The ICANN-Mandated Expiration Lifecycle
ICANN doesn't let registries delete domains haphazardly. There's a strict, federally-defined process. The total lifecycle: approximately 6 months from registration expiration to permanent deletion.
The 5 Phases
Phase 1: Auto-Renew Grace Period (Days 0-45) — Domain registration expires. Registrar sends reminder emails. Website goes dark. Owner can still renew at standard price. Investor action: Do nothing, monitor WHOIS data.
Phase 2: Redemption Grace Period (Days 45-75) — Registrar removes domain from DNS entirely. Goes completely dark. Owner can recover by paying $80-$250 penalty fee. Investor action: This is your vetting window. Analyze the domain, run Ahrefs/Semrush, check Wayback Machine, place backorders.
Phase 3: Pending Delete (Days 75-80) — Domain is completely locked. No one can renew. WHOIS shows 'pendingDelete'. Inevitable release incoming. Investor action: Go time. This is when catching happens. Competition is at maximum.
Phase 4: Drop (Moment of Release) — Registry processes deletion. Domain becomes available for new registration. Takes ~10-50 milliseconds for professional infrastructure to catch.
Phase 5: Active Registry — You own the domain. WHOIS updates with your info.
How to Check What Phase a Domain Is In
- Use WHOIS lookup (whois.com, whois.net) and check status codes
- 'redemptionPeriod' = Phase 2 (RGP)
- 'pendingDelete' = Phase 3 (Pending Delete)
- Use ExpiredDomains.net filtered lists (updated daily)
Key Takeaways
- Redemption Grace (45-75 days): Vetting window. Owner can recover but rarely does.
- Pending Delete (75-80 days): Go window. Domain is locked, inevitable release.
- Check WHOIS status codes to know exactly where a domain is in the lifecycle.
- Drop moment is milliseconds. Professional infrastructure makes the difference.