When the end of the day on the expiration date is reached, a domain will be disabled. The website stops working and email sent to the domain bounces back to the sender.
It is still possible to renew a domain after it expires. Most domains enter a Renewal Period where the domain can be renewed normally. Registrars can choose the length of the Renewal Period for generic top-level domains like .com, .net, and .org. The maximum length they can choose is 45 days. We use a 40 day Renewal Period.
Country code top-level domains like .uk can have different Renewal Periods. The .uk registry provides 90 days.
If a domain is in the Renewal Period, you can log into your account to renew it.
Redemption Grace Period
After the Renewal Period, most domains enter the Redemption Grace Period. This is a 30 day period where the domain can still be reactivated, but the registries charge more for reactivation. Instead of our normal renewal prices, the cost to reactivate a domain from the Redemption Grace Period is $75, except for .black, .eco, .green, .poker, and .sh domains. Those top-level domains cost $100 to reactivate from the Redemption Grace Period.
There is no Redemption Grace Period for .uk or .ws domains. They go directly from the Renewal Period to the Pending Delete Period.
Please contact us to reactivate a domain from the Redemption Grace Period.
Pending Delete Period
After the Redemption Grace Period (or the Renewal Period for domains that don’t offer a Redemption Grace Period), a domain enter a 5 day Pending Delete Period. During this period, nothing can be done with the domain. After 5 days, the domain is deleted and can be registered as a new domain.