Understanding the Domain Life Cycle
The process involved with registering an expiring domain can be a quite confusing task. You need to know when the domain reaches expiry, where you can register and the subsequent macro processes.
I have listed below the domain name life cycle. This mainly includes popular gTLD’s and not ccTLD’s. After you have understood the process, it should me much easier for you to predict and increase your chances of acquiring the expiring domain of your choice.
Domain Life Cycle:
Once a domain is registered, it goes into the 5 day Add-Grace Period. Within this period the domain can be unregistered and made available for re-registration to the general public. If the domain is not unregistered it will be unavailable for the registration during a time frame of 1 to 10 years as chosen by the registrant. During this time the domain owner has unrestricted use of the domain.
At the end of the registration period, the registrant needs to extend the registration period for possession of the same. On extending the registration period, i.e. renewing the domain, the domain continues in the above mentioned cycle. However, if the domain is not renewed, it falls into the next phase - Auto-Renew Grace period for a duration of 45 days. Keep in mind that a Registrar can determine how long this period lasts, but it cannot exceed 45 days. During the Auto Renew Grace period the registrant can pay a renewal fee and continue to use the domain name. As per the Registrar the website associated to the domain may or may not resolve.
If the Registrant still does not renew the domain, it then enters the Redemption Grace period, which lasts for 30 days. The Registrant can opt to redeem the domain by paying the Redemption Grace fee, which pushes the domain back to the beginning phase.
Now, if the domain is still not registered after the domain completes the 30 day redemption period, it then enters a 5 day Pending Delete period and the registrant cannot renew the domain name. Once the domain completes the Pending Delete period it is made available for registration to the general public,
Some Registrars auction off the domain to a domain auction site within 60 days of the expiration date. Not every Registrar does this, but do keep it in mind.
I am sure that once you are thorough with the domain life cycle, your chances of registering an expiring domain will significantly increased.
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