A name that is not renewed becomes available to the public about 80 days after its expiry date.
Period summary
| Period | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Add grace period | 5 days | The registrar may cancel a new registration and receive a refund. |
| Renew grace period | 5 days | An explicit renewal may be cancelled during this period. |
| Auto-renew grace period | 45 days | The registry renews the domain automatically; the registrar may cancel it, or the registrant may renew at the normal price. |
| Transfer grace period | 5 days | The gaining registrar may cancel the term added by a transfer and receive a refund. |
| Redemption period | 30 days | The domain is removed from DNS. Only the previous registrant can restore it through a registrar, for a restore fee. |
| Pending delete | 5 days | Cannot be restored. The name is then released and can be registered by anyone. |
| Transfer auto-approval | 5 days | A transfer request not rejected by the losing registrar is approved automatically. |
| Post-transfer lock | 60 days | The domain cannot be transferred again during this period. |
| Post-registration lock | 60 days | A new domain cannot be transferred to another registrar during this period. |
These periods follow standard international registry practice (ICANN Registry Agreement, Redemption Grace Period, and Transfer Policy).
Renewal
A domain can be renewed at any time while active, as long as the total remaining term does not exceed 10 years. Registrars must send reminders before expiry. Responsibility for renewing remains with the registrant.
Restoration
During the redemption period, the registrar submits a restore request (RGP restore) and must file a restore report within 7 days. If no report is received, the domain returns to redemption.
Transfers between registrars
- Request the authorization (auth) code from your current registrar and make sure the transfer lock is removed.
- Start the transfer at the new registrar using that code. A transfer usually adds one year to the term.
- The losing registrar may approve or reject for a valid reason (such as suspected fraud or an ongoing dispute) within 5 days; if there is no response, the transfer is approved automatically.
Transfers are not possible while a domain is in redemption, pending delete, or locked.
When a domain disappears from DNS
A domain is not published in the DNS zone if it has clientHold or serverHold status, is pending delete, is in redemption, or has fewer than 2 nameservers.