Restoring a domain name

When a domain is not renewed within the renewal period, it is deleted from our database, usually between 1 and 40 days after the expiration date (depending on the extension), as required by ICANN.

If you wish to reactivate a domain that has been deleted, you'll need to have it restored.

You can find out if your domain requires restoration by looking it up in the Whois: If you see the status ”Redemption Period” or ”Pending Delete Restorable”, the domain must be restored to be reactivated.

If you are unsure, you can always contact our support.

Gandi provides a domain restoration service. It means that if your domain is in “Redemption Period” status, we can restore it for you.

In most cases, this operation can be done online using the renewal interface, like a normal renewal.

See Renewing a Domain Name →

When you enter your domain name in the renewal interface, you may receive a message like this:

This is either because:

• you are typing the domain name incorrectly,
• the domain is not eligible for renewal yet, or
• because you are entering a domain with an extension that cannot be restored online. In this case, you will need to contact support so the operation can be performed manually by our team.

To speed up the process, please follow these steps:

1. Check the price list to see how much a restoration will cost.
2. Credit the prepaid account of the Gandi handle that is listed as the owner of the domain for at least the amount of the restoration.
3. Contact support as soon as possible with your explicit authorization to restore the domain name and to debit your prepaid account for this amount. For security purposes, we may reply to request confirmation.

If you are not sure how much credit to add to your prepaid account, or if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Restoration rates are higher than those for renewal because Gandi is charged more by the registry for this operation.

Therefore, we must raise the price of a restoration to cover the cost of the operation.

If you choose not to restore your domain, it will be deleted by the Registry, usually within one month of entering “Redemption Period” or “Pending Delete Restorable.” Delays vary according to extension. Once deleted by the Registry, the domain will be made available for registration to anyone at any registrar on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more details, see:

• The full chart of renewal, restoration, and deletion times
• Waiting for permanent deletion to attempt re-registration

Consider activating automatic renewal, or registering your domain for longer periods. Most extensions can be registered for up to 10 years in advance.

• Renewal
• Automatic Renewal at Gandi
• Expiration, deletion and restoration of domain names
• Restoration of .fr domains