renewal: definition

Most domain names are not bought for ever. They are registered for a fixed term, typically between one and ten years, and renewing means paying to extend that term. If nobody renews a name, it expires: the website and email that depend on it stop working, and after a series of deadlines anyone can register it.

What renewing a domain means

A renewal is arranged through the registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition of registrar that manages the name, not through ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN or the registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition of registry. ICANN states that it cannot transfer a domain name back to someone who lost it, including an expired one.

Behind the scenes, a gTLD renewal happens in one of two ways:

explicit renewal A renewal the registrar actively orders, as opposed to one the registry adds automatically at expiry. Full definition of explicit renewal. The registrar sends the EPP Extensible Provisioning Protocol The protocol registrars use to manage domain names at registries. Full definition of EPP renew command to the registry. The command states the current expiry date, so a repeated command cannot renew the name twice by mistake.
Registry auto-renew A setting that renews a domain automatically so it does not expire. Full definition of auto-renew. The registry extends the name by itself once it expires and bills the registrar, who can still delete the name during a grace period A window after a registry action when it can be reversed, usually with a credit to the registrar. Full definition of grace period and get the fee back.

Not every top-level domain works this way. As of October 2026, a .eu name is registered for one to ten years and then renewed tacitly for one year at a time, and only through an accredited registrar. A .de name has no fixed term: the contract with DENIC Deutsches Network Information Center The Frankfurt-based cooperative that runs Germany's .de domain. Full definition of DENIC runs until it is terminated. For .es, Spain’s national plan leaves the procedures to Red.es The Spanish public body that manages the .es domain through its unit Dominios.es. Full definition of Red.es, so holders should check the current rules with their registrar.

Auto-renew: how it works and how to check it

For customers, auto-renew is a registrar setting that renews the name before it expires, usually by charging a saved payment method; under ICANN’s RAA Registrar Accreditation Agreement The contract between ICANN and each accredited registrar. Full definition of RAA, a registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition of registrant who uses it must keep payment details current. This customer setting and the registry’s auto-renew are separate.

As of October 2026, the ERRP Expired Registration Recovery Policy ICANN rules on expiry reminders and recovering expired gTLD domains. Full definition of ERRP sets the reminders for gTLDs: at least two before expiry, one about a month before (26 to 35 days) and one about a week before (4 to 10 days), plus one more within five days after expiry if the name is neither renewed nor deleted.

To check a name, a registrant can:

Look at the auto-renew setting and the expiry date in the registrar account.
Confirm that the saved payment method is still valid.
Make sure the contact email works and is not an address on the domain itself.
Read the deletion Removing a domain registration from the registry, which starts the path to its release. Full definition of deletion and auto-renewal policy that the RAA requires the registrar to publish, including when an unrenewed name would be deleted.

Why renewal often costs more than the first year

Registrars set their own prices. ICANN notes that many offer promotions for new customers, so the first year can cost less than each renewal. Registrars may change their fees at any time but must notify registrants when they do. The ERRP requires gTLD registrars to make three fees reasonably available at registration: the renewal fee, the post-expiry renewal fee if it differs, and the restore fee The extra charge for recovering a deleted domain during redemption. Full definition of restore fee.

Registries also have rules on the wholesale price What a registry charges a registrar for each domain name. Full definition of wholesale price. As of October 2026, ICANN’s base registry agreement, which covers the new gTLD A generic top-level domain added to the internet through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Full definition of new gTLD but not every older gTLD, requires the registry to:

give registrars at least 180 days’ written notice of a renewal price increase;
charge the same renewal price for all registrations, unless the registrant expressly agreed to a higher renewal price at registration after clear disclosure. This is how premium names can keep a higher renewal price.

Renewing for several years at once

A registrant can ask the registrar whether it allows renewing for more than one year. As of October 2026, under the base registry agreement, renewals are made in one-year steps and may not extend the registration beyond ten years from the time of the renewal.

New gTLD registries must also let registrars renew names for one to ten years at the current price before a noticed increase takes effect. Whether a registrar passes that price on to its customers is the registrar’s decision.

What happens if a renewal fails

For gTLDs, as of October 2026, the sequence after a missed renewal is:

Expiry. The registrar may delete the name at any time after expiry, within ICANN’s rules, but the registrant can still renew until the end of the DNS Domain Name System The internet's directory that links domain names to computer addresses. Full definition of DNS interruption period. If the name is deleted eight or more days after expiry, its DNS must be interrupted for at least the last eight days it is renewable, so the website and email stop working until it is renewed.
Registrar grace period. A registrar that does not delete the name at once may offer an auto-renew grace period A period after expiry when an auto-renewed domain can still be renewed or canceled. Full definition of auto-renew grace period of 1 to 45 days, possibly at extra cost. Depending on its terms, the name may be offered to third parties or auctioned meanwhile.
Cancellation. Under the RAA, if the registrant does not agree to renew in time, the name is cancelled by the end of the auto-renew grace period, save in extenuating circumstances.
Redemption. After deletion, all gTLD registries except sponsored ones offer a 30-day RGP Redemption Grace Period A last chance to recover a deleted domain, usually for an extra fee. Full definition of RGP, during which the deleting registrar can restore Bringing a deleted domain back during the redemption grace period. Full definition of restore the name, usually for a restore fee.
Release. If not restored, the name is pending delete The final days before a deleted domain is released, when it can no longer be saved. Full definition of pending delete for five days and is then released to the first applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant.

If a registrant paid for a renewal that did not happen, ICANN says the registrar may be in breach of the registration agreement, and registrants who received no reminders can use ICANN’s Domain Renewal Complaint Form. For a specific case, the registrar, the registry or a lawyer can say what applies.

A worked example

The name example.com expires on 1 October. The two reminders and the post-expiry notice follow the windows above. If the registrar deletes the name on 20 October, the DNS must be interrupted at least from 12 to 20 October. Then come 30 days of RGP and five days of pendingDelete, after which anyone can register it.

renewal