In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Domain expired: what to do in the first hour
- 02What happens after a domain expires: the timeline
- 03Expired .sg domains: how SGNIC handles them
- 04Why your email stops working when the domain expires
- 05When the domain is already gone
- 06How to stop your domain expiring again
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Log in to your registrar today and renew. Most expired domains can be renewed for some days after expiry; if the registrar has already deleted it, you usually have a 30-day redemption period to restore it for an extra fee before anyone else can register it.
Domain expired: what to do in the first hour
Act now rather than waiting for the website to come back by itself. It won't. Each day the domain stays expired, customers' emails bounce and the restore price may rise.
Find out who the registrar is
Look for the last renewal invoice or reminder email, or run a WHOIS lookup on the domain. For .sg, the registrar is shown in SGNIC's WHOIS. The registrar is the company you pay, not necessarily your web designer.
Log in and check the status
In the registrar's dashboard the domain will show as expired, in a grace or renewal period, or in redemption (sometimes called restore or pending restore).
Renew or restore immediately
Pay the renewal. If it is in redemption, choose restore; the registrar will quote the restore fee plus one year's renewal.
Check DNS after renewal
Confirm the nameservers and records are unchanged. Some registrars point expired domains to a parking page and you may need to switch them back.
Test website and email
Open the website on mobile data, send a test email from an outside address, and check that your email provider shows the domain as verified.
What happens after a domain expires: the timeline
The stages are similar for most domains, but the number of days depends on the domain ending and the registrar. Check your registrar's renewal terms for the exact figures.
| Stage | .com, .net and other gTLDs | .sg and .com.sg |
|---|---|---|
| Before expiry | Registrar must send reminders about one month and one week before | Resellers must remind you at least 30 days before |
| At expiry | Registrar may stop the domain resolving; renewal still possible | SGNIC auto-renews the name for 1 year at registry level |
| After expiry | Website and email stopped for at least the last 8 days you can still renew | Your registrar bills you; if you don't pay, it can delete the name |
| Redemption | 30 days after deletion; restore through the same registrar for a fee | 30-day redemption period; restore fee on top of renewal |
| Released | Anyone can register it | Anyone can register it |
For gTLDs, the rules come from ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy. It requires registrars to send at least two reminders before expiry and another within five days after it, to interrupt the domain's DNS for at least the last eight days that you can still renew, and to let you restore a deleted domain during a 30-day Redemption Grace Period.
Expired .sg domains: how SGNIC handles them
SGNIC's Domain Name Registration Agreement (version of 1 August 2026) says a .sg name is auto-renewed at the point of expiry for one year, unless it has a renewal-prohibited status. Your registrar then collects the renewal from you. If you don't pay, the registrar can delete the name, and it enters a redemptionPeriod. A name in redemption has to be restored first, which costs a restoration fee, and it cannot be transferred to another registrar until then.
SGNIC's Registrar Accreditation Agreement sets the redemption period at 30 days and lists the wholesale fees registrars pay: S$35.97 a year to renew and S$17.99 to restore. Your registrar adds its own margin, so expect to pay more than that.
How long your registrar waits before deleting an unpaid .sg name varies by registrar, so check its terms rather than assuming you have a month.
Why your email stops working when the domain expires
Your email provider (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or your host) is usually still paid up and running. The problem is DNS: when the domain expires, the registrar stops publishing your MX, SPF and other records, or points the domain at a parking page. Other mail servers can no longer find where to deliver your email, so messages are delayed and then bounce back to the sender.
Once you renew, records normally return within minutes to a few hours. If the registrar replaced your DNS with its own parking settings, you need to put the original nameservers or records back. Our guide to fixing email bounce-back errors helps you read the error messages senders receive.
When the domain is already gone
If the redemption period has passed, the name is released and can be registered by anyone, including people who buy expired domains to resell them. Options at that point:
- Check whether it is still available and register it again straight away.
- If someone else has it, contact the new owner through the registrar or a broker. Expect to negotiate.
- If the new owner is using your brand in bad faith, dispute procedures exist (UDRP for gTLDs, SGNIC's dispute policy for .sg). These need evidence and usually a lawyer.
- As a last resort, move to a new domain. You will need to update email addresses, your website, Google Business Profile and printed materials.
Choosing between .sg and .com.sg for a replacement? Our comparison of .sg and .com.sg covers eligibility and price.
How to stop your domain expiring again
Almost every expired business domain comes down to one of three things: auto-renew was off, the card on file had expired, or the reminder emails went to an address nobody reads.
Domain renewal hygiene
If your current registrar makes this hard, our guide to the best domain registrars in Singapore compares prices, .sg support and account security.
Do it yourself or get help?
If you have the registrar login and the domain is still renewable, renew it yourself now; it takes five minutes. Get help if you can't find who the registrar is, the login belongs to someone who has left, or the website and email are still down after renewal.
Our Quick Fix (S$119, one hour of remote work) covers tracing the registrar, renewing or restoring and putting DNS back. Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) moves the domain into your company's name at a registrar of your choice, with auto-renew on, so it doesn't lapse again. Registrar and restore fees are paid by you directly.
Frequently asked questions
Usually yes. Most registrars let you renew for some days after expiry at the normal price or with a late fee. If the registrar has already deleted the domain, gTLDs and .sg domains have a 30-day redemption period in which you can restore it through the same registrar for an extra restore fee.
Your email service still exists, but the expired domain no longer publishes the DNS records that tell other servers where to deliver mail. Messages to your addresses are delayed and then bounced. Renewing the domain restores the records, normally within minutes to a few hours.
It depends on the registrar. Restoring from redemption costs a restore fee plus a year's renewal. For .sg, SGNIC charges registrars a wholesale restoration fee of S$17.99 and S$35.97 a year to renew, and registrars add their own margin. Check your registrar's price list.
It is a 30-day window after a registrar deletes an expired domain, during which the website and email stay down, the domain cannot be transferred, and only the previous owner can restore it through the same registrar for a fee. After it ends the domain is released for anyone to register.
At registry level, SGNIC auto-renews a .sg domain at expiry for one year. You still have to pay your registrar. If you don't, the registrar can delete the domain, which puts it into a 30-day redemption period with a restore fee.