Domain expiration process - how does it work and what next?
At some point in time, any domain name will expire. It is important to be clear what the expiration process is and what financial consequences one can incur if not acting promptly. The process of domain expiration has several stages, awareness of which will help you avoid unnecessary extra payments and the likelihood of losing your domain. Most importantly, you should read thoroughly through the terms and conditions of your domain registrar (an organisation managing reservation of Internet domain names) that will tell you how soon in advance you will be notified of the upcoming domain expiration.
- Step 1: active status
Domains typically have an "active" status during the registration period. Some domains can also have a "blocked" status imposed by either registrar or the website owner. This simply means that the domain settings cannot be altered until the "blocked" status is removed and is a normal way of precaution so that the domain is not transferred to a different registrar without prior approval of the owner. Active status means that the domain name is available and visible depending on the status of the server where the website is parked. During its active status, the domain registration can be extended further. Some time before the expiration date, the owner will receive a reminder of the upcoming expiration. The exact timing of this is set by each registrar and can be in the range of 1 - 6 months prior to expiration. The reminder is sent to the email address of the website owner. Out-of-date or erroneous contact information may result in non-receipt of the notification and subsequent expiration of the domain due to missed extension of the registration. This is the most common reason for domain expiration. Always, and I would stress again, ALWAYS check carefully that the contact details in registrar`s file are up-to-date.
- Step 2: "on hold" status
Status "on hold" starts after the domain registration is expired or shortly after (depending on the registrar`s decision). In this status, domain stops functioning and the website appears as unavailable even though hosting itself works fine. Some registrars allow short period of time, during which, the domain continues to function even after its expiration. When one is in this status, it is still possible to revert back to "active" by making a missed payment and not incurring any additional penalty charges.
- Step 3: redemption period (also referred as "buy-back chance" or "grace period")
This is the latest development of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) that gives domain owners a so-called - "second chance" to extend the domain registration and avoid its complete loss. Even though, this service is very useful, it is not free of charge and can cost up to $100. Some registrars set the price much higher! The owner is given 30 days to decide whether they want to extend the domain further. The start of these 30 days is set up by each registrar thus check their terms and conditions and keep in mind that the grace period of 30 days is not required by law, thus is purely at registrar`s discretion.
- Step 4: deletion/removal
This is the last stage prior to the release of the domain name to other registrars. It follows 30-day redemption period and lasts around 5 days. Once this status is reached, it is not possible to re-active the domain even if one makes up for the missed payments. The only way to get the domain name back is to wait until the domain is released to registrars and to register it again. Of course, there is no 100% guarantee that you would be the first to get hold of it.
- Conclusion
Always (always!) make sure that your registrar has your up-to-date contact information. If you keep by this simple rule, you will avoid unnecessary penalties. Also, registration for several years has its own advantages and disadvantages. On a positive side, the owner can register the domain name up to 10 years. The process of domain expiry is not simple and can lead to high penalties. If the domain name is important for you/your business, keep a close eye on the registration expiration and be sure that the registrar will notify you when approaching the end of registration.
- Types of domains
There are 4 main types of domain names: top-level, second-level, third-level and country domains. For example, in websitesourse.com the top-level domain is ".com", the second-level domain is familiararticles.com and the third-level domain is familiararticles.com.
- Top-level Domains
Examples: .com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org
When choosing the domain name in this category, please be aware of the official list of forbidden names (http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/name/appendix-06-15aug07.htm) as occasionally some of these domains may appear as available in WHOIS but in reality they cannot be registered.
- Some examples:
.me - Domain names in zone .me are registered for the period of 2 years or more. Some names in this zone are registered and cannot be reserved. You can see the full list of these names here: http://www.domain.me/index.php?page=6. Please see section "RESERVED AND PREMIUM NAMES".
.bz - at this point of time, this zone is dedicated to business. During the first 30 days after the registration expiration (redemption period), the penalty charge is around $140.
.tv - zone used by many television companies and programs.
- Second-level Domains
Second-level domains are registered by individuals. For example, familiarhosting.com; google.com; yahoo.com and so on. Second level domains can have up to 61 characters.
- Third-level Domains
Third-level domains are created by those who own second-level domains and would like to set individual domains for a specific reason, such as for access to mail (eg. mail.flowers.com). Fourth and even higher domains can also be established but typically third-level domains are sufficient.
- Country Domains
.co.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk - domains such as .co.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk belong to Great Britain, are registered for 2 years and the allowed registration is for the domains up to 3rd level.
.eu - registration of these domains are only permitted for the residents of the European Union.
.asia - some domain names within this zone can only be registered via the official auction (http://www.dotasia.org/about/auctions.html).
.in - national top-level domain of India.
.cc - popular domain for general websites. Originally, it has been set as the national domain of the Cocos Islands.
Full list of country domains can be found here: http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/
