Domain Renewals
Domain registrations need to be renewed before they expire in order to ensure continuity of website, email and any other services using the domain.
Domains can be renewed manually via the Services page in the customer control panel, or they can be set to renew automatically.
This page addresses some common questions relating to domain renewals.
The information on this page is applicable to all common domain types,
including global TLDs (e.g. .com, .org, .net) and UK domains.
Most domains can be renewed in one of two ways:
- Auto-renewal – automatic renewal shortly before the domain expires
- Manual renewal – renewed via our website
Some country-code TLDs (ccTLDs), including .at, .ch, and .de, follow a different process. Please see registry auto-renewals below.
How does auto-renewal work?
Domains can be set to automatically renew shortly before they expire. In order to do this, you must have either stored credit or debit card details, a direct debit or a credit account with us. Please see Payment Methods in the control panel to manage your card details or direct debit, or the Services page to manage domain renewal settings.
Renewal of domains set to auto-renew will be initiated 21 days before expiry. When renewing using stored card details, or a credit account, the renewal will be completed immediately. For direct debit renewals, it will complete once payment clears, which is usually 3-4 working days later.
Can a domain auto-renew for multiple years?
We do not currently allow the number of years to be specified when auto-renewing. UK domains are always auto-renewed for two years, and all other domains are renewed for one year. If you want to renew a domain for a different period, you can manually renew the domain via the control panel (see below).
Manual renewal
Domains can be manually renewed via the Services page in our website.
How early can a domain be renewed?
Most domains can be renewed up to nine years before expiry. A domain's expiry date can never be more than ten years in the future, so the available renewal periods will be limited by this constraint.
Some domains have tighter restrictions on when they can be renewed, and how long they can be renewed for.
Why can a domain only be renewed for nine years?
Domain registration rules prohibit a domain from being registered for more ten years into the future. This means that whilst it is possible to initially register a domain for ten years, it can only be renewed for a maximum of nine years.
When does a renewal take effect from?
Renewing a domain adds the additional renewal period to the end of the current registration period (i.e. there is no penalty to renewing early).
Registry auto-renewals
The process described in this section applies to a limited number of country code TLDs, including .at, .ch, .cx, .de, .dk, .fr, .lu, .za and a number of others.
These domains are automatically renewed by the registry that manages them. In this case, it is not possible to manually renew the domain using the control panel, and the only way to prevent renewal is to explicitly cancel the domains. There is normally a minimum time before the auto-renewal by which cancellation must be submitted, but this varies by domain type.
Please contact us if you have a query about a specific domain type.