redemptionPeriod: What It Means & How to Recover Your Domain
redemptionPeriod is the most urgent status a domain owner routinely encounters. Per ICANN, it means your registrar has asked the registry to delete your domain — the domain is held in this status for 30 days, and after five calendar days following the end of the redemptionPeriod, it is purged from the registry database and becomes available for registration.
The domain usually stops resolving, but it is not gone yet. This window exists precisely so registrants can recover names deleted by accident or through failed renewals.
What redemptionPeriod means
Deletion at gTLD registries isn't instant. When a registrar deletes a domain — most commonly because it expired unrenewed, sometimes at the registrant's request — the registry parks it in a 30-day redemption window (an RGP status from RFC 3915). During this window only your original registrar can restore it; nobody else can register it.
After redemption ends, the domain moves to pendingDelete for about five days, then drops and becomes publicly available. ccTLD registries run their own expiry models — some have no redemption window at all — so these timings apply to gTLDs like .com; check your specific TLD.
Is it good or bad news?
Bad news with a deadline, not a death sentence. If you want the domain, you can almost certainly still get it back — but recovery costs more than a renewal, and the clock is running. Every day you wait is a day closer to pendingDelete, where recovery becomes impossible and drop-catchers line up.
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Sourdough pulls live RDAP status for every domain you track and flags anything unusual — holds, locks, redemption — before it becomes a problem. 7 days free, then $10/mo. $0 due today.
How to recover the domain
- •Contact your registrar immediately — only they can submit the restore request to the registry.
- •Resolve whatever caused the deletion (usually an unpaid renewal) and pay the redemption/restore fee. Registrars typically charge $70-$200 on top of the renewal, varying by registrar and TLD.
- •The registrar submits the restore; the domain may pass through pendingRestore while the registry waits for the registrar's restoration documentation.
- •Once restored and renewed, verify the new expiry date in RDAP — and fix the tracking gap that let it expire unnoticed. Sourdough's renewal alert ladder exists for exactly this failure mode; it's free for 7 days, then $10/mo.
What happens if you do nothing
The domain completes its ~30 days of redemption, spends about five days in pendingDelete, then drops. High-value names get caught by drop-catching services within seconds of release — meaning your realistic alternatives shift from "pay a restore fee" to "bid at auction against strangers for your own name."
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does redemptionPeriod last?
For gTLDs, 30 days, per ICANN. After it ends, the domain spends roughly five more days in pendingDelete before being purged and released. ccTLD windows differ — some registries have shorter windows or none.
How much does it cost to restore a domain in redemption?
Typically $70-$200 in registrar redemption fees plus the renewal cost, though it varies by registrar and TLD. That premium is why catching expiry before deletion is so much cheaper than recovering after.
Can someone else register my domain during redemptionPeriod?
No. During redemption the domain is held at the registry and can only be restored via your original registrar. It only becomes publicly available after pendingDelete completes and the name drops.