If you need to know when one of your domains will become available again, or want to understand details about when an expired domain can be registered anew, you're in the right place.
The domain lifecycle by extension
To know exactly when a domain's registration will expire, you need to understand its lifecycle according to its extension. Generally the lifecycle is divided into three stages:
- Renew Grace Period — grace period
- Redemption Period — penalty period
- Pending Delete — deletion period
Depending on the extension, each of these phases can have a different duration, and the time you'll need to wait for a domain to become freely available again will vary accordingly.
When do .com domains expire?
When .com domains expire, they have a grace period of 42 days. During this time, if you are the domain owner, you can renew it by making the corresponding renewal payment.
After the grace period, the redemption period begins, which lasts 30 days. During this time you can opt for renewal by paying the applicable penalty.
Finally, the deletion period begins, which lasts about 5 days. During this time the domain cannot be renewed.
Once all three stages are complete — after approximately 77 days — the domain will be free, meaning anyone else can register it.
When do .es domains expire?
For .es domains, the process is different. The grace period lasts only 10 days. .es domains do not have redemption or deletion periods, meaning they are released automatically as soon as the grace period ends.