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What happens when a domain expires? Grace period, restore fee and deletion

An expired domain doesn't disappear at once: it stops resolving, enters a 30-day redemption period, then is deleted and released. What you can do at each stage and what it costs, from ICANN rules and live prices.

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An expired domain usually isn't taken by someone else right away, but its website and email stop first. For a generic domain such as .com, the registrar can stop it resolving after expiry; it then enters ICANN's 30-day redemption period, where only the previous holder can get it back by paying a restore fee; after a further 5-day pending-delete period anyone can register it. On Nymwell you can still renew at the normal renewal price for about 25 days after expiry, and restoring a .com after that costs US$156.04 (2026-10-27).

The four stages after expiry (.com, .net, .org and other generic domains)

StageRoughly how longWhat happensCan you get it back
Before expiryNotices about 1 month and 1 week beforeThe registrar must send expiry noticesRenew as normal
After expiryUp to the registrar, at most about 45 daysThe website and email may stop; the web address can show an "expired" pageUsually, at the renewal price
Redemption30 daysThe registrar has deleted the name; only the previous holder can redeem itYes, with a restore fee
Pending delete5 daysNobody can renew or redeem itNo; then it's open to anyone

Common misunderstandings:

  • There's no guaranteed grace period. ICANN's rules let a registrar delete a domain at any time after it expires. The often-quoted "at least 8 days" only applies when the registrar deletes it 8 or more days after expiry. The only recovery path the rules guarantee is the 30-day redemption period.
  • The website goes down first. For the last days a domain can still be renewed, the registrar must interrupt its usual resolution; if it shows a page instead, that page must say the domain has expired and how to renew it.
  • Country-code domains (.tw, .io, .ai) follow their own rules. ICANN doesn't set policy for country-code domains; each registry sets its own grace and redemption periods.

How long you have on Nymwell, and what it costs

EndingRenew at the normal price after expiryRestore fee after thatRenewal price
.comabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$26.32
.netabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$31.51
.orgabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$26.32
.ioabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$104.14
.coabout 25 daysUS$194.95US$58.75
.aiabout 25 days—US$259.77 (2 yrs)
.devabout 25 daysUS$233.86US$30.21
.appabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$35.40
.xyzabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$27.62
.twabout 25 daysUS$156.04US$44.49

Live prices on 2026-10-27, in USD, including Nymwell's margin. "—" means the registrar doesn't offer a restore price for that ending.

How to keep a domain from expiring

  1. Turn on auto-renew. New domains on Nymwell have it on by default: the saved card is charged the renewal price from 14 days before expiry, with retries 7, 3 and 1 day before if it fails.
  2. Keep a valid card saved. With auto-renew on but no saved card, Nymwell can only send reminders.
  3. Read the reminders. Nymwell writes 30 and 7 days before expiry, when a price changes and when a charge fails.
  4. Renew for several years. Most endings can be renewed up to 10 years ahead.

Questions

How soon can someone else register my expired domain? For a .com, after the 30-day redemption period and the 5-day pending-delete period. If the registrar deletes it right at expiry, that's about 35 days at the earliest. Popular names can be registered the moment they're released.

Why is the restore fee so high? During redemption the name has already been deleted, and the registry charges to restore it. On 2026-10-27 Nymwell's .com restore fee is US$156.04, several times the renewal price.

What happens to my website and email when a domain expires? Once it stops resolving, the website won't load and email sent to the domain isn't delivered. After renewal, both usually come back within minutes to a few hours.

Are the rules the same for .tw? No. .tw is a country-code domain; its expiry and redemption rules are set by TWNIC. Check TWNIC's announcements.

Sources