Domain Expiration

When Does a Domain Expire?

When you register your domain (e.g. yourgroovydomain.com) with Tumblr, you purchase the right to use that domain for as long as you keep the registration active.

• Domain registration terms are annual so your domain will need to be renewed each year.
• For a new domain registered with Tumblr, the expiration date will fall annually on the date of purchase.
• If you transferred a domain from a previous provider to Tumblr, the domain is automatically renewed for one year when the transfer completes. The expiration date is still based on the original registration date, not the date of the transfer.
• If you are not sure when your domain expires, you can check on your Domain Settings page.

We strongly urge our users to keep the auto-renew setting enabled in your Domain Settings and that the payment details are up-to-date to ensure their domains are renewed in a timely fashion. Once the domains expire, it can be difficult or impossible to obtain them again.

• By default, automatic renewal is enabled on all domain purchases so you never have to worry about losing control of your domain. We will attempt to renew your domain 14 days prior to domain expiration upon successful payment.
• Expired domains aren’t necessarily released back into the pool of available domains.
• Additional fees may apply to redeem an expired domain. See grace period and redemption period for details.
• In some cases, it may not be possible to recover or re-purchase domains.

If the auto-renew setting is enabled, we will send a reminder email the email address associated with your Tumblr account regarding the upcoming renewal 30 days prior to renewing your domain.

Regardless of your auto-renew setting, we will notify you of the upcoming expiration several times via email (generally 30 days prior to expiration and again 5 to 7 days prior to expiration.) If your domain is not renewed, we will also notify you via email within three days after expiration. Note that these emails regarding domain expiry will be sent from WordPress.com to the email address you provided as the registrant contact information, which may not be the same as the email address associated with your Tumblr account.

We will also display messages in your Domain Settings if the domain has expired.

What Happens When My Domain Expires?

Once a domain expires, it goes through a series of steps that make it increasingly difficult (and more expensive) to renew. The different steps are listed below:

Grace Period

For most TLDs registered through Tumblr, an expired domain falls into a grace period for about ten days to two weeks. During this short window, the domain can be renewed at the regular price. If you experience difficulty renewing your domain during this time, you can contact support for additional help.

Redemption Period

After the grace period ends, your domain enters the redemption period, the length of which can vary. This means the domain name can still be renewed, but there is a redemption fee required in addition to the normal renewal cost. If you made a payment in an attempt to reclaim the domain out of redemption and were unsuccessful, you will get a refund. The redemption fee is non-refundable in the case of a successful redemption.

Renewing an Expired Domain

To renew an expired domain, go to Domain Settings for that domain and click “Renew Now”. If your domain falls in a grace period, the regular renewal price shown in Domain Settings will be applied. If your domain has entered the redemption period, a redemption fee will be applied on checkout. There will be a description in your Domain Settings to let you know whether your domain has entered the redemption period.

Please note that renewal and redemption fees are non-refundable unless the renewal or redemption process fails.

Domain Released

Once the redemption period ends, your domain will be deleted from Tumblr and you will no longer see it in your Domain Settings. You may try to re-purchase the domain again, however, a successful purchase cannot be guaranteed.

If a domain is not redeemed by the original registrant, the domain is usually then returned to the pool of available domain names and can be registered again on a first-come, first-served basis.

However, it is common for back-order companies to wait for domains to be released and purchase them the moment they become available. There may also be another individual who likes the domain waiting to buy it.

This means that even if your domain is released, another party can purchase it before you get the chance.

Tumblr is not notified if or when a domain will be released to be registered again, so we can’t provide any advance warning.