Domain renewals and expiry
A domain is not bought once and kept forever. You register it for a set period and renew it before that period ends. This guide explains how registration periods and auto-renew work, what happens if a domain expires, and the simple habits that stop you from losing a domain your website and email depend on.
Registration periods
When you register a domain, you choose how long to register it for, usually one year at a time. Many extensions let you register or renew for several years at once, up to a maximum set by the registry. For most generic extensions, such as .com and .org, that maximum is ten years in total.
Every domain has an expiry date. You can see it in the account where the domain is registered and in the public registration record (see Domain privacy and domain lock). Renewing adds time to the existing expiry date, so renewing early does not cost you any time.
Auto-renew
Auto-renew tells your registrar to renew the domain automatically before it expires, using the payment method on your account. It is the simplest protection against an accidental expiry.
For auto-renew to work:
- The payment method on your account must be valid and not expired.
- The account must be in good standing, with no unpaid invoices.
- You should still read renewal reminders, in case a payment fails.
If you no longer want a domain, turn auto-renew off rather than ignoring the reminders, so the domain is not renewed and billed by mistake.
First-year price and renewal price
Many registrars charge less for the first year than for renewals. When you compare offers, look at both prices, written as "first-year price, renews at renewal price". A low first-year price can be followed by a much higher renewal price, especially for some newer extensions. Registry prices can also change over time, which affects renewal prices.
What happens when a domain expires
When a domain reaches its expiry date without being renewed, it stops working:
- Your website stops loading, often with a DNS error or a parking page from the registrar.
- Email to addresses at the domain stops arriving, and senders may get bounce messages.
- Any service that relies on the domain, such as logins or verification records, can stop working too.
What happens next depends on the extension and the registrar. For many generic extensions, there are two stages after expiry:
- A renewal grace period, when you can usually still renew the domain, sometimes at the normal renewal price.
- A redemption period, when the domain can only be restored, usually for an extra restore fee on top of the renewal.
After that, the domain is deleted and may become available for anyone to register. The length of each stage and the fees involved vary by extension and registrar, and some country extensions follow different rules altogether. Check your registrar's terms for the exact periods and fees that apply to your domain.
Your website and email are already down during the grace and redemption periods, and restoring a domain can cost much more than renewing it on time. Treat the expiry date as the real deadline.
Keep your contact email current
Renewal reminders and expiry notices go to the email address on your registrar account and on the domain. If that address no longer works, you will not see the warnings.
If your only contact address uses the domain itself, such as jane@example.com for example.com, the reminders stop arriving exactly when the domain expires. Add or use an address at a different domain as well.
Habits that prevent a lapsed domain
- Turn on auto-renew for every domain you want to keep.
- Check that the payment method on your account is current, and update it when your card is replaced.
- Make sure the contact email works and is not at the same domain.
- Note important expiry dates in a calendar, especially for domains that run your website and email.
- Consider renewing key domains for several years at once.
If your domain has already expired
Sign in to the account where the domain is registered as soon as possible and renew it, or ask the registrar how to restore it. Once it is renewed, your website and email normally return after the registrar reactivates the domain and DNS caches update, which can take a few hours. Why DNS changes take time explains the delay.
You can register new domains from the DomainPilot domains page. If you have questions about a renewal, contact DomainPilot support.