Domain Lifecycle: What Happens When a Domain Expires

In short

After a generic TLD domain expires, the registrar may delete it at any time in the auto-renew grace period, which ICANN puts at 45 days. Deletion starts the 30-day Redemption Grace Period, when the old owner can still restore it, then 5 days of pending delete, and then the name is released for anyone to register. A gTLD name that is not renewed therefore comes free 35 to 80 days after it expires, depending on when the registrar deletes it.

The stages of a gTLD domain name

ICANN's graphic "Life Cycle of a Typical gTLD Domain Name" draws the path: a 5-day add grace period after registration, the registered term of 1 to 10 years, expiry, an auto-renew grace period of 0 to 45 days, a 30-day Redemption Grace Period, 5 days of pending delete, and release. The table sums up each stage; the codes in the last column are the ones a WHOIS or RDAP lookup shows, explained on the domain status codes page.

Stage	How long	In the DNS?	What the owner can do	Status codes
Add grace period	Typically 5 days after a new registration	Yes	The registrar can cancel for a credit; a name deleted now is free again at once	addPeriod
Registered	The term you paid for, typically 1 to 10 years	Yes	Use, renew, transfer or update it	ok, or client locks
Auto-renew grace period	Up to 45 days after expiry	Cut for at least the last 8 renewable days	Renew through your registrar until it deletes the name	autoRenewPeriod
Redemption Grace Period	30 days after deletion	No	Restore through the registrar that deleted it	redemptionPeriod, pendingDelete
Pending delete	5 days	No	Nothing; the name is about to be purged	pendingDelete
Released	After pending delete	No	Anyone can register it, first come, first served	none

These numbers are ICANN's rules for generic TLDs such as .com, .org or .xyz. The protocol behind the status codes leaves lengths open: "The duration of each grace period is a matter of registry operational policy that is not addressed in this document." Country codes follow their own policies, since "Because ccTLDs are managed locally, the rules and policies for registering domain names vary across ccTLDs."

Expired domain timeline calculator

Enter the expiration date from a WHOIS or RDAP lookup. The calculator applies ICANN's rules for generic TLDs and shows where the name is today. Add the domain to check its extension, and the day the registrar deleted it, if you know it, for exact dates. It runs in your browser and sends nothing.

Try:

Source: ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy, ICANN glossary and registrant FAQ, fetched September 27, 2026; extension types from the IANA root zone database, as on the types of TLDs page. Dates are calendar days.

Before and right after expiry

ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy sets the minimum for gTLD registrars, and its current version says contracted parties "must implement no later than 21 August 2025". Two reminders come first: "One of these notices must be sent approximately one month prior to expiration and one must be sent approximately one week prior to expiration." ICANN counts a notice as on time if the reminders "are transmitted between 26-35 days and between 4-10 days prior to expiration, respectively". A third follows: "within five days after the expiration of the registration, the registrar must transmit at least one additional expiration notice to the RAE that includes instructions for renewing the registration". The RAE, or registrant at expiration, is "the Registered Name Holder who is eligible to renew a domain name registration immediately prior to its expiration".

After expiry the registrar sets the pace: "registrars may delete registrations at any time after they expire". ICANN's glossary gives the outer limit. It defines the auto-renew grace period as "A 45-day period following the expiration of a domain name." and adds: "If a registrant does not explicitly consent to renew the domain name, the registrar must delete the name from the registry by the end of the AGP." It also notes: "Often, registrars allow registrants to renew an expired name during this period." Prices and options are the registrar's call, since "Options and fees for renewing domain names, including expired ones, vary by registrar"; the policy requires registrars to publish their renewal, post-expiration and restore fees.

Your website and email stop before the name is deleted. The registrar has to cut the domain's DNS path: "For at least the last eight consecutive days (after expiration) that the registration is renewable by the RAE, the existing DNS resolution path specified by the RAE must be interrupted by the registrar". ICANN's own example: "if a registration expires on 1 October, and the registrar deletes the name on 20 October, the resolution path must be interrupted, at a minimum, from 12-20 October". If visitors land on a parking page, "that web page must conspicuously indicate that the domain name registration is expired and provide renewal instructions". All that time "the RAE must be permitted by the registrar to renew the expired registration", and after a renewal "the registrar must restore the DNS resolution path set by the RAE immediately or as soon as is commercially reasonable."

The Redemption Grace Period: the last chance to restore

Deletion starts the clock that matters most. "With the exception of sponsored gTLD registries, all gTLD registries must offer a Redemption Grace Period ("RGP") of 30 days immediately following the deletion of a registration, during which time the deleted registration may be restored at the request of the RAE by the registrar that deleted it." ICANN's glossary describes the name in this state as "placed on hold and removed from the zone", and the policy says the registry "must disable DNS resolution and prohibit attempted transfers of the registration."

A lookup now shows two codes: "The EPP status changes to "pendingDelete", and the RGP status is initialized to "redemptionPeriod"." Restoring takes two steps on the registrar's side, because after the request "the Registry waits to receive a restore report from the registrar for a period of time defined by the Registry." Expect to pay: ICANN's status code page says the registrar should restore the domain "Once any outstanding issues are resolved and the appropriate fee has been paid".

You cannot move a domain out of redemption; ICANN's FAQ says "the name must be restored by your current registrar before it can be transferred". Earlier, expiry alone does not tie you down: "You have the right to transfer an expired domain. Registrars are not allowed to deny a transfer due to expiration or non-renewal."

Pending delete and release

ICANN's FAQ gives the end of the story in three sentences: "If deleted, the domain name will enter into a redemption period for 30 days, under which it remains available to restore. If it is not restored, the domain name will enter into PendingDelete status for 5 days. After this period, the domain name will be released and made available for registration on a first-come-first-served basis." The protocol ends the same way: "The domain name is purged once the pending delete period elapses." In ICANN's lifecycle graphic, redemption is possible only during the 30-day period.

A brand-new name can skip all of this. The add grace period "is typically the five-day period following the initial registration of a domain name", and a name deleted then "is immediately available for registration by any registrant through any Registrar." The recovery policy agrees that such names "should not be subject to the RGP". Not every registry has one: "AGP appears as a contractual term in some, but not all gTLD registry agreements."

Once a name is gone, ICANN cannot fetch it back: "ICANN does not have the authority to transfer domain names, including expired ones, back to you." To see where a name stands, check its status codes and its expiration event with an RDAP lookup.

Domain lifecycle: frequently asked questions

How long after a domain expires does it become available?

For a generic TLD name that is not renewed, 35 to 80 days. The registrar deletes it at some point up to 45 days after expiry, then come 30 days of redemption and 5 days of pending delete before release. Country-code TLDs follow their own rules.

What is the domain redemption period?

The Redemption Grace Period is the 30 days after a registrar deletes a gTLD domain. The domain does not resolve and cannot be transferred, but the registrar that deleted it can restore it at the former owner's request, which may cost an extra restore fee.

Can I renew my domain after it expires?

Usually yes, until the registrar deletes it. ICANN's policy requires registrars to let the registrant at expiration renew while the DNS is interrupted, and ICANN notes that registrars often allow renewal during the 45-day auto-renew grace period. After deletion the name has to be restored instead.

What is the auto-renew grace period?

Up to 45 days after a gTLD domain expires. The registry has renewed the name automatically, and the registrar gets a credit if it deletes the name in this window. ICANN says a name whose owner does not agree to renew must be deleted by the end of the period.

Why did my website stop working when my domain expired?

ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy requires the registrar to interrupt the domain's DNS for at least the last eight days it can still be renewed, or from expiry until deletion if it is deleted within eight days. Renewing through the registrar brings it back.

Do these rules apply to country-code domains like .uk or .de?

No. The ICANN policies on this page cover generic TLDs. Country-code registries set their own expiry and deletion rules, which vary from one registry to the next. The calculator names the registry of the extension you enter.

Sources and method

ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy (version updated 21 February 2024, with its implementation notes), fetched September 27, 2026.
ICANN glossary: auto-renew grace period, redemption grace period, country code TLD; ICANN AGP Limits Policy, fetched September 27, 2026.
ICANN FAQs for Registrants: Domain Name Renewals and Expiration, ICANN: Renewing Domain Names and ICANN: Life Cycle of a Typical gTLD Domain Name (graphic), fetched September 27, 2026.
ICANN: EPP Status Codes and RFC 3915 (grace period states), fetched September 27, 2026.
Method: the calculator adds calendar days to the date you enter, using the periods quoted on this page. Extension types come from the IANA root zone database copy fetched September 26, 2026.