Domain Registration Expiry and Auto-Renewal Grace Period

Some registrars help domain owners to retain their domain names by using a facility called auto-renewal. If this attempt fails, then the registrar will notify you of the status of the domain that is already on the deletion stage. The actual redemption stage begins when the third or the last auto-renewal attempt fails to occur. However, when you fail to respond to the e-mail messages sent by the registrar, you may lose the control of the domain.

In essence, all domain names in the auto renewal grace period will be removed from the zonal files that result in the cessation of any activities related to your web domain especially the email and web-hosting server. Thus, it is always better to renew your domain well within the last day of the renewal date. The grace period policy of ICAAN appears in the Appendix C of the registry agreement.

In the case of .com, .net, and .org TLDs the policy is available at www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/verisign/registry-agmt-appc- 16apr01.htm#3

According to ICAAN, "The Auto-Renew Grace Period is a specified number of calendar days following an auto-renewal. An auto-renewal occurs if a domain name registration is not renewed by the expiration date; in this circumstance, the registration will be automatically renewed by the system the first day after the expiration date. The current value of the Auto-Renew Grace Period is 45 calendar days."

In other words, when your domain name comes near the renewal date, it gets renews automatically for the next year by the registry. The registration will also adhere to the "Auto-Renew Grace Period", under which the following special rules regarding transfers between registrars apply:

In essence, all domains are allowed for this unique facility unless the owner specifies that he or she does not need it. This facility will help you in retaining the total control of your domain name. The initial auto-renew attempt will billed to you 20 days before the actual date of expiration. The next billing comes to you just before 15 days into expiration. All auto renewals are chargeable with your own credit cards that you used during the registration. Auto renewal grace period is unique in the sense that it can help you latch onto your domain name before it arrives at the expired domain or deleted status table.

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