The ICANN Expired Domain Deletion Policy (EDDP) is the rule that obliges a registrar to cancel a domain its owner did not renew, instead of holding it indefinitely. It sits in section 3.7.5 of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement and applies to generic extensions such as .com, .net and .org. A second text, the Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP), adds the renewal reminders, the interruption of the website after expiry and the 30-day redemption window.
This article covers what each policy says. For the stages themselves, with day counts, see what happens when a domain expires.
What the ICANN Expired Domain Deletion Policy requires
The core of the EDDP is one obligation: if the registered name holder does not consent to renewal by the expiry date, the registrar must cancel the registration by the end of the auto-renew grace period, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Around that the policy adds four practical duties:
- A deletion deadline. Absent extenuating circumstances, a name must be deleted within 45 days of the registrar or the registrant terminating the registration agreement.
- Notice at registration. The registrar has to tell each new registrant how its deletion and auto-renewal policy works, including when a non-renewed name would be deleted relative to the expiry date, as a specific time or a date range no longer than ten days.
- Publication. If the registrar runs a website for registrations or renewals, that policy must be clearly displayed there.
- Fee disclosure. The same website should state any fee charged to recover a name during the redemption grace period.
The full text is on ICANN's Expired Domain Deletion Policy page.
The ICANN auto-renew grace period
The policy does not fix this period's length for every registrar. It can run up to 45 days, and each registrar decides how much of it the customer gets, so two .com names with the same expiry date can reach deletion on different days. See the domain grace period guide for how to find your registrar's length.
When a registrar may keep an expired name
The "extenuating circumstances" in the expired domain deletion policy are listed. A registrar may renew a name without the owner's consent, and so delay deletion, in cases such as:
- a UDRP action;
- a valid court order;
- a failure of the registrar's own renewal process;
- the domain being used by a nameserver that provides DNS service to third parties;
- the registrant being subject to bankruptcy proceedings;
- a payment dispute or a billing dispute;
- the domain being subject to litigation in a court of competent jurisdiction;
- another circumstance specifically approved by ICANN.
For a buyer, this list explains the occasional name that sits well past the point where you expected it to move on.
A domain that expires during a UDRP dispute
The EDDP has a separate provision for a name that expires or is deleted while a UDRP complaint about it is open. The complainant gets the option to renew or restore the name under the same commercial terms as the registrant. If they do, the name is put on registrar hold and lock, the registrant's contact details are removed from the public record, and the record states that the name is subject to dispute.
If the complaint is terminated or the complainant loses, the name is deleted within 45 days. The original registrant keeps the right to recover the name during the redemption grace period and to renew it before deletion.
The three elements a complainant must prove are covered in expired domain trademark risk and UDRP. None of this is legal advice.
The Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP)
The ERRP took effect on 31 August 2013 and deals with the owner's chance to get the name back. ICANN publishes it as the Expired Registration Recovery Policy.
| Area | What the ERRP requires |
|---|---|
| Reminders before expiry | At least two: approximately one month and approximately one week before expiry |
| Reminder after expiry | At least one more within five days after expiry, with renewal instructions, if the name was not renewed |
| DNS interruption | The registrar must interrupt the existing DNS resolution before deleting |
| Owner's right to renew | From expiry through the interruption period, the registrant at expiration must be allowed to renew |
| Redemption | Registries must offer a 30-day redemption grace period right after deletion, keep the name out of DNS and not transfer it |
| Fees | Renewal, post-expiry renewal and redemption fees must be clearly displayed on the registrar's website |
The DNS interruption
This is the part you can see from outside. If the registrar deletes a name within eight days of expiry, the existing DNS path must be interrupted from expiry until deletion. If it deletes later, the interruption must cover at least the last eight consecutive days in which the owner can still renew. A registrar may point the name at a web page during that time, and the page must then conspicuously say that the registration has expired and give renewal instructions.
So when an expired domain you are watching shows a registrar page saying the name has expired, it has not changed hands. The previous owner may still renew.
What the policies leave to the registrar
Three things readers often expect to find in these texts are not fixed by them:
- The exact grace period. The ERRP says registrars may delete registrations at any time after they expire, subject to other consensus policies and the accreditation agreement. The length the customer gets is a registrar decision, which is why the registrar must publish it.
- The size of the restore fee. The fee must be disclosed, not capped. Check the registrar's fee page; the redemption period guide explains what it covers.
- Auctions. The ERRP text does not mention auctions or sales to third parties. A registrar that auctions expired names during the grace period does so under its own registration agreement. See whether all expired domains go to auction.
Country-code extensions are outside these policies altogether. The .co.uk expiry process, for example, follows the registry's own rules.
What this means if you buy expired domains
- A name in a registrar auction can still go back to its owner. The owner's right to renew runs alongside the sale, so a won auction can be cancelled.
- The registrar's published deletion policy is your best timing source. Publication is mandatory, so look it up instead of guessing.
- Deletion is the only point where the name is open to everyone. Until then, lists of expiring and pending-delete domains show what is on its way; on hunter.domains each listed name has passed the checks described on the how it works page.
If you are the owner, the steps are in how to get an expired domain back.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ICANN Expired Domain Deletion Policy?
It is section 3.7.5 of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement. It requires a registrar to cancel a registration the owner did not renew by the end of the auto-renew grace period, unless a listed extenuating circumstance applies, and to publish its deletion and auto-renewal policy.
What is the difference between EDDP and ERRP?
The EDDP is about the registrar's duty to delete and to disclose its deletion policy. The ERRP is about the owner's chance to recover the name: renewal reminders, the DNS interruption and the 30-day redemption grace period.
How many renewal reminders must a registrar send?
At least three under the ERRP. Two go out before expiry, approximately one month and one week ahead, and at least one more follows within five days after expiry if the name has not been renewed.
Does ICANN set the grace period after a domain expires?
Not as a single number. The auto-renew grace period can run up to 45 days, but each registrar decides how long its customers get. What ICANN does fix is the 30-day redemption grace period that follows deletion.
