Domain expiry date: how to check it and what happens after

Every domain has an expiry date, and the registry for its top-level domain is the one that keeps it. It is public. You can look up the expiry date of any domain, yours or someone else's, without logging in anywhere.

The quick way is the domain expiry checker: paste up to 50 domains and it asks each registry for the date, the days left, the registrar and the lock status. The rest of this page is how to do it by hand, how to read what comes back, and what happens on the days after the date passes.

Look it up over RDAP

RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the registries' replacement for WHOIS. It answers in JSON with fixed field names, so there is no guessing which line holds the date. The query format is in RFC 9082 and the answer format in RFC 9083. For generic domains (.com, .org, .app and the rest), ICANN made RDAP the official source in January 2025 and registries no longer have to run WHOIS at all.

Each registry has its own RDAP server. IANA keeps the list at https://data.iana.org/rdap/dns.json (RFC 9224). For .com it is Verisign:

curl -s https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/example.com

In the answer, look in events for the entry with "eventAction": "expiration". Its eventDate is the expiry date, in UTC. Next to it you find registration (when the domain was first registered) and last changed. The status list says whether the domain is locked, on hold, or already in a grace period, which matters more than the date once the date has passed (see below).

If you do not want to look up the right server, https://rdap.org/domain/example.com redirects you to it.

Not every country registry is on IANA's list. On 3 November 2026 there was no RDAP entry for .de, .eu, .io, .dk, .ch, .se or .co, among others. For those, use WHOIS or the registry's own lookup page, and know that some, .de among them, do not publish an expiry date at all.

Look it up over WHOIS

WHOIS still works for most domains, and on a Mac or Linux machine it is one command:

whois example.com

A .com answer can hold two dates that look alike:

Line	Whose date
Registry Expiry Date	The registry's. This is the one that counts.
Registrar Registration Expiration Date	Your registrar's own record. Usually the same, and sometimes different (see the next section).

Country registries format WHOIS their own way. Nominet (.uk) writes "Expiry date", DENIC (.de) gives no date at all, and some only answer a few queries a minute. Your registrar's control panel is the last source, and for a domain you own it is the one that shows whether auto-renew is on.

Why the date can be a year off

For .com and .net, and many other generic domains, the registry does not wait for payment. On the expiry date it renews the domain for one more year by itself and bills the registrar. The registry record then shows a date a year later, with the status auto renew period. The registrar has 45 days to either keep that renewal or delete the domain and get the money back.

So a lookup a week after a domain expired can show it paid until next year. The status tells the truth. If RDAP or WHOIS shows auto renew period together with client hold, the domain has expired and the registrar has taken it offline. The checker reads that status too, and shows such a domain as "On hold" in red, whatever the date says.

The other mismatch is a renewal you paid for that has not reached the registry yet, or a registrar that keeps its own date a few days earlier than the registry's to collect payment in time. When the two dates differ, the registry date is the one the registry will act on.

What happens after the expiry date

For generic domains under ICANN contracts, the steps are set partly by the registry (RFC 3915 grace periods) and partly by ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy. For a .com the sequence looks like this:

Days after expiry	Stage	Status you see	Can you get it back?
0	Expired. The registry auto-renews and the date moves a year forward.	auto renew period	Yes, renew at the normal price.
0 to 45, depending on the registrar	Registrar grace. At some point the registrar stops the website and email, usually with a parking page that says how to renew. ICANN requires this for at least the last 8 days before deletion, and requires that you can still renew during that time.	auto renew period, client hold	Yes, usually at the normal price. Some registrars charge a late fee.
Next 30 days	Redemption. The registrar has deleted the domain, and the registry holds it for the old owner only.	redemption period	Yes, through the same registrar, with a restore fee on top of the renewal. Published examples run from about 80 USD up.
Next 5 days	Pending delete.	pending delete	No.
After that	Released, often at a set time of day, to whoever registers it first.	Not registered	Only by registering it again, against the drop-catching services.

How long the registrar grace lasts is the registrar's choice, inside the 45 days the registry allows. Read your registrar's renewal terms if a domain matters. Some put expired domains up for auction during the grace period and hand them to the winner if the owner does not renew, which can end your chance of getting it back well before the redemption period.

Country domains follow their own rules

ICANN's rules do not apply to country-code domains. Each registry sets its own. A few common ones:

TLD	What happens
.uk (Nominet)	Since September 2022: for 30 days after expiry the domain still works and can be renewed. From day 30 to day 90 it stops resolving but can still be renewed. Days 90 to 95 are pending delete, and on day 95 it is released at a time published in Nominet's daily drop list.
.de (DENIC)	A .de domain has no end date: it runs until it is cancelled, and the registrar cancels it if you stop paying. After deletion there are 30 days of redemption, when only the last holder can get it back, through the old registrar or with a code DENIC sends by post.
.eu (EURid)	EURid renews a .eu domain each year unless the registrar deletes it. A deleted domain goes into quarantine for 40 days, when only the last holder can reactivate it through a registrar.

For any other country domain, the registry's own site has a page on its "domain life cycle". Search for that phrase and the TLD.

How not to lose a domain

Most lost domains were not given up. The card on file ran out, or the reminders went to an address nobody reads. ICANN makes registrars send at least two reminders before the date, about a month and about a week ahead, and one after. They only help if they arrive somewhere.

• Turn on auto-renew and keep a card on file that is not about to expire.
• Use an account email on another domain. If the reminders go to an address on the domain that is expiring, they stop arriving when the domain does.
• Renew for several years. Generic domains can be registered up to 10 years ahead. The price per year is the same, and it leaves room for mistakes.
• Watch the status, not only the date. A domain in client hold or redemption period is in trouble whatever the date says.
• Keep the dates in a calendar. After a run of the expiry checker, press "Renewal calendar (.ics)" for a reminder 30 days before each date and one on the day.

The longer list, with the transfer lock and what to do about domains registered by someone who has left, is in how to never lose a domain to expiry. The other guides are on the guides page.

Questions

How do I check when a domain expires?

Paste it into the domain expiry checker, which asks the registry over RDAP. By hand, open https://rdap.org/domain/example.com and find the event with eventAction "expiration", or run whois example.com and read "Registry Expiry Date".

Can I see the expiry date of a domain I do not own?

Yes. The expiry date is public for almost every generic domain and most country domains. The owner's name and address are usually hidden, but the dates, the registrar and the status are not.

Why does WHOIS show next year's date for a domain that expired?

The .com and .net registries renew a domain for a year by themselves on the expiry date and give the registrar 45 days to undo it. Look at the status: "auto renew period" with "client hold" means the domain has expired and is offline.

How long after it expires can I still renew a domain?

For a .com, at least until the registrar deletes it, which is up to 45 days after expiry depending on the registrar. Then there are 30 days of redemption, when the same registrar can restore it for a fee. After that it is deleted and released 5 days later.

Can someone else register my domain the day after it expires?

Not for a generic domain under ICANN rules: it stays yours through the grace and redemption periods. But a registrar may auction it during the grace period if its terms allow, and the moment it is released, drop-catching services register it within seconds.