra fee. Full definition).
  • Renew, auto-renew A setting that renews a domain automatically so it does not expire. Full definition or transfer grace period: the registrar is credited the renewal or transfer fee, and the name goes straight into the 30-day RGP.

The add grace period credit is capped. Under ICANN’s AGP Limits Policy Add Grace Period Limits Policy ICANN rule that caps credited deletions in the add grace period to stop domain tasting. Full definition, a consensus policy An ICANN community rule that gTLD registries and registrars must follow. Full definition in force since 1 April 2009 (as of October 2026), a registrar is credited each month, per TLD top-level domain The last part of a domain name, after the final dot. Full definition, only for deletes up to 10% of its net new registrations Domains newly created in a period, also called adds or creates. Full definition or 50 names, whichever is greater. It can ask the registry for an exemption in a given month by documenting extraordinary circumstances; circumstances that recur regularly do not qualify. Registry agreements may also let a registry charge its own fee for excess deletes.

A worked example, with the policy’s own illustrative price of US$6 (not a current price): in one month a registrar has 1,000 net new registrations in a TLD and deletes 250 names, such as example.com, within the add grace period. Its threshold is 100. It is credited US$600 for 100 deletes and nothing for the other 150, which would have been US$900.

Abuse of grace periods: tasting and kiting

The add grace period exists so that typos and some fraudulent registrations can be cancelled at no cost. Before 2009 it was widely used for domain tasting Registering domains to test their value and deleting most of them for a credit within days. Full definition: registering names in bulk, testing whether their traffic or advertising covered the fee, and deleting the rest for free. domain kiting Repeatedly deleting and re-registering a domain inside the add grace period to hold it for free. Full definition is a repeated form: deleting and re-registering the same name over and over to avoid paying.

How the limits came about:

  1. 2007: at the ALAC At-Large Advisory Committee ICANN's advisory committee for the interests of individual internet users. Full definition’s request, the GNSO Generic Names Supporting Organization The ICANN body that develops policy for generic top-level domains. Full definition Council launched a PDP Policy Development Process ICANN's formal process for creating new policy. Full definition on 31 October.
  2. 17 April 2008: the GNSO Council approved the recommendation by supermajority.
  3. 26 June 2008: the ICANN Board adopted it.
  4. 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009: ICANN’s budget charged registrars US$0.20 for each delete above the threshold.
  5. 1 April 2009: the policy took effect, so each excess delete cost the full registration fee.

Add grace period deletes in the TLDs ICANN reported fell from 17,668,750 in June 2008 to 58,218 in April 2009, a 99.7% drop The moment a deleted domain becomes available to register again. Full definition.

Grace periods versus the redemption period

RFC 3915 and the .com agreement also list the RGP, but it works differently. The four grace periods follow a registration, renewal or transfer and allow a credited deletion. The RGP follows a deletion: as of October 2026, for 30 days in every gTLD except sponsored ones, the registrar that deleted the name can restore Bringing a deleted domain back during the redemption grace period. Full definition it at the former registrant’s request. Lookups show it as redemptionPeriod Status code for a deleted domain that its former holder can still recover. Full definition.

One acronym trap: in the AGP Limits Policy, AGP means add grace period, but ICANN’s glossary also uses AGP for the auto-renew grace period.

For a specific domain, the registrar or the registry can confirm which rules apply.

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