Why a client domain lapses, and why you get the call
A domain name almost never expires out of pure negligence. It expires because the chain meant to renew it has a dead link: the card on file reached its expiry date, auto-renewal was never switched on, or the registrar's notice goes to the mailbox of a contractor who left two years ago. The registrar did its job, nobody read its message.
The day the name drops, the symptom is abrupt and gives no detail: the site is unreachable, emails are rejected, or a registrar parking page appears in place of the site. For the client, the outage has no cause, it has someone responsible, and that is whoever delivered the site. That is why an agency cannot treat domains as a side topic: the responsibility falls back on it, even when it is not the registrant of the name.
Registrant, payer, manager: three roles not to confuse
The domain registrant is the person or company listed as registrant with the registrar. That is not the person who pays, and not the person who configures DNS. This distinction settles the objection every client raises: who is responsible, the agency or the client?
If the client is listed as registrant, the name belongs to them, but they only receive notices if their address is correct and read. If the agency listed itself as registrant to move faster, the name is registered in the agency's name, and on the day a contract ends, the transfer becomes a negotiation. In both cases, write down in the contract or an amendment who is the registrant, who renews, who pays and who receives notices. The register below holds these four items for every name.
The register: one row per domain, eight checkpoints
Scroll the table
| Checkpoint | What you record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and registrar | The exact name and the registrar where it is managed | Knowing where to log in when the incident hits |
| Registrant | The legal name listed as registrant | Decides who can authorise a transfer or a restoration |
| Technical and billing contacts | The email address for each role, with an agency mailbox in copy | Notices go to these addresses, not to you |
| Expiry date and auto-renewal | The expiry date, and yes or no for auto-renewal | Basis of the alert calendar |
| Payment method | The method used and its expiry date | Frequent cause of a failed auto-renewal |
| Transfer lock | On or off, date of the last change | Protects the name from an unwanted transfer |
| DNS and name servers | Who hosts the zone, which name servers are declared | An expiring name cuts everything that depends on it |
| Dependent services and responsible client | Site, email, linked applications; the client-side contact | Measures impact and says who to warn |
The life cycle of a name: what ICANN sets, and what it does not
For generic extensions (gTLDs), ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy, called the ERRP, sets a baseline. The registrar must send at least two notices before expiry, about one month then about one week before; notices sent between 26 and 35 days, then between 4 and 10 days before, are considered compliant. If the name is neither renewed nor deleted five days after expiry, an additional notice is due. The registrar must also allow renewal until the end of the DNS interruption period.
Three clarifications prevent misreadings. First, expiry and deletion are two events: DNS is interrupted at expiry or, at the latest, during the last 8 renewable days; deletion comes afterwards. Second, after deletion, unsponsored gTLD registries offer a 30-day redemption period, during which DNS stays disabled and transfers are prohibited, and where restoration is requested from the registrar, with fees the registrar must display. Third, the auto-renew grace period, from 1 to 45 days, is optional: some registrars offer it, others do not. Never count on it.
Beware of country-code extensions (ccTLDs) such as .ma or .sn: their durations depend on the registry and are not these ones. For each ccTLD in your portfolio, read the registry's policy and note it on the domain's record.
The phases, from expiry date to deletion
Scroll the table
| Phase | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Before expiry | The registrar sends at least two notices, about one month then about one week before | Check that these notices reach a mailbox someone reads |
| At expiry | DNS is interrupted from expiry if deletion occurs within 8 days, otherwise for at least the last 8 renewable days | Renew without waiting: site and email may be cut |
| Five days later | Additional notice if the name is neither renewed nor deleted | Treat this notice as a red alert |
| Late renewal | Possible until the end of the DNS interruption period | Read the late renewal fees the registrar displays |
| Redemption | 30 days after deletion for unsponsored gTLDs; DNS disabled, transfers prohibited | Ask the registrar for restoration, with the restoration fees in view |
| Country-code extensions | Durations specific to each registry | Consult the policy of the registry concerned |
The agency's alert calendar
- 90 days before — file check: registrant up to date, contacts read, payment method valid beyond the expiry date. This is the moment to fix things without urgency.
- 60 days before — confirmation with the client: renew, transfer or drop the name. A written decision, not an assumption.
- 30 days before — the renewal is done or scheduled; otherwise, chase the client with the template message below. The registrar's notice arrives around this date.
- 7 days before — final check: is the expiry date still ahead of us? If not, switch to the emergency procedure. The registrar's second notice lands around this date.
- A method, not an obligation — these four thresholds are the agency's recommendation, not an ICANN rule. Adjust them, but keep fixed thresholds and a named owner.
- Registrar notices do not replace this calendar — they go to the registrant's email, often the client or a former contact. Your calendar is the only alert that reaches you.
Transfer lock, EPP code and change of registrant
Enable the transfer lock on every name, by default, and lift it only at the moment of an outgoing transfer. A locked name cannot leave for another registrar unless someone unlocks it: it is the simplest protection against an unwanted transfer. The transfer code (EPP) is requested at the time of the exit, not before, and is handled like a password: the step-by-step is in the guide on outgoing transfers.
A sequencing trap comes up often. ICANN's transfer policy imposes a 60-day lock after a change of registrant information; it can be avoided with an opt-out, but only before the change request. If you want to move a name and change its registrant, do the transfer first, the registrant change second. In the reverse order, you end up with a name stuck for sixty days, unable to move to a more reliable registrar.
Contacts and verification: RDAP rather than WHOIS alone
Every year, the registrar sends a registration data reminder (RDRP, formerly WDRP). That email comes from the registrar, not from ICANN, and goes to the registrant contact: an unreachable contact leaves this reminder unanswered, and nobody notices. Review the contacts on every row of the register at least once a year, and whenever a colleague whose address appeared on a domain leaves.
To check who is registered, do not rely on WHOIS alone. Since 28 January 2025, RDAP has been the definitive source of gTLD registration data, replacing WHOIS. Some data may be masked, which is normal. Query lookup.icann.org, then confirm in the registrar's interface: the registrar's record remains the source for acting, RDAP is for checking.
The domain has already expired: the six-step procedure
Confirm the state of the name
Query RDAP through lookup.icann.org and open the record at the registrar. Note the displayed state, the expiry date and the registrant contact. A quick DNS check completes the picture:
dig +short NS example.com, thendig +short A example.com. An interrupted name no longer answers, or points to the registrar's page.Renew right away if the period allows
As long as the name is renewable, renew immediately. Before paying, read the late renewal fees the registrar must display. Renewal restarts DNS; recovery is not always instant.
Otherwise, request restoration
If the name has been deleted and is in the redemption period, restoration is requested from the registrar, which displays its restoration fees. It costs more than an ordinary renewal. The more time passes, the less certain the recovery: do not wait.
Check DNS and email after it returns
Check the name servers with
dig +short NS example.com, the MX records withdig +short MX example.com, then test the site and send a message. Caches can delay the return to normal: check again after a few hours.Warn the client
Inform them before they find out: what happened, what is restored, what remains to be watched. A template message follows this list.
Fix the register and the organisation
Write the post-mortem: why the notice was not read, why the payment failed. Correct the register row and, if the cause is structural, the method: contacts, card, owner of the calendar.
The template message to the client
Subject: example.com domain, restored.
Hello, the domain name example.com had expired, which cut the site and the emails. We renewed it and restored it today. Access is returning gradually, the delay depends on caches. We are checking the site and the mailboxes and will confirm the full return. We have also fixed the cause: the payment method and the notice contact have been updated. We remain available for any question.
Do not promise a recovery time you do not control, and do not name an individual fault.
What ServOrbit covers, and what it does not
For a domain managed at ServOrbit, the domain record in the customer area lets you enable or lift the transfer lock and obtain the transfer code (EPP). The registrant contact (Whois) can be filled in there, which lets you correct the address that receives notices. The Agency area offers a portfolio view of a client's services: domains, hosting, VPS.
This guide promises nothing beyond that. The alert calendar described above is a method you set up with your own tools: we do not present an automatic expiry alert system, and the register remains a document you keep. For .ma names, renewal costs are covered in the article on pricing, and published data in the guide on the registry.
The official documentation
Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP): https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/errp-2013-02-28-en
Updated version of the policy, 2024: https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/consensus-policies/expired-registration-recovery-policy/expired-registration-recovery-policy-21-02-2024-en
ICANN guide for registrants, auto-renew grace period: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/registrant-about-errp-2018-12-07-en
ICANN FAQ on change of registrant and the 60-day lock: https://www.icann.org/en/transfer-policy-faqs-change-of-registrant-30nov16-en
Annual registration data reminder: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/registrars/consensus-policies/drp-en
RDAP and the end of WHOIS: https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-update-launching-rdap-sunsetting-whois-27-01-2025-en
Registration data lookup: https://lookup.icann.org
