The redemption grace period is a 30-day window that occurs when a domain registrant fails to renew a domain’s registration. Instead of being deleted and returned to the pool of domain names available for registration, the name is held for a 30-day grace period during which the original domain registrant may retrieve the domain name (for an additional fee) by contacting the domain registrar. If the registrant fails to retrieve the domain during this 30-day window, it is deleted at the registry.

An expiring domain enters the redemption grace period on the 12th day following its expiration date. Prior to this, we – the registrar – attempt to auto-renew the domain registration, and if that fails we notify you of the domain’s impending expiration/deletion via email message. The redemption period begins when/if our third and final auto-renewal attempt fails for the domain in question.

One week into the redemption period, the expired domain – assuming its registration has not been renewed – is placed into a 10-day domain auction, allowing prospective registrants to bid on the domain. The winner of the auction obtains the domain registration ownership two weeks after the end of the auction if the original owner fails to renew the registration by the end of the redemption period.

Once the redemption period ends – and the domain has neither been renewed nor obtained through auction or backordering – the domain is deleted at the registry. The domain name re-enters the public pool of available domains. It is no longer redeemable.

Though this 30-day period extends the time available to renew an expired domain, all names that enter the redemption period are removed from the zone files (the list of domains currently in the global DNS). Therefore, any Web site or email services associated with the domain name will stop working. It is, therefore, strongly recommended that you renew your domain registration before the domain name enters the redemption state.

NOTE: The current fee for renewing a domain during the redemption period is $80.