An expired domain is one of the most frustrating problems a business can have: the website won’t load, emails don’t arrive and, if nobody acts, the name can end up with someone else.
What happens when a .eu expires
If the domain isn’t renewed by its expiry date, it stops working: the website and email linked to it no longer respond. But the name doesn’t become available straight away.
For .eu domains, EURid has a 40-day quarantine period. During this time the domain is suspended and nobody else can register it, while the holder can still ask their registrar to reactivate it.
When the quarantine ends, the domain is released and anyone who is eligible can register it.
How to recover an expired .eu
If you notice during the quarantine, contact your registrar straight away and ask for reactivation. With WeRegister you can write to us from the contact page: the sooner you act the better, because after expiry your website and email are already down.
If the quarantine is over and someone else has registered the domain, getting it back becomes difficult: you can try negotiating with the new holder or, if the name matches a trademark you own, look into the dispute resolution procedures.
Why domains expire
Almost never by choice. The most common causes are:
- the card saved in the account has expired and automatic renewal fails;
- the registrant email belongs to a former employee or an old consultant, and nobody reads the notices;
- automatic renewal wasn’t turned on.
How to avoid it
- Turn on automatic renewal for all your important domains.
- Choose a multi-year term: with WeRegister, 2- and 3-year terms also get a permanent discount.
- Use a shared company registrant email, not a personal one.
- Check the expiry date of the saved card from time to time.
See how renewals and expiry work on the .eu domain renewal page.