When a domain expires without being renewed, it moves through four stages, and your options shrink at each one. Most domains follow this standard schedule:
| Days after expiry | Stage | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 30 | Grace period | Renew it yourself at the normal renewal price. No extra fee. |
| 30 to 60 | Redemption period | Recover it with a paid restore, which our support team runs. |
| 60 to 75 | Pending delete | Nothing. The name can no longer be recovered. |
| 75 and later | Released | Anyone can register it. |
From 30 days before expiry, the domain's page shows an If this domain lapses timeline with the exact date of each stage.
Some ccTLDs and new gTLDs run a shorter or longer cycle. See our Domain Lifecycle Policy.
What stops working
After a domain expires, its website and email may stop working. Auto-renew also stops: it never runs on or after the expiration date.
Reminder emails
We email the account's owners and admins 30 days, 7 days and 1 day before expiry. We email again on the expiration date and 5 days after it.
You get these even with auto-renew on, unless the domain has already renewed. The email tells you whether auto-renew is on, and whether its last attempt failed.
Renewing late
During the grace period, renew the same way you would before expiry:
- Open the domain from your domain list.
- Click Renew Domain.
- Choose how many years, then pay by card or from your prepaid balance.
Just after the grace period ends, the renew page may still accept a normal renewal for a short time. If it says the domain can no longer be renewed, you'll need a restore. See Restoring a domain in redemption.
A restore costs much more than a renewal. Renew during the grace period if you can. Restore prices are listed by extension on our full price list.
To keep this from happening, turn on auto-renew. See How auto-renew works.