It is almost never a webmaster’s wish to lose his or her domain. But then, have you ever thought of what happens when domain name expires?
If you presently have a domain on which the clock is steadily ticking down, this is one concern you may be contemplating about.
Most likely, life got in the way, and you failed to renew your domain, or you may not have enough cash available right now, or some other excuse.
As a result, you either didn’t renew your domain before it expires or you’ve estimated that you wouldn’t be able to renew it before it expires, however, you’re not sure whether you’d be able to get the domain back whenever you money is available.
This article will explain in-depth relating what happens when domain expires. We’ll also go into why domains expire, the different phases of a domain’s life-cycle, and what to do if your domain has expired.
As you can see, this post is packed with information, and it will do its best to cover any vertical that falls within the scope of what happens when a domain expires.
Let’s get started without any further delay…
What Happens When Domain Expires?
When a domain expires, the website and email service will cease to function, and you will no longer be able to make any adjustments.
In addition to the list of things that will happen when a domain expires, the following are also included:
- The registrant has the option to renew it
- To be bought at auction
- Go back to the registry (this is the primary database for the domain name)
- Become the focus of domain squatting
Although the domain has expired, it is not possible to make any changes to it. Under your collection of Expired Domains, the domain will be eligible for reactivation at the normal domain cost.
The person who was leasing the domain (the registrant) before it expired would normally have options to purchase back the privilege of using the expired domain name before any of these things happen.
However, renewing the domain name before it expires is much easier.
Domain Life Cycle
A domain will typically pass through the following life cycle below:
1. Domain Availability
The domain’s life cycle begins with it being accessible. This implies that you can claim that domain since it is currently held by no one.
You can check whether a domain is available or not by conducting a domain search at any domain registrar of your choosing.
2. Active
If your desired domain is usable, you can purchase and configure it to make it functional. The Active period usually lasts between 1 and 10 years before it expires.
This time frame is dependent on the duration chosen by the registrant at the point of registration.
During this time, the domain owner must renew the domain in order to maintain possession.
3. Grace Period
When a domain’s expiration date passes without being extended, it begins its Grace period, which can last anywhere from 30 to 45 days. During this time, you have the option of reclaiming your domain name without fear of it being deleted.
There are no extra payments during the Grace period; you can easily renew the domain at the regular renewal amount.
There is no grace period for certain TLDs, including .site, .online, .pw, .store, .space, .website, .tech, and .xyz. These domains enters the Redemption cycle immediately after their expiration date, with no grace period.
Renewal years are often extended to the end of the existing registration period, but if you renew two months earlier or the day before expiration, the new expiry date will be the same, so you’ll never lose time on your domain when renewing early.
4. Redemption Period
After the Grace Period, the domain begins the Redemption period, which spans for 30 days and is often known as the Redemption Grace period.
After the registrar submits a delete request to the registry, a redemption grace period is granted to the registrant.
During this time, only the previous registrant can reclaim the domain, and it must be done via the previous registrar. For certain TLDs, the redemption grace period is referred to by a different term.
5. Pending Deletion
Your domain is now in the Pending Deletion stage after the Redemption Period expires. You have no other choice but to wait until the domain name has been removed and you can buy it back during this period.
6. Domain Squatting
Domain squatting (also known as “cybersquatting”) is described as registering, trading in, or using an Internet domain name with the bad faith intent of profiting from the goodwill of someone else’s trademark, according to the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.
To summarize, if your domain has a high domain rank and authority, or if it is already trademarked and has the potential to become famous, someone else may register it to prevent you from owning it again.
It is important to remember that domain squatting is illegal and should not be undertaken by anyone; otherwise, the long arm of the law would catch up with them.
7. Back into the Market
If the domain remains unsold after a grace or redemption and domain squatting periods, it is returned to the registry, where it can be bought like every other available domain name.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the signs that your domain is just about to expire?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) introduced the Expired Registration Recovery Policy on Aug. 31, 2013, which states that it is the registrar’s duty to notify customers when their domains are about to expire.
Some predatory registrars, on the other hand, will delay until the domain expires before purchasing it and attempting to resell it to the actual registrant at a far higher price.
This attitude can be regarded as domain squatting, and it is a very bad thing and a criminal offense.
2. How do you keep your domain name from expiring?
It’s important to note that domain name registration is only temporary and subject to renewal fees.
To retain your domain name, you’ll have to pay constant renewal fees at the end of your current domain active period, regardless of who you are or what your domain is.
Here are a few ways to keep your domain from expiring.
a. Make sure your renewal notices are turned on
When you first buy a domain name, you have the option of paying for it over time.
Assume you purchased the domain name three years in advance. It’s doubtful that you’ll remember to renew your domain name after those three years have passed.
Switching on your renewal email notifications and keeping your email address up to date is a safer choice.
b. Switch on auto-renew
Setting your account to auto-renew is an even better way to ensure that your domain does not expire.
This ensures that when your domain name is about to expire, the registrar will bill your account the renewal fee accordingly, ensuring that your website is not disrupted.
Remember to double-check your billing details if your account is set to auto-renew. Your renewal payment will be declined if your credit card expires or if you need to upgrade it for some reason.
If your credit card information is outdated or expired, most registrars can send you an email so you can update it before your expiration date.
c. Use the same registrar for all of your domains
It can be difficult to keep track of multiple domain names if you have more than one. Transferring all of your domain names to one registry and account is an ideal way to ensure that none of them expires without you noticing it.
Using one registrar will help to ensure that your domain names will be stored in one secure location and linked to the same credit card.
d. Use the grace periods to your benefit
Don’t panic if your domain name expires because you’ve fallen behind on payments. There is always hope. During one of the grace periods, you can still repurchase your domain.
Although it’s true that if you let your domain expire, you might have to pay extra fees, paying a redemption fee is far less expensive than rebranding and rebuild again from scratch.
3. What is the meaning of a domain name?
Website domain names are the primary address that an individual or a company uses to define and differentiate themselves on the internet.
This name serves as a billboard, informing prospective consumers of whom you are, where you are, and what products or services you offer.
A webpage without a domain name is impossible to find since the domain name serves as both the storefront sign and the entrance to the store.
4. What are the possible causes for domain name expiration?
It’s all too tempting to forget that a domain name reservation is only for a limited time.
Even if the domain name is yours at the moment and will be for years, there is always a risk that it may be taken away from you.
There are a variety of reasons why domains can expire, and the following are a few of them:
a. Reminder notices for renewals turned off
You could be setting yourself up for failure if you have turned off renewal reminder notifications. Although auto emails and reminders can be annoying, they can also save your life.
Even if you turned off renewal notifications manually, your domain registrar will start sending reminders to your mentioned email address about 30 days before the domain expires.
b. Auto-renew is disabled
You will avoid forgetting to renew your domain name by using your account details and setting it to auto-renew.
When auto-renew is activated, your domain name will be automatically renewed prior to its expiration date, usually a day before. Until you make changes or there are problems with your billing details, this functionality will keep running and auto-renew.
c. Out-of-date billing data
If you drop a credit card or it expires due to normal wear and tear, it’s easy to forget about all of the websites, programs, and subscriptions you’ve linked to that card and had set to auto-bill.
In such circumstances, updating the billing details on a domain you leased years ago and then set to auto-renew would be the last thing on your mind.
If you lose or get a new credit card, go through your bills and then see what needs to be changed with correct billing information.
d. Many domain registrars
The more and more domains you have scattered out, the easier it is to lose track of them or mix them up, particularly if you have a number of various website domain names.
It’s all too easy for a domain name to fall through the gaps and expires because it’s spread through several registrars.
We recommend that you combine your domains into one service here at WebHost Bros. Through doing so, you can consolidate all of your domains into one location and connect them to a single billing account.
e. The domain’s contact email address is not your primary email address
At WebHost Bros, we recommend that you use your primary email address as your domain registrar’s contact email.
This is beneficial because it ensures that you do not miss any domain renewal notices from your registrar.
f. Waiting too long to renew the domain
Even if the domain registrar has issued several renewal notices or warnings, some people just wait too long to renew their domain and reach the stage at which nothing can be done.
You should be assured that on the day of expiration, you will forfeit control of the domain name.
g. Insufficient cash at hand
One of the reasons why domains expire is that you do not have the funds to pay the renewal fee right now.
Despite the fact that domain renewal fees range from $8.99 to $15, most people are actually bootstrapping and do not have the funds to renew their domain.
5. Who are the people involved in the domain registration industry?
There are several categories of individuals that you will normally find in the domain name registration industry.
These set of people are:
a. Central Registries
Central registries, also known as domain name registries, are in charge of keeping track of all domain registrations under a single TLD. For example, the.com domain is managed by Verisign.
These registries will also house the TLDs’ Whois records and DNS. Multiple TLDs are often supported by a single registry (such as Verisign managing .com, .net, and more).
b. Registrars
Companies like Namecheap, Namesilo, and Dynadot fall into this category. They collaborate with registries (as specified by ICANN regulations) to offer you the domains you want while also registering domains on the registry’s behalf. To put it another way, registrars sell domains, while registries manage and monitor them.
Resellers who work with registrars to sell domains to users are also available. One of the reasons resellers exist is that linking a registry to a registrar can be a technological and complicated operation
c. Registrants
This is the person who buys the domain. The domain is never ‘owned’ by the registrant; it is simply registered to that person.
Conclusion
Now you know exactly what happens when domain expires!
As you can clearly see, when a domain immediately expires, it is not the end of the road, as you still have some grace period within which you should be able to buy back your domain.
Remember that you are renting a domain name for a specific period of time when you begin your new website.
To retain your domain name, you’ll have to pay a renewal fee every now and then.
Keep your credit card up to date, opt to auto-renew your domain name, and keep your contact details updated in your account to prevent losing your domain name.
We recommend that your domain should be renewed even before it officially expires.