Oh No! My Domain Expired! What are my Options?

So you slipped up and forgot to renew your very important domain that you absolutely cannot lose? Don't worry - there are options to get it back even after it's already expired. Most domains have what is called a renewal grace period followed by a redemption period, allowing you ample time to recapture your domain before it is deleted and re-released to the public.

Domains such as .COM, .NET, and .ORG give you a full 40 days to renew your domain after it expires. This is called the domain's renewal grace period and during this time, you can renew your domain for the same price that you would've paid if you had renewed it before it expired. Each domain has a different amount of time for their renewal grace period, and keep in mind that some domains don't offer a renewal grace period at all. On our list this includes .LA, .EU, .AT, .PL, and .LT, so if your domain is on one of these TLDs, you need to make sure you renew it before it expires. To see the renewal grace period of each of our domains, check out the renew column on our TLD descriptions page.

If the renewal grace period of your domain has already passed, you may still be able to get it back — for a much higher price — during its redemption period, but not all domains make it to their redemption period. 30 days after your domain expires, it is placed in our expired domain auctions where people can bid on it. If someone bids on it and wins (and you don't renew it yourself before your 40 day grace period is up), then the auction winner becomes the owner of the domain.

Like grace renewal periods, redemption periods also vary per domain and not all domains offer it. See our list of domain redemption periods for reference. As mentioned, it is also much more expensive to restore your domain. This is because the expired domain has already been deleted and we no longer control it, which is why you can't simply renew the domain. To see if you can still restore your domain during its redemption period, log into your Dynadot account and go to "Inactive Domains." If there is a checkbox next to the domain you want to restore, you can check it off, click restore, and proceed to our checkout. If not, then the domain can no longer be renewed or restored.

If you miss your domain renewal grace period and can't restore the domain because someone purchased it, you can use a whois lookup to contact the new owner about getting it back. If you just missed out on both your renewal grace period and redemption period, you'll have to wait for the domain to be dropped from the central registry. We have a drop catching service that allows us to grab the domain as soon as it's released to the general public for registration. You can search for your domain in our pending delete domains in our marketplace and place a backorder request to try and get it back. However, this is not a guaranteed way to get your domain back as we are often competing with other registrars to catch the domain and you are also potentially competing with backorder requests from other interested parties. Finally, if no one catches the domain, it is dropped from the central registry and can be registered by anyone. Now you can search for it on dynadot.com and if it's available re-register it.

Even though there are options to help you keep your domain after expiration, the best policy to ensure you don't lose your domains is always to renew early. We start sending out domain renewal reminders 60 days before expiration as well as at 30 days, 10 days, and 3 days, giving you ample opportunity to renew before your domain expires. We also offer auto-renewal that can easily be set up in your Dynadot account.

Post by Robyn Norgan