Got questions like “Can I renew my domain name before it expires?” and “How often do I have to renew my domain name?”.
Good, that’s a great start to responsible domain ownership. Letting a domain expire accidentally or on purpose can lead to avoidable issues and may even lead to an owner losing access to their domain.
This guide has everything you need to know about the domain renewal process.
What happens when a domain expires depends on a variety of factors, like its extension and registry policy. The good news is that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires a registrar to inform a registrant or domain owner of the expiration date and the process of how to renew the domain.
When a domain expires, the owners can manually renew it from anywhere for the standard renewal fee. The domain stays in the owner’s account for 30 days but will be removed if someone else bids on it during the auction.
Note that services like email addresses and associated sites may be disabled when a domain name expires. That said, to ensure your website and email are not affected, it’s important to keep track of the expiration date and the redemption grace period.
To avoid the inconvenience of website downtime, it’s recommended that you renew before the expiration date of your domain. Here’s a step by step instructions on how to do that manually using Hostinger as an example.
1. Log in to the account and refer to the Billing section.
2. Click the ‘Renew now’ notice option next to the domain order.
3. A pop-up window will appear. Consult the price and other information.
4. Click ‘Choose payment method’ and complete the process.
Since the minimum length of domain registration is one year, registrants may need to renew their domain name once a year. There’s also an automatic renewal option in case owners forget that their domain is about to expire. A registrar will also send a customer reminder in advance for the same reason.
If the registrar does not release the expired domain names for deletion after the expiry date, it will offer a grace period for owners to restore a domain. This period lasts for up to 45 days. A registrant may be able to renew an expired domain name during this time. Domains that aren’t renewed or inactive are then deleted, auctioned, or moved to their own portfolio.
The process of renewing expired domain names varies based on their expiration date and extension. Here’s how to update the domain registration of expired names on the Hostinger platform.
A domain’s active status can be returned during this time for the standard renewal fee.
1. Hover over the domain status and see how much time is left before the domain enters the redemption period.
2. Click the ‘Renew now’ option to proceed with the renewal.
An expired domain will enter the redemption grace period at the end of the grace period. It will still be possible to renew it but at an additional cost.
1. Click the ‘Restore’ button and make the payment.
2. Wait up to 24 hours for the renewal to take effect.
Note that domains that haven’t been renewed past this period will enter the pending deletion stage, and anyone will be able to purchase them.
If a domain is still days from expiration, it can be transferred to a web hosting service and renewed there once the transfer is complete.
A domain expiring can affect a site’s brand and any sales associated with your domain. To prevent this from happening, keep these things in mind.
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