Lifecycle of Expiring Domain Names
When a domain name expires it goes through many stages before becoming available for public registration. Here is the lifecycle of an expiring .com domain name.
Domain Registration
A domain name can be registered by a registrant for up to 10 years as specified by ICANN. Every domain name has an expiration date. This expiration date is public information and indicates when the domain name will expire. If a registrant does not renew the domain name before its expiration date it is considered expired. However, the registrant will still have the opportunity to renew the domain name.
Domain Expires
Every domain has an expiry date. If a domain name is not renewed by the registrant by that date the domain will be considered expired. Once a domain is considered expired, it will move into the Redemption Grace Period.
Auto-Renew Grace Period
When a domain name is expired it is assumed to auto-renew by the registry. The registrar has anywhere between 0 to 45 days to transmit a delete command on the domain name. A delete command will typically be sent if the registrant fails to pay for the renewal of the domain. If a delete command is not issued the domain will be kept per the registry-registrar auto-renew process.
Grace Period (RGP)
The Redemption Grace Period begins when a registrar has deleted a domain name due to expiration. During this Grace Period the original registrant may still redeem the domain for a fee. If a domain name is redeemed by the original registrant during this time, it will not enter the pending delete status. If the domain name is not redeemed within the 30-day Grace Period, the domain name will move into the Pending delete status.
Pending Delete
Before a domain is released into the Drop by the registry it will enter a Pending Delete status. All domain names released by the registry will enter pending delete and will expire for release within 5 days. The domain name is dropped when the pending delete status has expired.
Drop Catch
When a domain name leaves the Pending Delete status it is made available for public registration through the Drop. DropCatch.com then attempts to register the domain name within a millisecond of it becoming publicly available for registration on your behalf. Utilizing DropCatch.com gives you access to technology that increases the odds of registering the domain name you want!
Auction
When more than one backorder has been placed on a domain captured by DropCatch.com, the domain will enter a public auction. Auctions on DropCatch.com are open for 3 days and end at 1:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on the final day of the auction. To prevent auction sniping, a new high bid placed within the last 5 minutes of the auction will shift the end time of the auction to 5 minutes from the time of the last bid.
Registration
When an auction has ended the ownership of the domain is transferred to the winner once payment has been completed. The transfer of ownership occurs when the domain name is delivered to the registrant’s account at hostmy1stweb.com. The transfer of ownership of the domain name is considered a new registration.
