Changes to our Domain Expiry Process 

On 13th September 2022, some important changes were implemented to the domain lifecycle after expiry. 

The key changes are:

• Domain names now cancel at a specified time on a specified date, rather than at a random time on a specified date 
• 30 days after expiry, domain names appear in a daily “drop list” file stating the exact date and time they will be deleted if not renewed 
• There is a new 5-day “Pending Delete” period after the end of the 90-day grace period, during which your domain name is visible in the “drop list”, but you cannot renew it during this 5-day window 

Below we explain the stages of the new process in further detail:

Expiry time 

Your domain name’s expiry time is the anniversary (date and time) of when you registered it with your chosen registrar (the company you registered your domain with). Regardless of when you actually renew your domain name, your renewal period will be added to your expiry time.   

For example, if your domain name expires on 1st January 2023 at 10:00am, and you renew it late on the 11th January 2023 for 1 year, your new expiry point will be 1st January 2024 at 10:00am. 

Similarly, if you renew it ahead of the expiry time, e.g. on 20th December 2022 for 1 year, your new expiry point will still be 1st January 2024 at 10:00am.

To avoid interruption of service to your domain name and any associated services, always renew your domain name before the expiry time. Other products linked to your domain name (e.g. websites or email addresses) may have different expiry dates, so always check with your registrar that your domain name and chosen add-on services are renewed as required.  

You can extend the registration term of your .UK domain name to be up to 10 years in the future, so you can ask your registrar about renewing your domain name for a longer period should you wish. 

If you don’t know the expiry date or the registrar of your domain name, you can find out using our domain name lookup tool. 

Expiry Grace Period 

From: Expiry time  

To: Expiry time + 30 days 

Although your domain name has expired it still exists, and you are able to renew it with your registrar. If you have any questions or can no longer see the domain name in your registrar control panel, contact them to assist you in completing the renewal. 

Redemption Grace Period 

From: Expiry time + 30 days  

To: Expiry time + 90 days 

Like with the Expiry Grace Period, your domain name has expired but still exists, and you are still able to renew it with your registrar. If you have any questions or can no longer see the domain name in your registrar control panel, contact them to assist you in completing the renewal. 

At this point the domain name will start appearing on our daily drop list. It’s considered more likely it is no longer required and could shortly be deleted. Our drop list contains any domain name within this period, with the exact date and time each will drop if they are not renewed. 

If you renew your domain name during this period, it will be removed from the drop list the following day. 

Pending Delete Period 

From: Expiry time + 90 days  

To: Expiry time + 95 days 

Although the domain name still exists, your domain name is no longer renewable and is in a queue to be deleted. 

The domain name will continue to appear in the daily drop list and it is now certain the domain will be deleted at the exact date and time listed.

Domain Deletion 

Expiry time + 95 days 

The domain name is deleted, or “dropped”. Immediately after the drop time the domain name no longer exists and is available to anyone who wants to register it. You can find out more about our daily drop list and how you may be able to register a domain name that is scheduled to delete on our website.