Renew a domain before it expires
What happens when a domain registration lapses, how to renew and switch on auto-renew, and how to keep a client's domain from being lost.
By the Domain Health Hub team · Updated
- A domain is registered for a fixed term. If it isn't renewed, the website and email stop working.
- We warn under 30 days and fail under 7, using the registry's RDAP record (Nominet for .uk).
- Renew now, switch on auto-renew, and check the card on the registrar account won't expire first.
What this means
Every domain is registered for a set period, from one year to ten. We read the expiry date from the registry's public record using RDAP (the modern replacement for WHOIS); for .uk domains that's Nominet. Under 30 days left is a warning, under 7 days is a failure, and a date in the past means the registration has already lapsed.
Why it matters
When a domain expires, the registrar normally stops its DNS, so the website and email go down together. What happens next varies by registry and registrar: there is usually a period when the owner can still renew, sometimes at a higher price to restore it, after which the domain is released and anyone can register it. Expired domains with an existing reputation are bought quickly, sometimes to receive the previous owner's email or to impersonate them.
How to confirm it
Log in to the registrar and look at the domain's expiry date and renewal setting. If nobody knows which registrar holds it, the public record names it.
How to fix it
- Log in to the registrar account that holds the domain.
- Renew it now, for more than one year if the client prefers fewer reminders.
- Switch on auto-renew.
- Check the payment card on file won't expire before the next renewal.
- Check the account's contact email reaches someone who still works there, so renewal notices and failed-payment warnings are read.
If the client can't get into the account, start the registrar's account recovery straight away; it can take days. For a .uk domain where the registrar is unresponsive, Nominet can help the registrant directly.
Keeping it from happening again
Keep the registration in the client's name, with a shared contact address rather than one person's inbox. Turn on the registrar lock (transfer lock) and two-factor sign-in on the account. Then watch the date from outside: Domain Health Hub checks every client domain daily, alerts you by email or webhook at 30 and 7 days, and shows renewal dates on the monthly report card the client receives.
Questions
Is there a grace period after expiry?
Usually, but its length and cost depend on the registry and the registrar. Some registrars charge a much higher fee to restore a domain after a few weeks. Don't rely on it: renew before the date.
The client says auto-renew is on. Why is it still close to expiry?
Many registrars only try to renew a few days or weeks before expiry. If the payment card has expired or the account email bounces, the attempt fails quietly. Log in and check.
Hear about it the day it breaks.
Daily checks on every client domain, alerts when something changes, and a monthly report card your clients will understand.