Expiry and recovery stages of a generic domain

The expiry date and the registry status determine whether you can still renew or recover the domain. Do not work out a release date by adding up periods without checking its actual status:

• Grace period: at Hostsuar, the .com, .net, .org, .info and .biz extensions currently have 30 days from expiry to renew at the usual cost. Other extensions may apply different conditions.
• Redemption period: after being deleted, the domain normally stays in redemptionPeriod for 30 days. The holder can still request its restoration, but this has an additional cost that depends on the extension and the registry's current price.
• Deletion period: the final pendingDelete stage, once redemption has run out, usually lasts 5 days. During this stage it can no longer be renewed or restored; when it ends, the registry may release it for a new registration.

The periods are not random, but there is no guarantee that a domain will become available immediately or that the former holder will be able to register it again. Also see our article on expired domain speculation.

Identify the next step

Open the domain's page and check its status and the proforma invoice, if there is one. If it is already in redemption, ask for confirmation of the procedure and the recovery amount before paying an old renewal.

The EPP statuses explained by ICANN may appear combined. pendingDelete together with redemptionPeriod does not mean the same as the final deletion stage; give the full set of statuses when you ask about the case.

The commercial grace period does not guarantee that the website and email keep working. An expiry date that the registry has moved forward automatically does not prove that your renewal has been paid either. Confirm the status of the operation with the provider.

These stages refer to generic extensions; do not apply the same periods to .es or other country-code extensions. To decide between transfer and recovery, see the expired domain guide.