Heads up: This article explains how domains move from registration to renewal, expiration, redemption, and deletion. Timelines can vary by domain extension (TLD) and registry rules. If you need help at any point, contact Atom Support from your dashboard.
1) Active Registration
When you register a domain, it’s active. You can set up DNS, point to your website, and manage email or other services.
Most domains start with a 1-year term. You can extend up to 10 years total (registry limits apply).
Turn on Auto-Renew in your Atom account to prevent accidental expiration.
2) Expiration & 30-Day Grace Period
If a domain isn’t renewed by its expiration date:
Your website/email may stop working and the domain may show a parked page.
Atom sends renewal reminders to the registrant email on file:
~30 days before expiration
~7 days before expiration
Within 5 days after expiration (if still not renewed)
You still have a 30-day renewal grace period where you can renew at the standard price from your account.
Note: After the grace period, the domain may be listed in an expired domain auction or move into redemption.
3) Redemption (~30 Days)
If not renewed during the grace period, the domain may enter redemption.
You can usually recover it by paying the standard renewal fee plus a redemption recovery fee (registry-driven).
Processing can take longer because the registry must restore the domain.
When redemption ends, the domain is deleted at the registry and can become available for anyone to register.
4) Deletion & Release
After redemption, the domain typically moves to Pending Delete and is then removed by the registry. At that point, it can become available for anyone to register.
Visibility note: Once the grace period ends, expired domains may be moved out of your active list (e.g., to an expired/auction or recovery queue). They’re no longer considered active holdings.
5) Transfers (Before vs. After Expiration)
You can transfer a domain after it expires as long as it’s still within the registrar’s grace/auto-renew window and not in redemption. ICANN does not allow a registrar to block a transfer solely because a domain is expired (except for unpaid past-due registration fees).
Transfers are not allowed during Redemption. If your domain has entered the Redemption Grace Period, it must be restored first; then you can transfer.
Best practice when time is short
If you start a transfer with less than ~10 days left in the grace period, there’s a real risk the transfer may not complete before the grace window ends (e.g., auction listing or deletion may start). We strongly recommend either renewing at Atom first or starting the transfer earlier.
Why renewing, then transferring may not add an extra year
Many TLDs (like .COM and .NET) follow a registry rule: if your domain auto-renewed at expiration and you transfer out within ~45 days, the registry credits back that auto-renew and removes the added year. That’s why you might not see an extra year after a post-expiry transfer.
Tip: To keep every month of term, start the transfer before the domain expires or wait until more than 45 days after an auto-renew.
Need help?
If your domain expired or you’re unsure which stage it’s in, reach out from your Atom dashboard and we’ll guide you through your renewal or recovery options.