Domain life cycle: available, active, grace, redemption and deletion periods
Once a domain has passed its expiration date, what happens next can differ slightly depending on the domain's extension or TLD. Briefly speaking, a domain goes through the following stages:
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Available
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Active
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Expired
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Grace period
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Redemption period
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Pending Deletion
Below you can find a visualization of the domain life cycle and an explanation for each period:
Available
All domains start their life cycle by being available for registration. Once you have chosen your desired domain name, you can check if it is available via our Domain Checker.
Active
The domain goes into active state after purchasing and configuring it for a minimum period of 1 year. Some domain extensions or TLDs can be registered or renewed for more than one year - in that case, you will see the option in the cart. During this time, the domain owner needs to renew it to keep the ownership.
Expired
As soon as the domain expires, it will stop working. The website will show an error, and email services will be suspended. For this reason, it is recommended to keep auto-renewal active to avoid any interruptions.
Expiration consists of two stages: grace period and redemption period.
Grace period
Some domains enter the Grace period when they reach the expiry date and have not been renewed. During this period, the domain name can be redeemed with no risk of deletion and without additional fees - you can simply renew the domain with the standard renewal price.
Keep in mind that some TLDs do not have a grace period and they enter the Redemption period immediately after expiring. The duration of the grace period, if any, can vary depending on the TLD.
Redemption period
After grace period, the domain enters redemption, also known as redemption grace period. At this stage, a special fee in addition to the renewal cost is required in order to redeem the domain. The amount varies depending on the TLD.
Some TLDs do not have a redemption period and they enter the Pending deletion immediately after expiring (or grace period, if they have it). The duration of the redemption period, if any, can vary depending on the TLD.
If your domain is already in this stage, you can contact our Customer Success team and we will guide you through the redemption process!
Pending Deletion
When the redemption period ends, the domain goes to the pending deletion stage. During this period there are no further options but to wait until the domain name has been deleted and goes back to available status.
Once it's available, you will be able to re-purchase it again. Please note that the domain will be available for purchase to anyone.
