Most generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) follow a similar domain life-cycle. Several critical stages occur after expiration, including reactivation, redemption, or possibly auction. These stages may not apply to most country-code TLDs, which can, depending on the ccTLD, go into redemption before their expiration date and not offer grace periods.
- TLD expiry timeline
- Viewing expiring domains
- Expiry grace period
- Redemption period
- Auction
- Related articles
TLD expiry timeline
Note: The dates below reference the expiry date as Day 0, so negative dates are days before. These dates are estimates that can be used as a guide for when to expect certain emails.
| Day after expiry | Action |
| -45 |
|
| -30 |
|
| -14 |
|
| -7 |
|
| 0 |
|
| 2 |
|
| 30 |
|
| 60-75 |
|
| 60-75 (end of redemption) |
|
| 75-80 |
|
Viewing expiring domains
We highly recommend that you enable automatic renewal for your domains. Renewal years are added to the end of the current registration period, so you will never lose time on your domain by renewing early.
We also suggest that you keep track of your domain expiration dates and renew well in advance to avoid unintentional downtime or loss of the domain itself. As Enom contacts the account holder regarding upcoming domain expirations, it is imperative that the email address on the account is up-to-date and actively monitored.
Listing expiring domains
- Log in to your account.
- Select Domains at the top of the website, then choose My domains from the dropdown.
- Select the Expiring tab.
- You can sort the list by clicking any of the headings. To view the list by ascending expiry date, click Exp date.
Generating an expiring domains report
- Log in to your account.
- Select My account, then My reports.
- Choose Expiring domains from the Report type dropdown, select your desired timeframe and click Run report.
Expiry grace period
Enom offers a non-guaranteed 30-day grace period for renewal for many TLDs. Each registry has its own rules regarding expiry grace, and some may not offer a grace period. Once a domain expires, Enom may dispose of it in any way, at any time, according to the registration agreement.
When a domain expires it becomes inactive immediately, a parking page is displayed, and all the services, such as a website or email cease to function. It is impossible to update an expired domain, but the registrant can still transfer it to another registrar. The domain will remain available for reactivation at the regular renewal rate. Follow the standard renewal steps for renewing domains in their expiry grace period.
The domain may appear to be renewed for another year in the registry Whois lookup. This added year indicates the "auto-renew grace period" provided by the registry. The registry charges the registrar's account for the renewal to hold the domain name, allowing the registrant time to renew it. Despite the date at the registry, the domain is still expired and must be renewed or transferred or risk going to redemption or auction.
Redemption period
After a domain has passed through any applicable expiration grace period, it may go into a non-guaranteed redemption period which typically lasts 30-45 days. The Enom system may also move the domain to auction in this period. The domain cannot be modified or transferred in this state and will continue to point to an expired page. The account holder or registrant must recover the domain to bring it back online. There is an additional fee to restore domains from redemption as well as the renewal fee.
If the domain is not recovered from redemption, the registry will eventually delete it. Once the domain enters the pendingDelete status at the registry, the registry will delete the domain will delete within five days. After the registry deletes the domain, it will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Auction
Enom makes every effort to allow registrants to renew their expired domain names. The registrant or account holder can renew their domain at the normal rate within the expiry grace period. Once the grace period has ended, Enom reserves the right to provide a redemption grace period or send the domain to auction.
Domains moved to auction will either show up in the Afternic, LLC account at Enom or be listed in a Whois lookup as registered elsewhere. In either case, these domains are no longer recoverable through standard methods.
Domains moved to auction cannot be recovered except through purchase at auction. They are no longer the property of the previous registrant and will be available for general purchase at auction.
Related articles
- Renewing your domain
- How to stop renewing a domain or service
- Recovering domains from redemption
- Enom terms of service
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