Your domain expired. Here is the way back
We find out exactly where your domain is in the expiry cycle, act within the window that is left, and put your website and email back.
In plain English.
When a domain expires, the website and email do not always fail at once, which is why many owners only notice days later. What happens next depends on the extension. Each stage has its own deadline and its own cost, so the first job is a registry lookup to see precisely where your name stands today.
A .com usually enters a renewal grace period set by the registrar, then a 30-day redemption grace period where it can still be restored for a redemption fee, then five days of pending delete before anyone can register it. For a .uk name, Nominet suspends it around 30 days after expiry and cancels it around 90 days after, when it becomes free to register.
Some domains are not expired at all; they are registered to someone else, often a former supplier or a company that has since closed. That needs a different route, from a polite request through to the Nominet Dispute Resolution Service for .uk or the UDRP for .com. We tell you honestly which options are realistic.
It suits you if.
- Your website and email stopped working and the domain has lapsed
- A renewal card expired and the reminders went to an old address
- The domain is registered to a supplier who has stopped replying
- A name you used for years has been taken by someone else
- You want to know your options before paying a recovery service
What we do.
Registry status check
We read the RDAP or Nominet record to see the exact status codes, such as autoRenewPeriod, redemptionPeriod or pendingDelete, and the dates that follow from them.
Renewal and redemption
Where the name is still in grace or redemption, we work with the current registrar to restore it, then renew it in your name.
Ownership put right
If a supplier or closed company is the registrant, we help you gather evidence and request a registrant change, or prepare the case for a formal dispute.
Back-ordering dropped names
If a name is about to be released, we can place back-orders. No one can guarantee a dropped name, and we say so plainly.
Services restored
Once the domain is back, we check nameservers, DNS records, SSL certificates and email authentication so everything works as it did.
How it runs.
- 01
Call us the same day
Tell us the domain and what has stopped working. Expiry deadlines do not wait, so we start with the registry lookup straight away.
- 02
Work out the window
From the status codes and dates we know whether the name can be renewed, redeemed, reclaimed or only back-ordered.
- 03
Recover it
We restore the registration or start the ownership route, passing on any registry or redemption fee at cost with your agreement first.
- 04
Bring services back
Nameservers, website, email, SSL and DKIM are checked, then auto-renew is set and the renewal contact updated.
Questions people ask.
My website and email stopped today. Is the domain gone?
Probably not. Most expired domains can still be renewed or redeemed for weeks after the expiry date. The exact window depends on the extension and the registrar. Send us the domain name and we will tell you within the call where it stands and what it will take to restore it.
How much does it cost to recover a domain?
A simple late renewal costs the normal registration fee. A .com in redemption carries a redemption fee set by the registrar, which can be much higher. These are third-party fees passed on at cost. Our own time is quoted as a fixed price once we know the status.
Someone else has registered my old domain. Can I get it back?
Sometimes. If they are using it in bad faith, for example to impersonate you, Nominet DRS or the UDRP may apply. If they registered it fairly after it dropped, your options are to ask, to buy it, or to move to a new name. We give you a straight view on each.
How do I stop this happening again?
Keep the domain in your own name, switch on auto-renew, and make sure the renewal contact is an address someone still reads. After recovery we set all three, add reminders at 60 and 30 days, and give you a short record of the registrar and expiry date.
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