My Domain Is Expiring Soon

My Domain Is Expiring Soon

A domain expiration can take your entire online presence offline — website, email, everything. Unlike a server crash, recovering an expired domain can take weeks and cost thousands of euros. This is one problem you absolutely must prevent.

What Happens When a Domain Expires

Domain expiration follows a predictable timeline:

1. Expiration day: The domain stops resolving. Your website and email go down.
2. Grace period (0-45 days): You can still renew at the normal price. Duration varies by registrar and TLD. Most .com domains get about 30 days.
3. Redemption period (30 days): You can still recover the domain, but it costs 100-200 EUR in redemption fees on top of the renewal.
4. Pending delete (5 days): The domain is queued for release. You cannot recover it.
5. Released: The domain becomes available to anyone. Domain squatters often grab expired domains within seconds using automated tools.

Warning: Some TLDs (like .io, .dev, .app) have shorter grace periods or no grace period at all. Don't assume you have time.

Check Your Domain's Expiration Date

Using WHOIS from the command line:

whois example.com | grep -i "expir"

Using dig to check the registrar:

dig example.com NS +short

This tells you which nameservers are authoritative, which often reveals the registrar.

How to Renew at Common Registrars

OVH

1. Log in to the OVH Control Panel (ovh.com/manager)
2. Go to Domain Names > your domain
3. Click "Renew" or enable auto-renewal in the "Service management" section
4. OVH allows renewal for 1-10 years

Gandi

1. Log in to gandi.net
2. Go to Domain > your domain
3. Click "Renew" in the top-right
4. Gandi sends renewal reminders at 60, 30, and 7 days before expiration

GoDaddy

1. Log in to godaddy.com
2. Go to My Products > Domains
3. Click on the domain and select "Renew Domain"
4. GoDaddy often upsells extras — decline privacy, hosting, and email add-ons unless you need them

Namecheap

1. Log in to namecheap.com
2. Go to Domain List
3. Click "Renew" next to the domain
4. Namecheap includes free WHOIS privacy, which is a good default

Tip: Renew for multiple years if the domain is critical. The cost difference is minimal and you eliminate the annual renewal risk.

Setting Up Auto-Renewal

Every major registrar supports auto-renewal. Enable it:

• OVH: Control Panel > Domain > Manage service > Toggle auto-renewal
• Gandi: Domain > Renewal settings > Automatic renewal
• GoDaddy: My Products > Domain > Auto-renew toggle
• Namecheap: Domain List > Auto-renew toggle

Auto-renewal requires a valid payment method on file. If your credit card expires, the auto-renewal will fail silently.

Warning: Check your payment method every 6 months. A common failure mode is an expired credit card that no one updated. The auto-renewal fails, the registrar sends emails that go to spam, and the domain expires.

Who Actually Owns the Domain?

This is a critical question, especially for agencies managing client domains. Check WHOIS:

whois example.com | grep -i "registrant"

Common situations: - Domain owned by the client: Good. Make sure they renew it or grant you registrar access. - Domain owned by a former agency: Problematic. The client needs to request a transfer. - Domain owned by a former employee: Very problematic. Requires legal action if they won't cooperate. - Domain registered by the agency on behalf of the client: Make sure your contract clarifies ownership.

Tip: As an agency, always register domains under the client's own registrar account. You can manage it for them, but ownership should be theirs. This avoids messy disputes later.

Transferring to a Better Registrar

If you want to move a domain to a registrar with better pricing or management:

1. Unlock the domain at the current registrar (disable transfer lock)
2. Get the authorization code (also called EPP code or transfer key)

# Some registrars show this in the dashboard, others require a support request

1. Initiate the transfer at the new registrar using the auth code
2. Approve the transfer via email (sent to the domain's admin contact)
3. Wait 5-7 days for the transfer to complete

Rules: - You cannot transfer a domain within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer - You cannot transfer a domain that's in the redemption period - The transfer usually adds one year to the registration

How SiteWatch Helps

SiteWatch monitors domain expiration dates across your entire client portfolio:

• 30-day alerts give you time to handle renewals calmly
• 7-day critical alerts for domains still not renewed
• Portfolio view shows all domain expiration dates in one place — no more logging into 5 different registrars
• WHOIS monitoring tracks ownership changes that might indicate unauthorized transfers

Never lose a client's domain again.