Domain Expirations

All too often, domain owners wait until the last minute to renew their registrations, miss expiration notices, or figure the domain name is unlikely to be taken if they let it expire. However, it is extremely important that you never allow your domain name to expire if you have any intention of keeping it.

This article will discuss some of the benefits of early renewal, the expiration process itself, and the dangers of allowing a domain name to completely expire.

Understanding Domain Ownership

It is important to understand that domain names are not "owned" in the traditional sense; more accurately, domain names are leased to a person for a specific period of time. If the domain's owner (registrant) decides to allow it to expire, the domain name is deleted and becomes available for re-registration as a completely new domain name.

Because domain names have no "memory" of who owned them previously, registrants run the risk of losing their domain names if they are allowed to expire. The registrant loses all rights to the domain once it expires; if someone else comes along and registers the domain, it rightfully belongs to the new owner, and the old owner has no claim over it. (While it is possible to open a trademark dispute with ICANN, it is a costly, lengthy process that has no guarantee of returning the domain to the initial owner.)

About Expiration Dates

One important thing to remember about domain names is that service periods are strictly regulated by ICANN. Domains can only be renewed in yearly increments; as a result, any action that increases the registration period — renewals and transfers — always extends the existing expiration date by one year. As a result, it isn't possible to "lose" time on a domain by acting early.

Renewals

The best way to protect your domain name is to renew it well ahead of its expiration date. Domain registrations do not "lose" unused time if they are renewed early, so there is no reason to wait until the last minute to renew. For example, if you purchase a domain on January 15, 2009, it will expire on January 15, 2010. You could renew the domain on January 14, or in the middle of August, and it would still be extended to exactly January 15, 2011. If you receive an expiration notice about your domain, you should act on it immediately, as you lose nothing by acting early (and run the risk of losing the domain entirely if you wait).

Transfers

Similarly, transferring a domain to a new registrar does not "lose" the time remaining on the service. When transferring domains between ICANN-accredited registrars, the domain name is renewed for one year from its existing expiration date. For example, a domain that expires on January 15, 2010 will be renewed to January 15, 2011 after transfer. Again, it's always best to act early; since transfers can take up to ten days to complete (assuming all goes well on the first try), waiting until the last day to transfer can result in expiration.

The Expiration Process

When a domain name expires, it is not immediately deleted; instead, it can actually take more than 70 days for a domain to become available for re-registration. Along the way, a domain typically passes through four distinct stages. The actual amount of time between expiration and deletion varies depending on the TLD; you can view our Domain Information Chart here for a list of TLDs and the length of each stage in the expiration process.

Stage One: Expiration

On the day of expiration, the domain's nameserver delegation is cleared or assigned to temporary nameservers (which usually point the domain to a parking page). In either case, the domain stops resolving normally, disrupting web services such as email and website access. The domain is automatically placed under REGISTRAR-HOLD status, locking it. The domain then begins the Renewal Grace Period. (Some TLDs skip this stage and enter the Redemption Period; see the Domain Information Chart for more information.)

Stage Two: Renewal Grace Period

For a period of time after the domain expires, the owner can still renew the domain and restore it to its original status. This is known as the Renewal Grace Period. For .com, .net and .org domains, this period typically lasts 30 days. If the domain is not renewed during this time, the domain enters the Redemption Period. (Some TLDs skip this stage and go directly to Redemption Period; see the Domain Information Chart for more information.)

Stage Three: Redemption Period

If the domain's Renewal Grace Period passes, it may enter a secondary grace period known as the Redemption Period. This stage generally lasts 40 days after the end of the Renewal Grace Period. The domain can still be renewed at this point, but the registry imposes a prohibitive fee on renewals in the Redemption Period. A typical domain redemption is ten times the cost of a standard renewal (e.g. a $15 USD domain registration can be redeemed for $150 USD).

This stage exists to give one last chance to domain owners, but the fee ensures that only the most serious registrants will request a redemption. (Some TLDs skip this stage and enter Pending Delete; see the Domain Information Chart for more information.)

Stage Four: Pending Delete

After the Renewal Grace and Redemption Periods, the domain registration will finally be deleted from the registry. However, the deletion is not instantaneous; it may take between one and seven days for the registration to be removed and made available for re-registration. Fortunately, this is the final step in a domain's life; after Pending Delete, it has been fully removed and can be purchased as new.

Available for Registration

After deletion, the domain name is available for purchase as a brand new domain from any registrar by any party. If you wish to purchase the domain again, you may do so; however, you should be aware that others may be gunning for the domain as well (see Expiration Dangers below). Since domains have no "memory" of previous owners, and anyone can take the domain name for their own, it is highly discouraged to allow your domain to expire if you have any intention of using it.

Expiration Dangers

A newer threat to domain owners is known as "snap" registration. Some registrars exist solely to monitor expiring domains and automatically register them the moment they become available. The registrars then place generic, ad-heavy websites on the new domains, collecting revenue from misclicks and old visitors while hoping the previous owner will pay their ransom to recover the expired domain. (If you have ever visited an old bookmark only to find the site had been replaced with a strange banner-laden page, it was likely taken by a "snap" registrar.)

If you are the victim of a "snap" registrar, there are a couple things you can try that may allow you to recover the domain:

  1. Don't visit the website! Most "snap" registrars take advantage of a loophole in ICANN policy that allows them to delete a domain within five days of registration for a full refund. This activity, known as domain tasting, allows them to register hundreds of domains every month and never pay a cent in registration fees. If they "snap up" your domain, but their ad page receives no hits, they may delete the domain as undesirable within five days — at which point you can try to recreate it. However, even a handful of hits can mark a domain as "active", so it's important that you not visit the website until it's back under your control.
  2. Backorder the domain. You can use some "snap" registrars to your advantage, such as Pool.com's backordering service. These services monitor a domain for expiration, then immediately attempt to purchase it for you once it becomes available. If your domain is about to completely expire or has already been picked up by a "snap" registrar, you can try backordering the domain in hopes it will be "snapped" up in your favor.

Unfortunately, if the above options don't work, the only other real option is to pay the asking price of the registration to the "snap" registrar to regain ownership.