Domain expired, website down – how to get your site and email back

What stops working when a domain expires

An expired domain takes down everything connected to it, usually all at once. Get a clear picture of the impact first, so you can decide whether customers and partners need to hear from you.

• Website: it stops loading or is replaced by the registrar's parking page with ads
• Email: addresses on your domain can no longer send or receive, and senders get bounce messages
• SSL certificate: automatic renewal fails, so browsers may show "Not secure" for a while even after recovery
• Forms, bookings and online shop: inquiry and order notifications stop arriving, often without anyone noticing
• Ads and search: Google Ads and Meta Ads landing pages fail and campaigns stop; the longer it lasts, the more pages drop out of search results

A common trap is where the renewal reminders were sent. If the registrar's contact email is on the same domain, the warnings stop arriving at the exact moment you need them. If you feel you were never notified, check that setting first.

How long you have after a domain expires

An expired domain does not go to someone else right away. For generic domains such as .com and .net, it typically moves through these stages. Lengths and fees vary by registrar, so treat them as a guide.

• Renewal grace period: roughly 30–45 days after expiry. You can usually renew at the normal price or with a small surcharge
• Redemption period: about 30 days after that. The domain can still be restored, but the restore fee is often high
• Pending delete: about 5 days when no action is possible
• Released: anyone can register it. Domains that had traffic are often picked up by domain resellers

.jp domains follow their own rules, set by each registrar. Whatever the extension, the earlier you act, the cheaper the fix and the more options you have – so start the steps below the same day.

First steps when your domain has expired

Before registering a new domain in a hurry, find out whether you can keep the current one. Working in this order gets you back online fastest.

• Check the status: run a WHOIS lookup to see the expiry date, status and registrar
• Find the account: confirm which service holds the domain, whose name it is in and whether you can log in
• Renew or restore: renew in the dashboard and confirm the payment went through – an expired card is a frequent cause
• Check DNS: make sure the nameservers were not switched to parking, and that the A record for the site and MX records for email are unchanged
• Wait for propagation: changes can take a few hours and sometimes up to 72 hours
• Test everything: website, sending and receiving email, SSL, form submissions and ad landing pages

Renewing the domain will not bring the site back if the hosting plan also lapsed. Check your hosting and email service contracts at the same time.

When the domain is registered to your old web agency

In Japan it is common for the agency that built the site, or a former employee, to have registered the domain on the company's behalf. Only the registrant can log in, so the first job is to find out who that is.

• Look through contracts, invoices and old emails to see who registered and managed the domain
• Contact the agency or former staff member and ask them to renew it right away
• Once it is renewed, request the transfer authorization code (AuthCode) to move it into your own account
• If you cannot reach them, contact the registrar shown in WHOIS with documents proving you are the registrant

Many registrars block transfers while a domain is expired or close to expiry, so renew first and transfer second. Our guide to domain transfer explains how to move it into your company's name.

A renewal checklist so it never happens again

Domains usually lapse after a small change – a staff member leaves, a card is replaced. A few settings take care of renewals for you.

• Turn on auto-renew and check the expiry date of the saved payment method
• Send renewal notices to an address on a different domain that someone reads, such as Gmail
• Register the domain in your company's own name
• Renew for several years at once
• Keep the registrar, login ID, expiry date and DNS settings recorded in one shared place
• Once a year, review domain, hosting and SSL contracts together

If you are registering a new domain, see setting up a custom domain. If you would like renewals looked after for you, website maintenance explains what is covered.

How UNANOBO helps: from recovery steps to a new site

UNANOBO reviews your domain's status and how it is managed, then walks you through recovery and prevention by message. You complete the renewal in your own account, and we set things up so the domain stays registered in your name.

If the site data is gone or the site was badly out of date, we build a new site around your brand as a free demo. The process is free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, from the first demo to running the site after launch, in Japanese or English.