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.
Copy link to headingActive
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.
Copy link to headingGrace 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, 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.
Copy link to headingRedemption
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. 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.
Copy link to headingPending 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.
Copy link to headingAvailable
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").