--- title: Lifecycle of a domain description: Understand the states a .com domain passes through from registration to deletion, and how to renew or recover it at each stage. url: /kb/guide/lifecycle-of-a-domain canonical_url: "https://vercel.com/kb/guide/lifecycle-of-a-domain" published: 2026-01-23 last_updated: 2026-08-14 authors: Anders Morley-Hagström related: [] install_vercel_plugin: npx plugins add vercel/vercel-plugin --- ## Related pages > **For AI agents:** Follow these links to understand how this page connects to the rest of the Vercel ecosystem. For the full cross-link map (inbound, outbound, prerequisites, and semantic neighbors), see the .graph.md link below. - [Renewing a Domain](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-domains/renew-a-domain?from=related) — Learn how to manage automatic and manual renewals for custom domains purchased through or registered with Vercel, and ho - [Working with Domains](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-domains?from=related) — Learn how domains work and the options Vercel provides for managing them. - [Troubleshooting Domains](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/troubleshooting?from=related) — Learn about common reasons for domain misconfigurations and how to troubleshoot your domain on Vercel. - [Renew a domain](https://vercel.com/docs/rest-api/domains-registrar/renew-a-domain?from=related) - [Using Domains API](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/registrar-api?from=related) — Programmatically search, price, purchase, renew, and manage domains with Vercel's domains registrar API endpoints. - [How to fix a domain suspended by serverHold or clientHold](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/how-to-fix-a-domain-suspended-by-serverhold-or-clienthold?from=related) — What serverHold and clientHold mean, why they happen, and how to resolve them. - [Why is my Vercel domain not verified?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/why-is-my-vercel-domain-unverified?from=related) — Information on why a Vercel domain may not be verified and how to verify it. - [How do I transfer my domain out of Vercel?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/how-do-i-transfer-my-domain-out-of-vercel?from=related) — Information on how to transfer a domain out of Vercel. - [How do I transfer my domain to Vercel?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/how-do-i-transfer-my-domain-to-vercel?from=related) — Information on how to transfer a domain to Vercel. Full cross-link map for this page: [/kb/guide/lifecycle-of-a-domain.graph.md](/kb/guide/lifecycle-of-a-domain.graph.md) In this article, we'll walk through the different states a `.com` domain passes through from registration to deletion, so you'll know exactly when and how you can take action to maintain ownership of your domain. * * * #### Active The domain is registered and functioning normally. DNS resolution and traffic behaviour depend on how the domain is configured. If the domain is not renewed before its expiration date, it exits the **Active** state. Domains on Vercel can be set to automatically renew before their expiry date, or manually renewed 364 days or less before it. * * * #### Grace period After expiration, the domain enters the **Grace Period**, which lasts up to 45 days. During this period: - The domain can be renewed at the standard renewal price directly in the Vercel platform - The domain remains reserved for the current registrant - **Note:** While most gTLDs like (`.com`/`.net`/`.org`) have a grace period, not all TLDs do. Some TLDs move to the **Pending Delete** stage directly after the expiry date has passed. Renewing during this period immediately returns the domain to the Active state. To renew during this period, open your team's [Domains tab](https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fdomains&title=Go+to+Domains), select the “More Options” icon next to the domain, and choose **Renew**, or open the individual domain page and select **Renew Domain**. The dashboard shows a confirmation step before you complete the payment. * * * #### Redemption If not renewed during the Grace Period, the domain enters the **Redemption Period** (30 days for `.com` domains). At this stage: - The domain no longer resolves - Transfers are not allowed - The domain can be restored by paying a redemption fee plus the renewal fee. This fee is paid by the customer via Vercel to the registry to manually redeem your domain. Vercel does not profit from domain redemptions. - **Note:** Just as with **Grace Period**, not all TLDs offer a **Redemption Period**, and some TLDs skip this step completely. For TLDs that support self-serve redemption, and only while the domain is in the **Redemption** state, start the redemption from the domain detail page in your [Domains tab](https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fdomains&title=Go+to+Domains). The dashboard shows the redemption fee, which depends on the domain registry, before you confirm. A successful redemption returns the domain to the **Active** state. * * * #### Pending delete After **Redemption** ends, the domain enters **Pending Delete** for 5 days. This is a final, non-recoverable state: - The domain cannot be renewed or restored - We can no longer recover the domain on your behalf, and the “Renew” button will be greyed out on your domain page. * * * #### Available After **Pending Delete** completes, the domain is deleted from the registry and becomes available for anyone to register. The previous registrant no longer has any priority or recovery rights. * * * **Note:** The lifecycle described above applies to `.com` domains, our most common gTLD. Most other gTLDs (such as `.org` and `.net`) follow the same flow, but ccTLDs (country code domains like `.be` or `.pl`) often have different rules set by their respective registries. Some may have shorter grace or redemption periods, while others bypass these recovery states entirely and delete domains immediately upon expiration. To find the specific lifecycle policy for your TLD, search for "`[your TLD] registry lifecycle`" or "`[your TLD] redemption grace period`" (for example, ".`ca registry lifecycle`").