Guides / Domain expiration

Domain expiration: what happens when a registration runs out

A domain name is not bought once. It is registered for a set period, often one year or more, and it has to be renewed with the registrar before the expiration date. If nobody renews it, the registration lapses.

What happens when a domain expires

The website and any email addresses on that domain can stop working. Registrars usually allow a grace period after the expiration date in which the owner can still renew, but how long it lasts and what it costs differs by registrar and by domain extension. After that, the domain can be released and registered by someone else. Do not plan around the grace period. Renew before the expiration date.

Why it is easy to miss

Registration emails go to whoever signed up, and that may be a former employee, an old address or a spam folder. Cards expire, auto-renew gets switched off, and a domain registered years ago for a client can be forgotten by everyone. For an agency or freelancer, one client's lapsed domain becomes your problem.

How to avoid it

• Keep a list of every domain you are responsible for.
• Write down the expiration date and where each domain is registered.
• Turn on auto-renew where you can, and still get an independent reminder.
• Make sure the contact email on the registration is one a person actually reads.

HeyExpiry looks up the registration expiration date for each domain you add and emails you at 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before it runs out. Some domain extensions do not publish an expiration date. HeyExpiry shows that clearly instead of guessing.

Next guide: SSL certificate expiration, the other date that quietly takes sites offline.