---
title: What happens when a domain expires? Grace period, restore fee and deletion
description: 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.
updated: 2026-10-27
---

# What happens when a domain expires?

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)

| Stage | Roughly how long | What happens | Can you get it back |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Before expiry | Notices about 1 month and 1 week before | The registrar must send expiry notices | Renew as normal |
| After expiry | Up to the registrar, at most about 45 days | The website and email may stop; the web address can show an "expired" page | Usually, at the renewal price |
| Redemption | 30 days | The registrar has deleted the name; only the previous holder can redeem it | Yes, with a restore fee |
| Pending delete | 5 days | Nobody can renew or redeem it | No; 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

| Ending | Renew at the normal price after expiry | Restore fee after that | Renewal price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| .com | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$26.32 |
| .net | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$31.51 |
| .org | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$26.32 |
| .io | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$104.14 |
| .co | about 25 days | US$194.95 | US$58.75 |
| .ai | about 25 days | — | US$259.77 (2 yrs) |
| .dev | about 25 days | US$233.86 | US$30.21 |
| .app | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$35.40 |
| .xyz | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$27.62 |
| .tw | about 25 days | US$156.04 | US$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

- ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy (updated 2024-02-21): https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/consensus-policies/expired-registration-recovery-policy/expired-registration-recovery-policy-21-02-2024-en
- ICANN for registrants: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/registrant-about-errp-2018-12-07-en
- .com registry agreement (45-day auto-renew grace, 5-day pending delete): https://www.icann.org/en/registry-agreements/com/com-registry-agreement-appendix-7-1-12-2012-en
- ICANN on country-code domains: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/faqs-2014-01-21-en

## Related

- [Why a domain renewal costs more than the first year](https://nymwell.com/en/guides/domain-renewal-price/)
- [Domain prices](https://nymwell.com/en/pricing/)
- [How to transfer a domain](https://nymwell.com/en/guides/domain-transfer/)