Early this decade, the loss of  domain names through registration deletions cause by mistake or fraud became an increasing problem. To combat the issue, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) introduced two safeguards – the Domain Name Grace Period and the Domain Name Redemption Period. These also work in favour of registrants who have simply forgotten to renew their domain name.

.com, .net, .org, .info, and  .biz expiry processes

When a domain name ending in .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz expires, it first goes into the Domain Name Grace Period (DNGP), which lasts for approximately 40 days. 

During the Grace Period, a site associated with a domain name cannot be viewed with a browser and all other services such as email will also cease to function. The registrant’s details are still available via a WhoIs query. The domain can be revived simply by paying the renewal fee. After payment, the domain name will automatically become active again, although it could be 24 hours or so before DNS (Domain Name System) propagation completes and a site is reachable again from every part of the world.

At the end of the Grace Period, the domain then enters an additional 30 day Domain Name Redemption Period (DNRP) where all WhoIs information is removed, but the domain may be retrieved by the original registrant. However, it is a costly and complex process costing up to a couple of hundred dollars and takes a number of days.

If after the Domain Name Redemption Period the name is not claimed by the original registrant, it then enters a 5-day Pending Delete Phase after which time, the domain name will be released and able to be registered by any other eligible party.

About Todayisp
Todaynic.com International Limited(Todayisp.com) was incorporated in Hong Kong in 2005, directly under Todaynic.com, Inc. which was established in 2000. As one of the first ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), Verisign, HKDNR, and CNNIC (The China Internet Network Information Center) accredited registrars, Todayisp is also a leading provider of services in domain name registration and web hosting.