Who runs it
.com is administered by Verisign, and its expiry process is the largest and most heavily monitored aftermarket of any extension.
What happens after expiry
Auto-renew grace, then a redemption period at a substantially higher fee, then a short pending-delete window before release.
The grace period
Around 30 days at most registrars, though the length is set by the registrar rather than the registry and varies.
Recovery after that
Roughly 30 days. Recovery during redemption typically costs upwards of $80 to $200 depending on the registrar, against a normal renewal of around $10 to $15.
Worth knowing about .com
Expired .com domains with any history are monitored and registered automatically the moment they are released. For a domain with inbound links or a trading history, assume it will be taken within minutes of becoming available.
What is true of every extension
- The domain stops resolving the moment it expires. The website and the email both stop at once, because both depend on the same records.
- Your registrar panel may still show the domain as active while the rest of the internet already treats it as gone.
- Every stage after expiry costs more than renewing did, and the last stage cannot be undone at any price.
Registry policies change. The shape of the process below is stable, but confirm the exact windows with your registrar before relying on a specific number.