Domain Grace Periods Explained

## Domain Grace Periods Explained Domain names don't disappear instantly when they expire. A series of grace periods give registrants escalating opportunities to reclaim their domains — at escalating costs. Understanding these periods is critical for recovering a forgotten domain and for knowing when a competitor's domain might become available for registration. This guide walks through each grace period in the ICANN lifecycle for gTLDs like .com, .net, and .org. Note that country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) have their own policies that may differ significantly. ## The Five Phases of Domain Expiration ### Phase 1: Active — Domain Is Paid and Functioning While a domain is within its paid registration period, it is fully active. DNS is served. The registrant can make changes, renew, or transfer. No grace period is in effect. Most registrars send renewal reminder emails 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before expiration. Enable auto-renewal to avoid the grace period cascade entirely. ### Phase 2: Add Grace Period (AGP) — 0 to 5 Days Immediately after registration (not expiration — this is different), ICANN allows a brief Add Grace Period during which a registrar can delete a newly registered domain and receive a full credit for the registration fee from the registry. This exists to handle situations like billing failures or accidental registrations. This grace period is primarily relevant to registrars, not registrants. You generally won't interact with it as a domain owner. However, it explains why newly registered domains sometimes disappear shortly after registration — the registrar deleted it and refunded themselves. **Duration**: 5 days (post-registration) **Registrant action**: None typically required **Cost**: Registration credit returned to registrar if deleted ### Phase 3: Renewal Grace Period — Up to 45 Days After Expiration When a domain's paid registration period ends, it enters the Renewal Grace Period. This is the first window in which a registrant can recover a lapsed domain. **What happens to the domain**: Registrar behavior varies. Some registrars immediately take the domain offline (DNS stops serving, website and email go down). Others continue serving DNS for a brief period. The domain is not yet available to other registrants. **What you can do**: Renew the domain through your registrar account at standard renewal price. The renewal adds one year (or more) to the expiration date, retroactively, often preserving the original expiration date. **Duration**: Up to 45 days (ICANN maximum; individual registrars may shorten this) **Cost**: Standard renewal fee **Priority**: Only the current registrant can renew during this period Some registrars split this further into a "grace period" and an "expired" state, with different interface behavior for each, but the functional window is the same — standard-price renewal is available. ### Phase 4: Redemption Grace Period (RGP) — 30 Days If the registrant doesn't renew during the Renewal Grace Period, the domain enters the Redemption Grace Period (RGP), defined by RFC 3915. At this stage, recovery is still possible but requires paying a premium restore fee on top of the standard renewal price. **What happens to the domain**: The registrar typically suspends the domain record. DNS stops serving entirely. The domain may show a registrar-operated holding page or simply time out. **What you can do**: "Restore" the domain by paying the restore fee. This fee varies significantly: at major registrars, expect $50-$250+ on top of the regular renewal fee. The registrar submits a Restore Report to the registry documenting the restoration. **Duration**: 30 days **Cost**: Restore fee ($50-$250+) + renewal fee **Why the high fee**: The restore fee exists to discourage registrars from allowing domains to expire into RGP routinely (which would burden the registry with excessive lifecycle management). The fee is split between the registrar and registry. **Important nuance**: During RGP, only the current registrant can restore the domain — and only through the current registrar. Third parties cannot acquire the domain. However, some domain investors monitor high-value domains in RGP hoping the registrant won't restore, knowing the domain will drop soon. ### Phase 5: Pending Delete — 5 Days After the Redemption Grace Period, the domain enters a 5-day Pending Delete phase. During this window: - No renewals are possible - No restorations are possible - The domain is not yet available for registration - The registry processes administrative deletion **What happens**: The domain is marked for deletion. DNS continues to be non-functional (suspended from RGP). The exact moment during these 5 days that the domain "drops" — becomes available for registration — is not publicly disclosed. Registries stagger drops to prevent technical attacks. **What you can do**: Nothing. The domain will drop, and if you want it back, you'll need to compete for it via backordering services or attempt to register it manually after the drop. **Duration**: 5 days **Cost**: Cannot recover — the window has closed ### After Pending Delete: The Drop After the 5-day Pending Delete window, the domain is deleted from the registry and becomes available for registration. Backordering services compete to register it at the moment it drops. The total time from expiration to drop for a .com domain is approximately 70-80 days under normal circumstances: - Renewal Grace Period: up to 45 days - Redemption Grace Period: 30 days - Pending Delete: 5 days **Total**: 80 days maximum ## Additional Grace Periods: Transfer and Auto-Renew ### Transfer Grace Period When a domain is transferred to a new registrar, ICANN provides a 5-day Transfer Grace Period during which the original registrar can receive a prorated credit for the registration fee if the transfer period included a renewal. This is primarily a financial mechanism between registrars and registries. Practically speaking, this grace period means that if a domain is transferred and then almost immediately deleted, the prior registrar may receive some fee credit. It doesn't directly affect registrant behavior. ### Auto-Renew Grace Period Separate from the expiration-related grace periods, many registrars offer an Auto-Renew Grace Period of 30-45 days after automatically charging for renewal. If you want to cancel a domain renewal and receive a refund after auto-renewal has processed, this is the window. This grace period is registrar-specific, not ICANN-mandated. Policies vary: - Some registrars offer full refunds within 5 days - Others offer prorated refunds - Some have no refund policy after auto-renewal processes Check your registrar's specific policy before relying on this grace period for domain lifecycle management. ## Practical Recovery Strategies ### You Missed Renewal — Now What? If your domain has expired, immediately: 1. Log into your registrar account 2. Find the expired domain (it may show as "expired" or "redeemable") 3. Attempt renewal at standard price — if you're still in the Renewal Grace Period, this will succeed 4. If renewal fails or the domain shows a "restore" option, you're in RGP — proceed with restoration at the premium price 5. If neither option is available, the domain is in Pending Delete or has already dropped **Do not wait**: Every day in RGP costs you time and risks the domain dropping. If the domain is important, restore it immediately at whatever cost. ### The Domain Has Dropped — Can You Still Get It Back? If the domain has already dropped from the registry, you have three options: 1. **Monitor and register**: If the domain name has low demand, it may become immediately available for standard registration after the drop. Check periodically with TLD Finder. 2. **Backorder service**: Place a backorder with a service like DropCatch, SnapNames, or GoDaddy. These services attempt to register the domain at the moment it drops. 3. **Domain marketplace**: After the drop, the domain may be caught by a backorder service and listed on an aftermarket marketplace. You can purchase it there, usually at auction prices above standard registration cost. ## How Grace Periods Affect Domain Investors Domain investors and backorder specialists monitor domains entering RGP and Pending Delete. High-value domains attract intense competition during the drop. Understanding the timeline lets you: - Identify domains 30+ days before they become available by monitoring RGP status - Avoid paying above-market prices for domains still recoverable by their original owners - Time backorder placement for maximum effectiveness Use WHOIS Lookup Tool to check a domain's current EPP status — `redemptionPeriod` and `pendingDelete` status codes directly correspond to Phase 4 and Phase 5 in the lifecycle above. ## Grace Period Variations by TLD The lifecycle described above is specific to ICANN-managed gTLDs. Country-code TLDs and registry operators can set their own grace period policies: **.uk domains (Nominet)**: Nominet has a 30-day expiration period during which the registrant can renew, followed by a 90-day suspension period during which the domain can be recovered at higher cost. The total lifecycle before drop is significantly longer than .com. **.eu domains (EURid)**: EURid uses a 40-day grace period followed by a 40-day quarantine period, with different recovery costs at each stage. **.com/.net/.org (Verisign / Public Interest Registry)**: Follow the standard ICANN lifecycle described in this guide. **New gTLDs**: New gTLD operators must follow ICANN's Applicant Guidebook requirements, which include the standard RGP and pending delete timelines, but operators may implement shorter grace periods with ICANN approval. Always check the specific registry's documentation if you're dealing with a non-standard TLD expiration situation. ## The Cost of Procrastination The financial penalty for letting a domain expire and then recovering it in the Redemption Grace Period is significant. For a typical .com domain: | Stage | Typical Cost | |-------|-------------| | Standard renewal (before expiration) | $10-$15 | | Renewal during Add Grace Period | $10-$15 | | Restoration during Redemption Grace Period | $80-$250 total | | Backorder / auction after drop | $19 - $thousands | The message is simple: renew early, renew on time. The auto-renewal feature exists precisely to prevent the costly mistake of letting important domains expire. Enable it, maintain a valid payment method, and treat renewal reminders as high-priority tasks. Domain Registration Checklist Domain Backordering: How to Get Expiring Domains Domain Renewal Best Practices