What happens when a domain expires

Before it expires

We email you 30, 7 and 1 day before a domain expires, so an expiry is never a surprise.

New domains renew automatically. About 14 days before the expiry date we renew the domain for one year with the card saved on your account. If the payment fails we tell you, so you can update the card or renew by hand.

You can switch automatic renewal off for any domain in your account, and back on again. Switching it off does not cancel the domain: it stays yours and keeps working until its expiry date.

After it expires

An expired domain stops working: the website and the email on it go offline.

For about 30 days after the expiry date you can still renew it at the normal price. Open the domain in your account and choose Renew.

If it is not renewed in time

After that period the registry deletes the domain, and anyone can register it. Getting a domain back from this stage costs much more, if it is possible at all, and the rules and times differ by extension. Contact us as soon as you notice, and we will tell you what is possible for your domain.

Good to know

• The renewal price of a domain is shown beside its first-year price wherever the domain is priced.
• Cancelling or refunding an order does not change a domain that is already registered; it stays active until its expiry date.

Questions about a particular domain? Open the Help centre or contact us.

Read our refund and cancellation policy for what can be refunded.