Domain statuses and drop terms, in plain English
What the status on an expiring domain actually means — and, for each one, whether and when the name can become yours.
ok · autoRenewPeriod · redemptionPeriod · pendingDelete · pendingRestore · clientHold · serverHold · clientTransferProhibited · Drop · Drop-catching · Backorder · RDAP · WHOIS · Registry and registrar
ok
The normal status of a registered domain: no changes pending and no registry locks.
If you want the name: Someone owns it and it renews normally. It only comes free if the owner lets it expire and the registrar deletes it.
autoRenewPeriod
The grace period after a domain's expiry date, when the registry has renewed it automatically and the registrar can still undo that. For .com it lasts up to 45 days.
If you want the name: The owner can usually still renew. If the registrar deletes the name instead, it moves to redemption and becomes registrable about 37 days later. Verisign does not show this status for .com, so an expired name can look exactly like a renewed one.
redemptionPeriod
The registrar has asked the registry to delete the domain. For 30 days only the previous owner can restore it, and it stops working on the internet.
If you want the name: If nobody restores it, it moves to pendingDelete and becomes registrable about 37 days after this status first appeared: 31 days here, then 6 in pending delete, because each step waits for the registry's next daily batch.
pendingDelete
The last stage before deletion: the redemption period ended without a restore. For 5 days nobody can restore or register the domain.
If you want the name: It is released on the sixth day after it entered this status, in the daily .com drop that starts at 12:00 UTC. From then anyone can register it at the normal price; the registry takes the first valid request.
pendingRestore
The previous owner's registrar has asked to restore a domain from redemption and has 7 days to complete the paperwork.
If you want the name: The owner is taking it back. If the restore is not completed, it returns to redemption.
clientHold
The registrar has switched the domain off in DNS, so it does not resolve. Common reasons are an unpaid bill, a dispute, or the registrar's own steps before deleting it.
If you want the name: It is still registered. It may or may not be heading for deletion: check the expiry date and watch for redemptionPeriod.
serverHold
The registry has switched the domain off in DNS, usually for legal or policy reasons.
If you want the name: It is still registered, and this status alone does not mean it is about to be released.
clientTransferProhibited
A lock that stops the domain being moved to another registrar unless the owner unlocks it. Most registrars set it by default.
If you want the name: Nothing to do with expiry: it is a normal security lock on an owned domain.
Drop
The moment the registry releases deleted domains so anyone can register them. For .com it happens once a day, starting at 12:00 UTC since 1 October 2026, and runs for about an hour.
If you want the name: Be ready at 12:00 UTC on the day a name is due: 8:00 a.m. Eastern in summer, 7:00 a.m. in winter.
Drop-catching
Services that send many registration requests at the instant names are released, to win the names in demand. Contested names usually go to an auction.
If you want the name: For a name nobody else wants you do not need one: register it yourself at the normal price once it is free.
Backorder
A request placed with a drop-catching service to try to register a name for you when it drops. Many charge only if they win it.
If you want the name: Worth it for a name others want. For everything else, watching the name and registering it yourself works.
RDAP
The Registration Data Access Protocol: the registry's official answer about a domain - whether it is registered, its statuses and its key dates. It replaced WHOIS for domains like .com.
If you want the name: It is the reliable way to check availability. DNS is not: a name in redemption or pending delete vanishes from DNS weeks before it is free.
WHOIS
The older lookup service for domain registration data. For generic domains like .com it was retired in January 2025 in favour of RDAP.
If you want the name: If a WHOIS site and the registry disagree, trust the registry's RDAP answer.
Registry and registrar
The registry runs a whole extension - Verisign runs .com - and keeps the master list. Registrars such as Porkbun or Namecheap sell names to the public and pass registrations to the registry.
If you want the name: You register through a registrar; the registry decides when a deleted name is released.
How expired .com domains become available walks through the whole timeline.