Information Centre

If you have forgotten to renew your domain name and it expires - don't panic, you will still be able to renew it as long as you act quickly.

After the registration of a .com.au, .net.au, .org.au or any other .au extension lapses, the domain name becomes inactive and enters into what is known as "serverUpdateProhibited" and "serverHold" status for 30 days, during which time the website address can still be renewed. However, after this period, an Australian domain name with this status is deleted from the .au registrar on the next business day and can then be registered by any eligible party - who could perhaps be a competitor or someone with an axe to grind.

The expiration process can be a little more complex for other web addresses.

For example, when a website address ending in .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz expires, it first goes into the Domain Name Grace Period (DNGP), which lasts for approximately 40 days; during which time you are able to renew the domain by simply paying the renewal fees. 

After this period, the name then enters a further 30 day Domain Name Redemption Period (DNRP). The domain can still be retrieved by the original registrant, but it is a costly and complex process taking a few days. If the web address is still not renewed after the DNRP, there is then a 5-day Pending Delete Phase after which time, the domain name will be available for registration by any other eligible party.

When it becomes freshly available again, it's known as a "dropped domain" - and many parties monitor drop lists looking for names to scoop up. Sometimes these dropped names can be re-registered in a matter of seconds after becoming available.

The best way to ensure you don't find yourself in this position is to renew your Australian domain registration as soon as you receive a renewal reminder email from us.

One of the most common reasons for registrants not renewing their website address aside from forgetting is having outdated email contact details on their domain name record. The admin contact email address on the domain record is the address that renewal reminders go to. 

You can check your details by either logging into your domain name control interface or by using our WhoIs application.