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The domain name is a species like none other and so it has a life cycle very much of its own. When a domain name reaches its expiry date, it goes through a series of statuses before it is liberated entirely. As the owner of a domain that reaches its expiry, you can retrieve the domain easily in the first 40 days. Then there are certain modalities to go through, depending how interesting your domain might be. More details below.
The Domain Life Cycle
- Imaged : The Domain Life Cycle
- 0 to 40 Day : Grace Period
- 40 to 70 Day : Redemption Period
- 70 to 75 Day : Hold Period
Day 0 to day -40 : Grace Period
Domain has expired, but is within Grace Period
If a domain name has expired, but is still within the 40 day Grace Period, the top of the web page may display a renewal reminder message three days after the expiry date. During the Grace Period, the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant, and the WHOIS information continues to display the registrant's information (or WHOIS Privacy, if applicable). It is still available for renewal by the current domain owner for 40 days.
Day -40 to day -70 : Redemption Period
Domain not renewed during Grace Period
After the 40 day Grace Period, if the domain name has not been renewed, it may be queued for deletion and eventually dropped or auctioned off.
During this period, if the domain name is not in the Live Auction (meaning no one has shown interest in the domain), the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant. The WHOIS information displays a Contact Privacy address.
The fees to recuperate a domain in the redemption period are 120$ for all domains, except .CA domains that are 35$. These prices include the domain renewal.
Important: Once the domain name is queued to enter the Live Auction, it cannot be redeemed by the original registrant. This means that the only way to recuperate the domain is to bid on the domain in the Live Auction.
Day -70 to day -75 : Hold Period
Domain is dropped
After the Redemption Period, if the domain name has not been auctioned off and acquired by another party, it is dropped and made available for re-registration by the general public, which means anyone can register the domain like it was a new one.
Because domain names are often a sensitive matter, it is extremely important for the domain owner or administrative contact to keep contact information up to date at all times. This will make sure you receive important emails such as expiry notices.
