What happens when a domain expires?

Updated Oct 2026 · 10 min read

The grace period, redemption, and how long you have before someone else can buy it.

Short answer. When a domain expires, the registrar usually stops its DNS, so the website and email go down. Most registrars still let you renew at the normal price for a grace period of up to about 45 days. For gTLDs, the registry then holds the deleted name for 30 days of redemption (restore fee), then about 5 days of pendingDelete, after which anyone can register it. Country domains such as .fr and .uk follow their own rules.

Here is the part nobody tells you: when a client's domain lapses, the client rarely calls their registrar. They call their agency. The site is "broken", the contact form is "broken", email is "broken", and in their eyes you built all of it. It doesn't matter that the domain is in their name and the renewal went to an inbox nobody reads. This guide walks through what actually happens, day by day, so you know how much time is left and what to do.

The timeline at a glance

For generic domains (.com, .net, .org and other gTLDs under ICANN rules):

Phase	Typical length	What still works	Cost to recover	EPP status
Expiry (day 0)	—	DNS interrupted at the registrar: site and email stop	Normal renewal	—
Registrar grace period	0 to 45 days, set by the registrar	Nothing, until renewed	Usually normal renewal (registrar's terms)	autoRenewPeriod
Redemption	30 days	Nothing	Restore fee set by the registrar	redemptionPeriod
Pending delete	5 days	Nothing, cannot be restored	Not recoverable	pendingDelete
Drop	—	The name is available to anyone	Register it again, if still free	—

Sources: ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy, EPP status codes and ICANN Compliance on renewal and redemption.

Day 0: the site and email stop

Why DNS is interrupted

ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy requires registrars to interrupt the existing DNS resolution path of an expired gTLD domain (for at least eight consecutive days while it is still renewable, to the extent the registry allows it). In practice the domain stops pointing to your server. Visitors see an error or a registrar page instead of the site. The point is deliberate: someone has to notice.

Email is the silent casualty

The MX records stop resolving with everything else, so mail sent to the domain bounces or never arrives. Outgoing mail suffers too: SPF, DKIM and DMARC lookups depend on the same DNS, so messages that do leave can land in spam. For an agency this is often the first symptom the client reports, and the hardest to link to the domain. Our guide on SPF, DKIM and DMARC explains why those records matter.

Parking pages and renewal notices

When registrars redirect web traffic during the interruption, the policy says the page must state that the registration has expired and explain how to renew. Before that, registrars must send at least two reminders: about one month and about one week before expiry. Those reminders go to the registrant's contact address. If that address belongs to a former employee, a freelancer who left, or a client's personal Gmail, nobody acts on them.

Days 1 to ~45: the registrar grace period

Auto-renew grace period

At expiry, most gTLD registries automatically renew the domain for the registrar and give it a window to cancel: the EPP status shows autoRenewPeriod. During this window the registrar decides what happens. If the registrant renews, the site comes back once DNS is restored, usually at the normal price.

Why "up to" matters: each registrar sets its own rules

ICANN Compliance states that registrars may offer a renewal grace period of 0 to 45 days. Zero is allowed. Some registrars give the full window, some delete earlier, and some charge a late fee. The only reliable answer for a given domain is the registrar's own terms, which are supposed to be published on its website. Don't assume a client's domain has 45 days because yours did.

30 days of redemption (redemptionPeriod)

Once the registrar deletes the domain, gTLD registries must offer a 30-day Redemption Grace Period. The domain shows redemptionPeriod and still does not resolve.

Restore fees and who can restore

Only the registrar that deleted the domain can restore it, at the registrant's request. The registry's RDDS (WHOIS/RDAP) result must show that the domain is in redemption, and transfers to another registrar are not possible at this stage. Restoring usually costs more than a renewal; the amount depends on the registrar, so check its fee schedule rather than trusting a number from a forum. ICANN itself cannot restore a domain for you: its lost domain names page sends you back to the registrar.

pendingDelete and the drop: when someone else can buy it

If nobody restores the domain within the 30 days, it moves to pendingDelete. According to ICANN's EPP status codes page, five calendar days after the end of the redemption period the domain is purged from the registry and becomes available for registration. During those five days it cannot be restored.

Drop-catching

Some services specialise in registering names the moment they drop. A domain with traffic, backlinks or a recognisable brand is exactly what they look for. Once a third party registers it, getting it back means negotiating, buying it, or a dispute procedure. None of that is quick, and none of it is guaranteed.

Country domains follow their own rules

ccTLDs are not bound by ICANN's gTLD policies. Two examples agencies meet often:

.fr (Afnic). Afnic's FAQ and its procedure guide describe a 30-day redemption period after a registrar deletes a .fr domain. Only the registrar that managed the domain can restore it during that time, with the same configuration. After 30 days the deletion is final and the name can be registered again, first come, first served. How long the registrar waits after the expiry date before deleting depends on the registrar.
.uk (Nominet). Nominet's registrar documentation on the expiry process sets a different calendar: the domain stays fully operational for 30 days after expiry, is then suspended and stops resolving until day 90 while it can still be renewed, cannot be renewed after day 90, and drops 95 days after the expiry time. Nominet emails the registrant along the way (renewal reminders).

For any other extension, read the registry's own policy before you tell a client how much time they have.

Why "expiry unknown" happens

Lapsentry reads expiry dates from public registration data (RDAP, and WHOIS where RDAP isn't available). Some country registries don't publish an expiry date at all, or limit what they show. In that case we show "expiry unknown" instead of guessing. The fix is to enter the date from the registrar account, so the reminder still fires.

An example calendar

A .com domain expires on 1 March, at a registrar that offers a 30-day grace period:

1 March: DNS interrupted. Site and email down.
Until 31 March: renewable at the registrar, on its terms.
Around 31 March: the registrar deletes the domain. 30 days of redemption start: restore fee, same registrar only.
Around 30 April: redemption ends. 5 days of pendingDelete, no restore possible.
Around 5 May: the name drops and anyone can register it.

Change the registrar and the first step can be zero days or 45. Change the extension and the whole calendar changes.

Renewing or transferring near the deadline

Renew first, transfer later. A transfer started a few days before expiry can fail or stall, and a domain in redemption can't be transferred at all. If you want to move a client's domain to an account you control, renew it where it is, then transfer it calmly. Make sure the client can log into the registrar account, or that you can, before the reminder emails start.

Agency checklist: before, on and after expiry

Before expiry

Know who the registrant is, who pays, and which email receives the reminders. Our guide on who should own a client domain covers the trade-offs.
Check that auto-renew is on and the card on file isn't expired.
Write down the expiry date and the registrar's grace terms for every client domain.

On expiry day

Confirm it's the domain, not hosting: check DNS and the RDAP status.
Contact whoever holds the registrar account and renew immediately.

After expiry

In grace: renew, then check DNS and email come back.
In redemption: ask the same registrar for a restore and its fee.
In pendingDelete: it's too late to restore. Prepare for the drop or a negotiation.

The same deadline logic applies to certificates: see why Let's Encrypt renewals fail.

An expired domain is not the only way to lose control of a client's name: records left behind in the DNS can hand a subdomain to a stranger. See orphaned subdomains.

From the field (mini-audits Lapsentry, 57 agencies). In public data (RDAP, DNS, crt.sh) checked on 16 October 2026, 9 agencies had a public expiry date for their own domain less than 60 days away; the closest was less than 8 days away. A near date doesn't mean the domain will be lost: auto-renew may well be on. But it is the kind of date worth knowing before your client finds out the hard way.

FAQ

How long do you have to renew an expired domain?

It depends on the registrar and the extension. For gTLDs, registrars may offer 0 to 45 days of grace, then a 30-day redemption with a restore fee; .uk domains can be renewed up to 90 days after expiry.

Does my email stop working when my domain expires?

Yes, usually. When DNS is interrupted, MX records stop resolving and incoming mail bounces or is lost until the domain is renewed and DNS is back.

Can someone else buy my domain right after it expires?

Not right away for gTLDs. The name only becomes available after the grace period, 30 days of redemption and 5 days of pendingDelete; the timeline differs for country domains.

What is the redemption period and how much does it cost?

It is a 30-day window after deletion during which only the original registrar can restore the domain. The restore fee is set by the registrar and is usually higher than a renewal, so check its price list.

Will auto-renew always save me?

No. Auto-renew fails when the card has expired, the domain sits in an account nobody checks, or the billing contact has left the agency.

What happens to SEO when a domain expires and comes back?

A short outage is usually recoverable once the site resolves again, but a long one can lead search engines to drop pages. If the domain drops and someone else registers it, you lose the history entirely.

Do .fr / .uk domains follow the same timeline?

No. Afnic applies a 30-day redemption period after deletion of a .fr; Nominet keeps a .uk working for 30 days, suspends it until day 90 and drops it on day 95.

How do I know when a client's domain expires?

Look up the domain with RDAP or WHOIS, or in the registrar account. To avoid checking by hand, monitor every client domain and get an alert well before the date.

What to do

Make a list of every domain you're responsible for, including the ones in your clients' names, with their registrar and expiry date. Then make sure someone gets warned in time. That's what Lapsentry does: it monitors domain expiry, SSL certificates and DNS for all your client domains and alerts you before the date (for web agencies, see pricing).