My domain has expired: how do I get it back?
How you know the domain has expired
- The website shows a parking page, an "expired" notice, or "site can't be reached".
- Email to the domain bounces and you can't send from it.
- The client area shows the domain's status as Expired under Domains → My Domains.
- You received renewal reminders by email 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before the expiry date.
Everything that depends on the domain stops at once: website, email, subdomains and any DNS records. Your hosting account and files are unaffected. They come back as soon as the domain is renewed.
What happens after expiry
The exact periods depend on the domain extension. Act as early as possible.
| Stage | What it means | Can you renew? |
|---|---|---|
| Expired / grace period | The domain has stopped working but is still yours | Yes, at the normal renewal price |
| Redemption period | The registry has started the deletion process | Usually yes. Webway charges only the normal renewal price |
| Pending delete | Final days before release | No. Wait for release and try to register it again |
| Released | Anyone can register it | Only by registering it again, if nobody else has |
Webway doesn't charge redemption fees for expired domains, only the normal renewal price. The periods depend on the extension. For example, for .uk domains you have 90 days after expiry to renew: a 30-day expiry grace period, then a 60-day redemption grace period, then 5 days pending delete, after which the domain can be registered by anyone. See our terms.
Expired domains are often picked up by automated buyers the moment they are released, especially if the site had traffic. Don't count on registering it again.
How to renew an expired domain
- Log in to the client area at portal.webway.host.
- Go to Domains → My Domains.
- Click the domain and renew it, or use Domains → Domain Renewals.
- Choose a renewal period and add it to your order.
- Pay the invoice by card or PayFast. The renewal happens once payment is confirmed.
If the renewal option doesn't appear, open a support ticket and we'll renew it for you at the normal renewal price.
After renewing
- The domain is reactivated at the registry within minutes to a few hours.
- Your website and email come back once DNS catches up. This can take a few hours, occasionally up to 24. See How long does DNS propagation take?
- Check that the nameservers are still
dns1.webway.hostanddns2.webway.host. - Email sent to you during the outage has bounced. Senders got a failure message and will need to resend.
The domain isn't showing in my client area
If the domain was registered elsewhere, renew it there. Look it up with an online WHOIS tool to see the registrar. If you don't recognise the registrar, a web designer or previous employee may have registered it; the WHOIS registrant details tell you who.
Stop it happening again
- Turn on auto-renewal for the domain in the client area.
- Keep a valid card or payment method on your account.
- Make sure the email address on your client area account is one you check. Renewal reminders go there.
- Register or renew for several years at a time if the domain matters to your business.
Still stuck?
Open a support ticket and include:
- The domain name.
- The expiry date shown in the client area or in WHOIS.
- Whether you've already paid a renewal invoice, and the invoice number.
- Whether the domain was registered with Webway or elsewhere.
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