What is a domain redemption period?¶

For many domains, when they expire there is usually a grace period where the domain continues to work and can be renewed normally. After this period the domain goes into a redemption period which stops the domain from working. The domain can still be renewed by the owner, but typically for a much higher cost.

The more common .com, .net, and .org domains go into a grace period of 30 days after they have expired, and then go into redemption for another 30 days after this. When this period is over, the domain cannot be renewed and will eventually become available for registration to anyone else at some point after that.

For .uk domains the process is slightly different:

After your domain name expiry date you have 30 days grace before it’s suspended. After this point, any emails and websites you had set up on it will go offline. The domain name will then be in suspension for another 60 days before being deleted, at which point it becomes available to anyone for re-registration. You can renew the domain at no extra charge any time during this 90 day period.

With the new gTLDs being rolled out by ICANN, the grace period is usually 40 days, and the redemption period 30 days.

Please note that other TLDs and domain registrars may have different policies and timeframes concerning expiration and renewal.