How long after a domain expires does it become available

Q: How long after a domain expires can it be bought?

Youll have 30 days (for most domains*) after your registration expires to renew your domain at the standard rate. After 30 days*, itll still be possible to renew, but youll have to pay an additional fee -- typically $100 (for a .com domain).

Although many people say, “I own xyz.tld” (where xyz is the domain, such as apple, and tld is the top level domain, such as com), people don’t really own domain names. Instead, they are leased to an individual, business or organization for at least a year, and at most 10 years.

Table of Contents Show

Follow these steps to determine when a domain name will expire:
1. Start a WHOIS Lookup
2. Type In The Domain Name of Interest
3. Scroll Down to the Bottom of the Record
How long after a domain expires can it be bought?
What happens after a domain expires?
How long does it take for domain to become active after renewal?
How long does a domain take to reactivate?

While domain names can be renewed in perpetuity, often times domain names will expire. If you desire a domain name and do not want to approach the owner about buying it from them, you can simply wait for it to expire. But how do you determine when a domain name will expire?

Follow these steps to determine when a domain name will expire:

1. Start a WHOIS Lookup

A WHOIS Lookup can be performed on many different websites, but the easiest place to do a lookup of a domain name is at DomainTools.com.

Visit http://whois.sc to begin the process.

2. Type In The Domain Name of Interest

In the “Enter a Domain or IP Address…” input box, type in the domain name of interest, such as DomainSherpa.com, and press the “lookup” button.

3. Scroll Down to the Bottom of the Record

At the very bottom of the record, you will see some timeline information for the domain name, such as the date the domain name was created (“Record created on”) and when the domain name is due to expire (“Domain expires on”) should it not be renewed.

As you can see above, the DomainSherpa.com domain name is due to expire on March 14, 2020, if not renewed prior to that date.

If the domain name is renewed prior to the expiration date, or within 30 days thereafter (many registrars allow a grace period), an additional 1+ years is added to the domain name registration. In this case, continue to monitor the domain name using either a free DomainTools.com account or DomainHole.com account.

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Jeffrey is the Co-Founder of Saw.com, focusing on domain sales and acquisitions. Visit www.Saw.com if you want to purchase a domain.

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Oops! You accidentally let the domain you own expire. What happens next? First off, don't panic. You still have a while before it is gone.

Most extensions follow the same common process, but some of it is based on which registry manages the extension of the domain, which registrar the domain is registered with and how long ago it expired. In this article, I will be covering the process of a .com domain. For example, certain extensions, such as ccTLDs (country-code Top-Level Domains) and gTLDs (generic Top-Level Domains), can have special rules regarding renewals.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) adopted the Expired Registration Recovery Policy on Aug. 31, 2013. The policy requires registrars to notify registrants of important information regarding expiration notices, redemption procedures and fees. This information is easily found on your registrar's website.

Like many other regulations, it is up to the interpretation of the servicer. That means the registrar is obligated to follow the guidelines that ICANN has provided, but they all have their own way of handling renewals. Like the varying laws from state to state, they all generally follow a standard timeline for issuing notifications to registrants. See below for an example. (Note: This example does not reflect a specific registrar's renewal process. See each registrar's renewal policies for specific information.)

Please note if the domain is a few days past the expiration date the domain is not lost forever. Additionally, buyers out there who think they can just wait until the clock strikes 12 the day the domain expires with the idea they can immediately scoop the domain up must understand that this is simply not possible. Hiring a professional to help you navigate this process might be the best thing you can do.

Expiration Timeline

The day before the expiration: Before the registration expires, the registrar will typically send you a handful of alerts, notifying you that the registration is nearing expiration. You can renew the domain or set the domain up for auto-renew.

Expiration date: If you do not renew the domain by the expiration date, the name will enter a renewal grace period. You can renew the domain or set the domain up for auto-renew.

Day 1 after expiration: The domain will be deactivated and "parked," indicating that its registration has expired. Other services associated with the domain, such as email, may cease to function. You can renew the domain or set the domain up for auto-renew.

Day 30 after expiration: The renewal grace period will end and the domain will be put up for an expired domain auction. If someone else bids and wins the domain, the domain name registration will be transferred to that new owner. You can renew the domain or set the domain up for auto-renew with an added renewal registration fee. For the record, there are tens of thousands of expired domain auctions happening every single day. Like storage lockers that have gone unpaid, there is an entire industry of people who buy, sell and monetize the domains that expire. Some of these expired domains sell for tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most of the time, the registrar that had the domain registered with them gets to keep all or most of the proceeds from such auctions. These are public auctions where anyone can bid on the domains.

Day 40 after expiration: Auctions will end. If the auctions end with no bidders, the domain will be returned to the registry. During this time (referred to as a registry grace period), you can pay a redemption fee in addition to the renewal fee to restore the registration.

Day 42 after expiration: If the registry grace period ends, the domain will be returned to the registry with no option for the domain or website to be recovered by the owner. Your last option would be to register the domain again through general registration. More than likely, if the domain was developed or had any sort of value, it would have probably sold in an auction. Obviously, any services it once had associated with it would be gone.

Your domain is the foundation of your business. It is your brand, your front door and the basis of your company's communications. How do you keep from letting your domain expire? Call your registrar, renew it to the max, which is 10 years, and then leave another 10-year's worth of renewals as a credit in the account. It sounds like overkill, but for what the domain means to your business, it is the cheapest insurance policy you will ever own.

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How long after a domain expires can it be bought?

You'll have 30 days (for most domains*) after your registration expires to renew your domain at the standard rate. After 30 days*, it'll still be possible to renew, but you'll have to pay an additional fee -- typically $100 (for a .com domain).

What happens after a domain expires?

When a domain expires it becomes inactive immediately and all the services attached to it cease to function. You can't make any updates to the domain while it is expired. The domain will remain available for reactivation at your regular domain rate under your list of Expired Domains.

How long does it take for domain to become active after renewal?

It usually takes about 24-48 hours before it is visible to all users of the Internet. Sometimes propagation delays due to Internet providers, they have to update their records (DNS tables) to reflect the changes.

How long does a domain take to reactivate?

NOTE: If your domain name is reactivated within 30-day Grace Period, its respective DNS settings will be restored. Due to DNS propagation, this might take approximately 24-48 hours for any domain-related services to start working again. The contact information for expired domain names cannot be changed or deleted.