What happens to a Domain Name once it has expired?
This guide will go through the different domains and what happens to them once they have passed their expiration date.
.com/.net/.org Domains (GTLD’s)
Once a .com domain has surpassed its expiry date, there are a few stages the domain goes through before it enters the open market.
After roughly 30 days the domain will enter the stage of Redemption Period.
This stage is roughly another 30 days long, and the domain can still be renewed but the renewal fee for redeeming a domain in the Redemption Period is more than the original renewal cost.
Once the Redemption Fee is paid, if you have emails or a website on the domain, these will come back online in 24-48 hours as long as all hosting packages are live.
After the Redemption Period has passed, the domain will enter Pending Delete. At this stage we cannot redeem the domain and it will fall back into the open market for purchase in around 5 days.
Info: Some expired ICANN domains, such as .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info, can drop off your account before they enter the redemption period. This means they may no longer appear in your Online Control Panel and cannot be renewed through the usual process.
In most cases, we can still add the domain back to your account, but this requires some manual work. Please contact our Customer Care team by raising a support request through your Online Control Panel or by calling 0345 363 3636, and we’ll be happy to assist.
.UK Domains
Once a .co.uk, .uk or .org.uk domain has passed its expiration date, it takes between 60-90 days for this domain to fall from your account.
You can still renew this domain until that point, but the domain will be suspended within this period.
This means your services attached to the domain may stop working and not work until a domain renewal has been completed.
Info: If your expired .uk domain is no longer showing in your Online Control Panel, it may have dropped from your account and will no longer be available for renewal through the usual process.
In most cases, we can still add the domain back to your account, but this requires some manual work. Please contact our Customer Care team by raising a support request through your Online Control Panel or by calling 0345 363 3636, and we’ll be happy to assist.
New Top-Level Domains (NTLD’s)
NTLD’s such as .shop and .live domains work similarly to the GTLD’s. They will be suspended and go into a Redemption Period, then after that they will enter a stage of Pending Delete.
The time of how long you have before it expires will differ depending on what domain it is, so it would be worth checking in with our Domain Admin department.
What happens to my services after my domain has expired?
Once a domain has expired, whether that be from a missed renewal or from cancellation, any services attached to the domain will be suspended until the domain has been renewed.
If your domain has been cancelled, and therefore is no longer registered, you will no longer have any access to the services attached to the domain name such as emails or website hosting.
Info: When a domain is deleted depends on the registry in question so it would always be worth checking in with our Domain Admin team by raising a support request from within your Online Control Panel or call us on 0345 363 3636.