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ERRP
Expired Registration Recovery Policy — domain lifecycle after expiry
The ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP, in force since 2013) defines the mandatory lifecycle stages a gTLD domain passes through after expiry. It ensures registrants have reasonable opportunity to recover expired domains before they are released to the public.
Domain Expiry Lifecycle
- Stage 1: Auto-Renew Grace
- 0-45 days post-expiry (registrar-defined). Domain renewable at standard price. Some registrars auto-suspend DNS within 0-8 days. Duration varies by registrar (0, 8, 30, or 45 days).
- Stage 2: Redemption (RGP)
- 30 days following deletion. Mandatory for all non-sponsored gTLD registries. Domain restorable at registrar's redemption fee (typically $80-160 USD on top of renewal). DNS disabled. Transfers prohibited.
- Stage 3: Pending Delete
- 5 days after RGP ends. Domain being cleared from registry database. Cannot be renewed, restored, or modified. No operations possible.
- Stage 4: Released
- Domain returns to public registration pool. Available for anyone to register on a first-come basis.
ℹ Total lifecycle: ~65 days from expiry to public release for standard .COM/.NET/.ORG (assuming 30-day auto-renew grace + 30-day RGP + 5-day Pending Delete).
ICANN Registrar Obligations
- Fee disclosure
- Renewal and redemption fees must be disclosed prominently at point of registration.
- Expiry notifications
- Registrar must send expiry reminder emails (typically at 30 days, 7 days before expiry, and on expiry date).
- Post-expiry notice
- Registrar must notify registrant after domain enters auto-renew grace period.
- RGP availability
- Registrar must offer domain restoration during RGP at published redemption fee.
Sponsored TLD Exemptions
Sponsored gTLDs (.aero, .coop, .museum, .jobs, .travel) may be exempt from mandatory RGP per ICANN policy. Verify RGP availability with the specific registry before advising customers on restore options.
Notable ccTLD Deviations
- .CZ
- No RGP. Deleted domains available immediately for re-registration.
- .AU
- No RGP. Deleted domains available immediately.
- .SI
- 10-day post-expiry window only. No RGP. Released immediately after.
- .NL
- Deleted on exact expiry date. No grace period. 40-day RGP after deletion.
- .CL
- No RGP. 1-5 day late renewal window only.
- .IO
- ~$300 USD redemption fee (significantly above average).
- .RO
- 90-day quarantine (one of the longest).
- .NZ
- 90-day RGP (one of the longest).
- .DE
- AUTOEXPIRE pushes to DENIC Transit (not RGP). AUTODELETE preserves RGP.
AutoDNS API
## Restore domain from RGP POST https://api.autodns.com/v1/domain/example.com/_restore ## Renew domain (before expiry) POST https://api.autodns.com/v1/domain/example.com/_renew { "name": "example.com", "period": 12 }