What Happens When a Domain Expires?: Grace Period, Penalty and Deletion

What Happens When a Domain Expires?: Grace Period, Penalty & Deletion

When a domain reaches its expiration date and is not renewed, it is not lost immediately. The domain goes through a series of progressive stages before becoming available for anyone to register. Each stage has a specific timeframe and different conditions for recovery.

It's important to know these periods so you can act in time and avoid permanently losing your domain.

⚠️ Important: Domains registered at Webzi do not have auto-renewal enabled by default. It is your responsibility to manually renew your domains before the expiration date. If you wish to enable auto-renewal, you can do so from your My Webzi panel.

Lifecycle of an expired domain

Starting from the expiration date, your domain will go through the following stages:

1. Grace Period — 20 days (no penalty)

This is the first period after expiration. During the first 20 days, you can renew your domain at the regular renewal price, with no additional charges.

  • ⏱️ Duration: 20 days from the expiration date.

  • 💰 Recovery cost: $0.00 MXN additional (you only pay the regular renewal fee).

  • 🌐 Domain status: Your website and email may stop working during this period, although the domain still belongs to you.

  • ✅ Can you recover it? Yes, simply by renewing from your My Webzi panel.

ℹ️ Recommendation: This is the best time to renew. Don't wait until the 20 days are up, as services associated with the domain (website, email, etc.) may be affected from the first day of expiration and a penalty will be automatically generated once the deadline passes.

2. Penalty Period — day 20 to day 46 (with additional fee)

If you didn't renew during the grace period, a penalty for an expired domain is automatically generated once the 20 days have passed. It's still possible to recover your domain during the following 26 days, but at a significantly higher cost.

  • ⏱️ Duration: From day 20 to day 46 after expiration (26 days).

  • 💰 Recovery cost: $1,900.00 MXN (penalty fee) plus the regular domain renewal cost.

  • 🌐 Domain status: The website, email, and all services linked to the domain remain inactive.

  • ✅ Can you recover it? Yes, but you must contact our support team at soporte@webzi.mx to manage the recovery and penalty payment.

⚠️ Warning: The $1,900.00 MXN penalty fee is set by the upstream registrars, not by Webzi. This cost is non-refundable and is in addition to the domain renewal price.

3. Pending Delete — ~5 days

If the domain was not recovered during the previous periods, it enters the final pending delete phase.

  • ⏱️ Duration: Approximately 5 days.

  • 💰 Recovery cost: Not applicable. The domain cannot be recovered by any means.

  • 🌐 Domain status: The domain is in the process of being released to the general public.

  • ❌ Can you recover it? No. Once in this stage, the domain will be permanently deleted and become available for anyone to register.

Period summary

Stage Period Additional cost Recoverable?
Grace Period Day 1 to 20 $0.00 MXN ✅ Yes
Penalty Period Day 20 to 46 $1,900.00 MXN ⚠️ Yes (with penalty)
Pending Delete After day 46 ❌ No

In total, from the expiration date to permanent deletion, you have approximately 51 days (46 + ~5) to take action. However, only during the first 20 days can you renew at no additional cost. After day 20, each passing day represents a higher risk and a greater cost.

How to renew your domain

If your domain is in the Grace Period (first 20 days):

  • Log in to My Webzi → Domains.

  • Select the expired domain.

  • Click "Renew" and complete the payment at the regular price.

  • The domain will be reactivated within minutes to 24 hours.

If your domain is in the Penalty Period (day 20 onwards):

  • Contact our support team at soporte@webzi.mx or via live chat.

  • We'll guide you through the payment process for the penalty fee ($1,900.00 MXN) plus the renewal cost.

  • Once payment is processed, we'll request the domain recovery from the registry. The process may take between 24 and 72 hours.

ℹ️ Note: Webzi does not guarantee the availability of recovery during the penalty period for all domain extensions. Periods and fees may vary depending on the extension (.com, .mx, .net, etc.) and upstream registrar policies.

Refund policy

According to our Domain Management Policy, no refunds are issued for domain registration, renewal, or transfer. This includes penalty charges, as the service contracted with Webzi is an intermediation service. Once the renewal or recovery is processed, the service is considered fully rendered.

Recommendations to avoid losing your domain

🔄 Enable auto-renewal

From your My Webzi panel, enable auto-renewal for your domains and make sure you have a valid payment method on file. This way you'll avoid forgetting and unexpected expirations.

📧 Keep your email updated

Webzi sends expiration notifications to the email address registered on your account. Make sure it's up to date and check these notifications. Webzi is not responsible for expired domains due to unread notifications or emails filtered as spam.

📅 Renew in advance

Don't wait until the last day. You can renew your domain at any time before expiration, and the renewal time will be added to the current expiration date without losing any days.

📋 Register your domains for multiple years

If your domain is essential to your business, consider registering it for 2, 3, or more years. This reduces the risk of accidental expiration and in many cases you'll get a better per-year price.


Need help?

If your domain has expired or you need assistance with the renewal or recovery process, we're here to help:

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