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Expiry & drop rules, TLD by TLD
"When will it drop?" has a different answer depending on the domain ending. The gTLD lifecycle is standardised; country codes each wrote their own rules. Here's our working reference — the same model our checker uses.
Generic TLDs (standardised by ICANN)
| TLD | Grace | Redemption | Pending delete | Expiry → drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com / .net | ~30d (0–45) | 30d | 5d | ~65–80 days |
| .org | ~30d | 30d | 5d | ~65–80 days |
| .io, .app, .dev, .xyz & most new gTLDs | varies by registrar | 30d | 5d | ~40–80 days |
| .co | ~15d | 30d | 5d | ~50 days |
The variability is the registrar grace period — registry redemption (30d) and pending delete (5d) are fixed.
Country-code TLDs
| TLD | Registry | Lifecycle | Expiry → drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| .uk / .co.uk | Nominet | 30d grace → suspended → deleted | ~92 days (details) |
| .de | DENIC | No fixed grace — registrar may delete immediately; brief "transit" state | days, sometimes hours |
| .ca | CIRA | 30d redemption → weekly "TBR" release | ~35–42 days |
| .au | auDA | ~30d expired hold → daily purge | ~30–35 days |
| .nl | SIDN | 40d quarantine | ~40 days |
| .fr | AFNIC | 28d redemption | ~28–30 days |
| .eu | EURid | 40d quarantine | ~40 days |
| .es | Red.es | ~10d grace, no redemption | ~10 days — blink and you miss it |
Three rules of thumb
- gTLD? Think "two to two-and-a-half months after expiry", refined by the status codes.
- ccTLD? Look up the registry's own policy — the range runs from same-week (.de, .es) to three months (.uk).
- Either way, the owner renewing or a registrar auction can stop the drop at any point before pending delete.
💡 Our checker applies the right lifecycle for the TLD automatically and tells you which rule it used — so you don't need this table memorised.
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