What happens when a domain expires, and how to make sure yours doesn't
A domain is leased, not owned. When the lease runs out the website and email stop, and after a few weeks anyone can register the name. Here is each stage and what you can still do in it.
- Day 0Registration expires; registrar may stop DNS at once
- Days 1–45Renewal grace period: renew at the normal price (length set by registrar)
- +30 daysRedemption period: restore only, with a restore fee
- +5 daysPending delete: cannot be recovered, then released to the public
The stages after a domain expires
The exact days depend on the top-level domain and the registrar, but generic domains such as .com, .net and .org follow the same shape, set by ICANN policy and the registries:
| Stage | Typical length | Does the site work? | Who can renew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expired, grace period | 0 to 45 days, set by the registrar (often about 30) | Often not: the registrar may park the domain or stop DNS | You, at the normal renewal price |
| Redemption period | 30 days | No | You, through the registrar, with a restore fee |
| Pending delete | 5 days | No | Nobody |
| Released | No | Anyone, first come first served |
Many registrars also auction expired names during the grace period, so a valuable name can be lost to a buyer before it would ever reach public release. Check your registrar's terms; they must publish their renewal and restore fees.
What stops working when a domain expires
- Website. Visitors see a registrar parking page or nothing at all, once the registrar changes or removes the domain's nameservers.
- Email. MX records stop resolving, so incoming mail bounces or is lost. Outgoing mail fails SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks because those records also live in the domain's DNS.
- Logins and APIs. Single sign-on, OAuth callbacks, webhooks and any service reached by that hostname break.
- TLS certificates. New certificates cannot be issued, because the CA cannot validate a domain that does not resolve.
- Password resets. Accounts tied to an address on the domain cannot receive reset emails, which is how expired domains get used to take over accounts after someone else re-registers them.
How to check a domain's expiration date
The expiry date is part of the registration record, which you can read over RDAP or WHOIS. RDAP is the structured replacement for WHOIS: it returns JSON from the registry, and since January 2025 ICANN requires it for all generic top-level domains.
- For one domain, enter it in the WHOIS lookup or the RDAP lookup. Look for the "expiration" event date.
- For a list, paste up to 20 domains into the bulk domain expiry checker. It sorts them by the soonest expiry and exports to CSV.
- From a terminal, query the registry directly:
curl -s https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/example.com | jq '.events[] | select(.eventAction=="expiration")'Some country-code registries do not publish the expiry date at all. For those, the registrar's control panel is the only source.
How to recover an expired domain
- Log in to the registrar the domain is registered with (the RDAP or WHOIS record names it) and look for the domain under expired or inactive domains.
- In the grace period, renew it as usual. DNS normally comes back within minutes to a few hours.
- In the redemption period, ask the registrar for a restore. Expect a restore fee on top of the renewal, often far more than a year's renewal.
- Once it is pending delete, it cannot be recovered. Your only option is to try to register it, or buy it, after release.
If the registrar's renewal emails went to an old address, that is usually why the expiry was missed. Update the registrant and admin contact as soon as you have the domain back.
How to make sure a domain never expires by accident
- Turn on auto-renew and keep a valid card on the registrar account. Expired cards are the most common reason auto-renew fails.
- Register for several years for names that matter. Most generic TLDs allow up to 10.
- Use a shared contact address such as domains@yourcompany.com for registrar notices, not one person's inbox.
- Keep an inventory of every domain the company owns, including old brand names, campaign domains and the domains your email and SSO rely on.
- Check expiry dates on a schedule rather than trusting a single registrar reminder. A monthly run of the bulk checker over your full list catches the ones that slipped.
Frequently asked questions
How long after a domain expires can I renew it?
Usually up to 30 to 45 days at the normal price, depending on the registrar, then another 30 days in the redemption period with a restore fee. After that the domain enters a 5-day pending-delete stage and cannot be recovered.
Does my website go down the day my domain expires?
It can. Many registrars stop the domain resolving or replace it with a parking page soon after expiry, and ICANN policy requires them to interrupt it for a period so the owner notices. Email stops at the same time.
How do I find out when my domain expires?
Look up the domain with an RDAP or WHOIS tool and read the expiration date, or check it in your registrar's dashboard. For many domains at once, use a bulk domain expiry checker.
Can someone else buy my domain after it expires?
Yes, once it is released after the redemption and pending-delete periods, and sometimes earlier if your registrar auctions expired names. Renewing during the grace period is the only safe way to keep it.
What is the domain redemption period?
A 30-day stage after the grace period in which the domain is no longer active but can still be restored by its previous owner through the registrar, for a restore fee. ICANN requires generic TLD registries to offer it.
How do I check if my domain is still active?
Look the domain up in a WHOIS or RDAP tool. An active domain shows a future expiration date and a status such as ok or clientTransferProhibited; an expired one shows a past date or statuses such as redemptionPeriod or pendingDelete. Then check that its nameservers still answer with an NS lookup.