Lifecycle of a Domain Name

Everyday over 20,000 domain names expire and the best names are re-registered within only one hour. Many people believe that domain names become available immediately when they expire, but, in fact, an expired domain name will go through a 75 day process before it becomes available for registration by someone.

When a domain name isn't renewed on time it will go into an EXPIRED status and the next 1-45 days will be in a GRACE period. All services to the domain will be turned off but during this period the original registrant will still have the option of renewing the domain name without paying extras fees.

After a 40 day grace period, the status of a domain name will change to a REDEMPTION period. Domain information will be begin to drop from Whois but the original registrant still has the option to renew the domain name by paying extra fees. These extra fees can be as much as $200 during this period. Domain names that have entered this period typically are not renewed because of the high fees associated with re-registration.

The last phase that an expired domain name will go through is the DELETION period when the status will change to LOCKED. The deletion period will last for 5 days, and on the last day the domain name will drop completely from the ICANN database. Once dropped from the ICANN database, the domain name becomes available to anyone that wants to register it.

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Orangetree Internet Service LLC, located in Santa Cruz, CA., provides technical assistance to small and medium sized businesses with Domain Registration Services, including domain portfolio management. Contact us at 830-212-1884 for more information.