Expired Domain Names - How to Deal with Them?

Expired domain name is simply a general status of certain domain names. This particular status of the domain name is acquired when the domain name owner failed to remember renewing the registered domain name, and thus when a domain name is assigned “expired domain name” status, it means that the expired domain name is going to be deleted from the domain name registry.

Therefore when you are notified by the domain name registrar that a domain name you own is an expire domain name and you still want to keep and use it, then you should find out all the stages, which the domain names noted as “expired domain names” go through on their way to removal from the registry.

On the first stage a domain name before becoming an “expired domain name”, you should go through the domain name registration. Usually one may register a domain name for a maximum of ten years. Even when being renewed, the domain name can’t be extended beyond a ten year period, and the domain name registrars have no right to prolong a domain name registration for more than ten years. Nevertheless, we should note that top level domain names, similar to the .com or .net, cannot be registered for over 2 years at a time.

After the above period, when a domain name turns into an “expired domain name” or soon after the domain name passes its expiration date, the process of the expired domain name deactivation takes place. After deactivation, such services as a website or mail associated with the domain name will no longer operate. Nevertheless, you can still renew the expired domain name during a certain period after the expiry date, however, this will usually take from 24 to 72 hours before the services for the domain name may be reactivated.

In case if the expired domain name reached the so-called “domain name grace period”, which is roughly 40 days after it’s labelled as “expired”, the domain name will no longer be active and may be renewed without incurring any extra costs. And after the above mentioned period, there comes the next stage of the domain name expiration which is referred to as the “domain name redemption period”.

This is a 30 days period, within which the domain name can be redeemed. During this stage, the WHOIS personal information such as the owner name, address, telephones and other information will be deleted, while the domain name still remains inactive. During this period the domain can still be renewed by its original owner by paying $105 on top of its regular renewal fee. And because this is now a manual process to add the name, address and all relevant contact information of the holder back to the domain registry, the process will usually take much longer time.

At last, after the “domain name redemption period” there is a final period termed as the “domain name deletion period”. In five days after the redemption period for the expired domain name is finished, the domain name will be permanently removed from the registry and will then be become available for anyone who wants to register it as a new domain name.