Quick answer: When a domain expires, your website and email stop working, but the domain isn't lost straight away. For .com, .net, .org, .shop and most other generic domains, there is first a renewal grace period (up to 45 days, renewable at the normal price), then a 30-day redemption period (recoverable only for an extra restore fee), then 5 days of pending delete, after which anyone can register it. .de domains work differently: they have no expiry date at DENIC, and once deleted they get a 30-day redemption period in which only the previous owner can get them back.
The timeline for .com, .net, .org, .shop and other gTLDs
| Phase | When | Website and email | Can you get it back? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Until the expiry date | Working | Renew any time; reminders go out about a month and a week before. |
| Expired / renewal grace | Day 0 to about day 30 (registrar policy, at most 45) | Stopped (DNS switched off or parked) | Yes, at the normal renewal price. You are still the owner. |
| Redemption (RGP) | 30 days after grace ends | Stopped | Yes, but only with a restore fee on top of the renewal (often €80–€200 in total). |
| Pending delete | 5 days | Stopped | No, nobody can renew or register it. |
| Released | After roughly 65–80 days | – | Only by registering it again, if nobody else is faster. |
The exact days in the first phase depend on the registrar and the extension. The redemption (30 days) and pending delete (5 days) phases are set by the registries and are the same for nearly every generic domain.
.de domains: how DENIC handles it
- No expiry date at the registry. A .de domain stays registered for as long as your registrar keeps renewing it, normally year by year with your hosting or domain invoice.
- Unpaid means deleted, not expired. If the invoice isn't paid, the registrar can delete the domain at the end of the contract. There is no grace period at the normal price like the one for .com.
- 30-day redemption grace period. Since December 2013, a deleted .de domain stays blocked for 30 days. In that time only the last holder (or someone they name) can re-register it, through a registrar, for a restore fee.
- Release. After the 30 days, DENIC releases the domain at a random time on the following day, and anyone can register it.
- Transit. If a registrar ends its contract without deleting the domain, it goes to DENIC's "Transit" status. DENIC then contacts the holder, who can move it to a new registrar.
Other country domains (.at, .ch, .eu, .co.uk, …) each have their own rules, and some are deleted much faster. If you have one of these, don't rely on a long grace period.
What stops working, and when
- Website: visitors see an error or a registrar parking page instead of your site. Search engines start dropping your pages if this lasts more than a few days.
- Email: mail to your addresses bounces or disappears. Password-reset mails for your other accounts can't reach you either, so renewing a forgotten domain quickly matters.
- SSL certificate: stays valid but is useless while the domain doesn't resolve, and can't be renewed until the domain is active again.
How to get an expired domain back at Ypsilon
- Log in to the client area → My Domains.
- Open the domain and choose Renew. If it is still in the renewal grace period, you pay the normal price.
- If it is already in redemption, open a ticket. We request the restore from the registry and tell you the restore fee before anything is charged.
- After payment, DNS usually works again within a few hours.
How to never lose a domain
- Keep auto-renewal on and a valid payment method saved. See Understanding domain auto-renewal.
- Use a contact email on a different domain (for example a Gmail address), so reminders still reach you when your own domain is down.
- For important domains, renew for several years at once.
- Check what happens to unpaid invoices in Late fees, suspensions and terminations.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone else register my domain the day after it expires?
No. For gTLDs it stays reserved for you through the grace and redemption periods, typically 65 days or more. For .de, only you can re-register it during the 30 days after deletion.
Is my data deleted when the domain expires?
No. The domain and your hosting are separate. Files, databases and mailboxes on your hosting account stay as they are while the hosting itself is paid.
Can I transfer an expired domain to Ypsilon?
Usually only once it has been renewed at the current registrar. Many registries block transfers during redemption. See How to transfer your domain to Ypsilon.
The domain I want is about to expire. Can I get it?
Only after it is released at the end of the cycle. Until then, the current owner can still renew it at any point.
Looking for a new domain, or want to move existing ones to one place? Search and register a domain or transfer it to Ypsilon.
