Domain Expiry – The Three Phases

Most top-level domains (TLDs) such as .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info all have a 75-day expiration period, which consists of three phases:

1. Grace period of 40 days – the domain name owner can renew the domain name normally and without additional fees (besides the renewal fee) during this period.
2. Redemption period of 30 days – the domain name owner will need to contact our support team and request a redemption. The registry will charge us a fee for the redemption (usually between €150 and €350) and this must be paid by the client (you). The client will be charged in the euro currency.
3. Deletion period of 5 days – the domain name will be deleted and will be free to re-register on a first-come, first-served basis. At this stage it’s no longer possible to request a redemption.

If your domain has expired and you still need it, it’s recommended to renew it or request its redemption before it gets deleted. Once a domain is deleted and available for registration again, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to register it by yourself again. There are companies and individuals, maybe even your own competitors, who make a business out of registering deleted domains. Either to re-sell them to their former owners, make use of the domain reputation, catch incoming emails, etc. Therefore, please make sure to renew your domain on time if it’s still any value for you or your company.