Process of expiring .tel domains

Process of expiring .tel domains

 

The point of deletion for a .tel domain is not the expiry date or the date you submit the deletion command as the registrar.

The full lifecycle is as follows:

1. A .tel registrar can choose to process a renewal at expiry or allow the auto-renewal of a .tel to take place
2. The Auto Renewal will take place 45 days AFTER the expiry date – during this time the domain status in WHOIS is “ok”
3. The registrar can choose to actually process the renewal at any point during this 45 days OR just leave the domain to autorenew at the end. When it is renewed the expiry date is updated to the new expiry date (1 year from the original registration)
4. If the owner informs the registrar that they do NOT want to renew the domain, the registrar MUST issue a DELETE command. This can be done anytime during the 45 day renewal period
5. If a delete is requested the domain then changes status to “PENDING DELETE” and the .tel will no longer resolve
   
   
   
   • The domain will be in PENDING DELETE for 30 days – the owner can redeem this domain at an extra cost at any time during these 30 days
   • At the end of the 30 days there is a 5 day deletion period where nobody can redeem or purchase the name
   • At the end of the 5 days the domain will be “dropped” and available to anyone to register

As you can see, it's possible for a .tel to remain active up to 80 days after the expire date until it is deleted, depending on how it is handled by the registrar.