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Domain expiry timeline.

What actually happens after the date passes, stage by stage, and the point past which nothing can be done.

Enter the domain and its expiry date. Registry policy varies, so treat this as the shape rather than a guarantee.

The dates almost nobody knows until they are inside one

A domain does not simply stop. It moves through stages, and the cost of getting it back climbs at each one until it cannot be got back at all.

Most people meet this timeline on the day it matters, which is the worst possible moment to be learning it. The useful version is knowing a month in advance.

What differs by extension

The grace period is set by the registry, and registrars can offer less than the registry allows. Redemption fees are typically well over a hundred pounds and are set by the registrar, not the registry.

Some extensions have no grace period at all. A lapsed .de goes into transit almost immediately, and the assumption that you have a month does not hold.

More in the domain expiry guide.

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