This document describes how to redeem a domain name after its grace period has expired. To redeem a domain name, you must pay a fee within the redemption period set by the domain name registry. This prevents the domain name from being deleted or registered by others.
Lifecycle of a domain name
From expiration to release, a domain name goes through a grace period, a redemption period, and a pending delete period. After the redemption period, you can no longer redeem the domain name.
Top-level domain (TLD) | Type | Grace period | Redemption period | Pending delete period | Registry | Description |
.com/.net/.org | Generic TLD (gTLD) | 30 days | 30 days | 5 days | Verisign for .com and .net | Domain names with these gTLDs follow the operational policies of ICANN and support redemption. They have identical life cycles, and are popular choices for brand domain names. |
.cn | Country code TLD (ccTLD) | 30 days | 14 days | 30 days | China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) | Domain names with this TLD are subject to strict identity verification. The redemption period is short, so renew or redeem the domain name promptly. |
.hk | ccTLD | 28 days | — | — | Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) | The domain name is deleted immediately after the grace period and cannot be redeemed. You must renew it before the grace period ends. |
Billing
The cost for redeeming a domain name is significantly higher than a standard renewal. The total fee is calculated as follows: Total redemption fee = Redemption service fee + 1-year renewal fee.
The redemption service fee and renewal fee vary by TLD. For specific pricing, visit the Domain Prices page.
Redemption eligibility
You cannot redeem a domain name in the following situations:
.hk: Domain names with this TLD do not have a redemption period. The domain name is deleted immediately after its 28-day grace period.
Incomplete identity verification for .cn domain names: Per registry regulations, .cn domain names that have not completed identity verification cannot be redeemed.
Judicial freeze: Domain names that are under a judicial freeze or in dispute cannot be redeemed.
Procedure
Step 1: Check if the domain name is eligible for redemption
Go to the Domain Names page in the console, on the Domain Names to Be Redeemed tab, find the target domain name.
If the domain name is not listed, it may be for one of the following reasons:
The domain name has passed its redemption period and has been deleted by the registry.
The domain name is not registered under the current Alibaba Cloud account.
Step 2: Request a redemption and track its status
On the Domain Names to Be Redeemed tab, click Redeem in the Actions column for the domain name.
On the Cart page, select the domain name to redeem and click Buy Now.
On the Order Information page, click Pay.
Confirm that all information is correct, select a payment method, and complete the payment.
When the payment is completed, the system begins processing the redemption request. The processing time varies by registry. You can check the status of the redemption order on the My Order page.
After a successful redemption:
The domain name status is restored to Normal.
The DNS resolution for the domain name is automatically restored.
The domain name's expiration date is extended by one year from the original date.
Apply in production
Keep contact information updated: Ensure that the registrant email for the domain name is valid. The system sends renewal reminders to the email address before the domain name expires. If your contact information is outdated, you may miss these important notifications.
Regularly check your domain names: Log on to the console on a quarterly or semi-annual basis and check the expiration dates of your domain names.