Domain expiry and registry statuses explained

What a domain’s expiry date and registry statuses mean, from clientHold to pendingDelete, and what to do about each.

Every domain is registered for a fixed time, through a registrar, at the registry that runs its ending, such as Verisign for .com. The registry’s record says who the registrar is, when the registration ends, and which statuses apply, such as a lock against transfers or a hold that takes the domain out of DNS.

If a registration lapses or is put on hold, the domain stops resolving. The website, email, and everything else on it stop working, even though the servers behind them are fine.

What SignalDNS checks

We find the registered domain from the name you enter, using the Public Suffix List: status.example.co.uk becomes example.co.uk. Only that domain is sent to the registry.

We find the registry’s RDAP service in IANA’s bootstrap file, which lists a service for each domain ending that publishes one, and ask it for the domain’s record over HTTPS. RDAP replaced WHOIS, with structured answers; ICANN requires it for generic endings such as .com. We don’t follow referrals to the registrar’s own service.

From the record we show the registrar and its IANA ID, the statuses, dated events such as registration and expiry, the name servers, whether the registry lists a DS record for DNSSEC, and the registry’s notices. Contact details are discarded. Answers are kept for 15 minutes, and the report shows their age.

When all is well, the answer to “Who is it registered with?” gives the registrar and the expiry date.

The domain’s registration has expired

The registry’s expiry date has passed. The answer is “The registration has expired.” and it’s a problem. The domain may already have stopped resolving, or may stop soon.

Expiry doesn’t remove the domain straight away. For generic endings, ICANN’s Expired Registration Recovery Policy says the registrar must stop the domain resolving for at least the last eight days it can still be renewed. After that, it can enter a 30-day redemption period before it’s deleted. Country-code endings set their own rules.

How to fix it: renew the domain with your registrar now. If it’s in the redemption period, ask the registrar to restore it.

The domain expires within 30 days

The registry lists an expiry date less than 30 days away. The domain still works, and SignalDNS marks this as needing attention. For generic endings, ICANN requires registrars to send reminders about a month and a week before expiry, so check the inbox they go to.

How to fix it:

  1. Sign in to your registrar and check that auto-renew is on and the payment method is current.
  2. Or renew it now.
  3. Check that the registrant email address is one you read, so reminders reach you.

The report offers a calendar reminder 30 days before the expiry date. The registry’s date can differ from your registrar’s; see Registry expiry and your registrar’s renewal date.

The domain is on hold or being deleted

The registry lists a status that means the domain doesn’t work, or soon won’t. SignalDNS marks these as a problem:

  • clientHold: the registrar has taken the domain out of DNS.
  • serverHold: the registry has taken it out of DNS.
  • redemptionPeriod: the registration expired and the registrar asked for it to be deleted. ICANN says it stays in this status for 30 days, during which the registrar can restore it once any issues are resolved and the fee is paid.
  • pendingDelete: it’s about to be deleted. ICANN says a domain is purged five days after the redemption period ends, and then anyone can register it.

RDAP spells these with spaces, such as client hold. The descriptions here are ICANN’s, for generic endings.

Holds usually follow a missed renewal, an unverified contact address, or a complaint.

How to fix it: contact your registrar straight away. They can tell you why the status was set and what clears it, such as paying or verifying your email address. Once a domain is in pendingDelete, it may be too late to restore.

A transfer is pending, or the domain is inactive

These statuses need attention:

  • pendingTransfer: a request to move the domain to another registrar is being processed. If you started it, nothing is wrong. If you didn’t, contact your registrar now and ask them to reject it.
  • inactive: the registry has no name servers for the domain, so it doesn’t resolve. That’s expected for a new registration that isn’t set up yet. Otherwise, set the name servers at your registrar. If it stays like this for several days, ask the registrar why; some endings need documents before a domain goes live.

Transfer locks and other statuses

Most statuses are protections or notes. SignalDNS only explains them:

  • clientTransferProhibited: a transfer lock set by your registrar. It stops someone moving the domain to another registrar without your say. To move registrars, remove it in your registrar’s dashboard first. clientDeleteProhibited and clientUpdateProhibited lock against deletion and changes in the same way.
  • clientRenewProhibited: a lock against renewal. ICANN describes it as uncommon, usually set during a legal dispute or before deletion. If you see it near the expiry date, ask your registrar why.
  • The same statuses starting with server: set by the registry, sometimes as part of a registry lock service. Only your registrar can ask for them to be removed.
  • addPeriod, autoRenewPeriod, renewPeriod, and transferPeriod: grace periods after a registration, renewal, or transfer. autoRenewPeriod is worth a look; see Registry expiry and your registrar’s renewal date.
  • active or ok: no restrictions and nothing pending.

The registry has no record of the domain

The registry’s RDAP service answered that it has no record of the domain, and as far as we could tell it has no name servers in DNS either. The answer is “The registry has no record of it.” and it’s a problem, since a site or mailbox on that domain can’t work.

That usually means the domain isn’t registered. It doesn’t prove the name is available: some names are reserved by the registry, and a deleted domain isn’t released straight away.

How to fix it: check the spelling, and that you’re checking the domain you registered. If it’s yours, sign in to your registrar to see its status; it may have been deleted after expiring. If you want to register it, search for it at a registrar.

We couldn’t find the registration

The registry service for the domain’s ending has no record of it, but the domain has name servers in DNS, so it is registered. The answer is “We couldn’t find its registration.” and it counts as couldn’t check, not as a failure.

This happens when the service listed for an ending doesn’t cover every domain under it. Nominet’s RDAP service for .uk, for example, has no record of ox.ac.uk. After a “not found”, we ask Cloudflare’s resolver whether the domain has name servers, to tell the two cases apart.

Nothing needs fixing. The domain’s owner, or the organisation that runs that part of the ending, can confirm the registration.

The domain ending has no registration service

The answer “We can’t look this up.” means the domain’s ending doesn’t publish an RDAP service we can use. Either it isn’t in IANA’s bootstrap file, or the address listed there isn’t HTTPS, which we require. ICANN’s RDAP requirement covers generic endings; country-code endings set their own rules, and not all run RDAP.

It says nothing about the domain itself, and counts as couldn’t check. The ending’s registry may still offer WHOIS or a search page on its website.

Registry expiry and your registrar’s renewal date

The expiry date we show is the registry’s. It can differ from the one in your registrar’s dashboard or on your invoice.

When a domain at a generic-ending registry expires, the registry can extend it automatically and give the registrar a grace period to delete it or bill you. ICANN calls this status autoRenewPeriod. During it, the registry shows a later expiry date even though you haven’t paid, so we won’t report the domain as expired.

So a date here that looks safe isn’t proof the domain is paid for. Your registrar’s dashboard is the place to check renewals.

Your provider’s guides

What we can’t tell from outside

We see the registry’s record, not your registrar account. We can’t see whether auto-renew is on, whether your payment method works, or whether reminders reach you. Some registries leave out fields, such as the registrar or the expiry date, and we label what’s missing. A registry answer can be up to 15 minutes old.

Sources

Last reviewed .