How long does the AFNIC redemption period last?

The redemption period lasts exactly 30 calendar days from the expiration date of the domain name. On a .fr, there is no separate « pending delete » phase added afterwards: « pending delete » is a status displayed at the same time as the redemption period in the whois. Past this 30-day deadline, AFNIC deletes the domain and then releases it directly, in hourly batches at minute :32 (UTC).

How much does restoring a .fr domain name in redemption cost?

The technical restore operation is billed by AFNIC at between 5 and 10 euros excl. VAT to the registrar. The final price you pay depends on the margin applied by your registrar: expect generally between 50 and 150 euros incl. VAT at the major consumer registrars (OVH, Gandi, IONOS). On top of this price comes the mandatory annual renewal.

My registrar does not respond, what should I do?

First step: escalate directly to AFNIC customer support by reporting the situation. AFNIC can then contact the registrar to request action. Second option: initiate a transfer to another more responsive registrar, but this procedure takes time and can compromise the 30-day window. Do not wait until the last moment to react.

My domain is in pending delete, is it still recoverable?

On a .fr, « pending delete » is not a locked phase that would follow the redemption period: it is a status displayed at the same time as « redemption period » during the 30 days. As long as these 30 days have not elapsed, the restore remains possible via your registrar. However, once the 30 days have passed, AFNIC deletes the domain and then releases it (in hourly batches, at minute :32 UTC): it then enters the public pool and becomes available again to whoever registers it first, this is the drop. You can try to buy it back via a drop-catching service, but competition is fierce on valuable names.

The whois still shows my domain name after expiration, is it still mine?

Yes, during the redemption period (30 days after expiration), you remain the official holder of the domain name, even if the site and emails no longer work. No third party can register it during this window. The whois may display at the same time the statuses « redemption period » and « pending delete »: these are two labels for the same suspended state, not two successive stages. It is only at the end of the 30 days that AFNIC deletes the domain and then releases it, which leads to its effective release at the drop.

Can I transfer my domain to another registrar during the redemption period?

Technically, a transfer is possible during the redemption period, but it significantly complicates the procedure. The general rule is that the restoration must be carried out by the current registrar before any transfer. Contact your registrar first to do the restore, then consider the transfer if you wish to change provider: not the other way around.

If I have not managed to recover my domain, can it be bought back after release?

If no one snaps it at the time of release, the domain becomes available again for standard registration at any registrar. If, on the other hand, it is captured by a drop-catching service, you will have to buy it back via the commercial channel of that operator (often at auction). The probability of an amicable buy-back depends on the SEO or commercial value of the name: a mundane name will easily be recoverable, a premium name will have a higher market price.

Guide

AFNIC redemption period: recover your expired .fr domain name within 30 days

27/05/2026 · Milodomain Team · 10 min read

Milo, mascot of Milodomain, studies the lifecycle of an expired .fr domain name and the recovery procedure via the AFNIC redemption period.

You have just discovered that your .fr domain name no longer works, that your site is unreachable, or that your emails are no longer going through. First check: the whois indicates a "redemption period" or "pending delete" status. Don't panic: AFNIC provides a 30-day recovery window during which you remain the priority party to take your domain name back. But this deadline is strict, the clock is ticking, and the procedure can take a few days if your registrar does not react quickly. Here is exactly how it works, how much it costs, and what to do if you fall into the edge cases.

What is the AFNIC redemption period?

The redemption period is a legal safeguard put in place by AFNIC to allow a holder to recover their .fr domain name after its expiration, within a limited window. Concretely, when a .fr domain name reaches its expiration date and is not renewed in time, it does not immediately become available for anyone to register. AFNIC first places it in a buffer zone called the redemption period, which lasts 30 calendar days, during which only the original holder (or their registrar) can recover it via a technical operation called "restore".

This rule is officially defined in Article 132 of the 2025 AFNIC naming charter. It is inspired by the international standard RFC 3915 (RGP, Registry Grace Period), but with a French specificity: during the redemption period, the domain name is completely inoperative (site, emails, DNS cut off), while remaining technically owned by the original holder. No third party can register it during this window.

The complete lifecycle of a .fr domain name

To fully understand where the redemption period fits in, here is the complete cycle:

Creation: the domain name is registered for a period of 1 to 10 years. It is active in the DNS and can be indexed.
Active phase: as long as renewal is carried out each year (or at the end of the chosen multi-year period), the domain remains operational without interruption.
Expiration: if the holder does not renew before the expiration date, the domain switches to the redemption period. The DNS is deactivated: the site is unreachable, emails are cut off.
Redemption period (~30 days): an exclusive recovery window reserved for the original holder via their registrar. Throughout this entire phase, the whois/RDAP actually displays simultaneously the statuses « redemption period » and « pending delete »: these are not two distinct stages, but two concurrent labels for the same suspended state.
Deletion and release (drop): at the end of the ~30 days of redemption period, and without a restore, AFNIC deletes the domain and then releases it. The release is carried out in hourly batches, at minute :32 (UTC): at that instant, the domain falls back into the public pool and becomes registrable again by the first to arrive (drop). This is when drop-catching services such as Milodomain step in.

In total, therefore, count on approximately 30 to 35 days between the expiration of your domain and its final release (the few possible grace days granted by the registrar before entry into redemption, then the ~30 days of redemption). But only this redemption window allows you to recover it by right; at its end, the drop follows directly, with no intermediate phase.

How much does restoring a domain during the redemption period cost?

The restore operation via AFNIC's EPP protocol (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) is billed to the registrar at between 5 and 10 euros excl. VAT, depending on the operator. On top of this technical cost is a registrar margin, which varies considerably from one operator to another. In practice, expect:

At OVH, Gandi, IONOS and the main consumer registrars: between 50 and 150 euros incl. VAT for the restoration, sometimes more depending on the terms and conditions in force.
At premium or business registrars: a higher fee, often reaching 200 to 300 euros.
Immediate restoration: the restore does not automatically renew the registration period. You pay for the restore in addition to the annual renewal, which is mandatory to start a clean cycle.

The price also varies depending on whether you are the historical holder or whether you are attempting restoration via a different registrar (transfer + restore can stack up). In practice, contact your current registrar as a priority, as it is the one that can carry out the operation most simply and quickly.

Recovery procedure: the steps to follow

1. Check that you are still within the 30-day window

Before any action, identify the exact expiration date. Consult the public whois on the AFNIC WHOIS service or via the RDAP command: https://rdap.nic.fr/domain/yourdomain.fr. Look for the "expiration" mention in the events. If the expiration date plus 30 days has not yet been reached, you are still within the deadline and the restore remains possible. Beyond this deadline, the domain has been deleted and then released at the drop: recovery by right is no longer possible.

2. Contact your registrar immediately

Send an urgent email to your registrar with:

The domain name concerned
The contract number or your account identifier
The explicit request for "restoration" or "restore" during the redemption period
Your commitment to settle the corresponding invoice

Explicitly mention that you wish to do it before the end of the redemption period. Most major registrars have a dedicated online interface for this operation in the customer area.

3. Verify the restoration on the whois

Once the operation is validated by the registrar, the whois status changes from "redemption period" to "ok" within a few hours. Your domain is active again. Also check that the nameservers and DNS configuration match your expectations (the restoration normally preserves the original configuration, but a check is in order).

What if your registrar does not respond?

Several scenarios can complicate the procedure. Here are the typical cases and the solutions:

Case 1: Registrar not reacting within the deadlines

If your registrar does not process your request within 5 to 10 days, you have several options. The first: escalate to AFNIC's official support by reporting the situation. The AFNIC customer service can then directly contact the registrar to demand action. The second: initiate a transfer to a more responsive registrar. Be aware that a transfer during a redemption period is technically possible but complex, and every day that passes brings you closer to pending delete.

Case 2: Registrar bankrupt or inactive

If your registrar has ceased operations (bankruptcy, deaccreditation by AFNIC), your domain finds itself in an "orphan" situation. AFNIC then puts in place a specific procedure: you can directly contact AFNIC customer service to request migration to a new registrar and the restoration of your domain. The procedure is administratively heavier but remains possible as long as the redemption period has not expired.

Case 3: Holdership dispute

If someone disputes your status as the holder (inheritance, divorce, company merger), the restoration procedure can be blocked until the situation is clarified. In this case, AFNIC offers a transmission procedure called RECOVER, but it goes beyond the simple redemption period framework and requires the intervention of specialised legal counsel.

How to avoid falling into the redemption period

The best strategy obviously remains prevention. A few strongly recommended practices:

Enable automatic renewal with your registrar (autorenew). Most offer it free of charge and save you the entire procedure.
Use multi-year registration (up to 10 years). A practice adopted by 14% of new .fr names in 2025 (source: AFNIC annual report). You avoid the risk of forgetting renewal for several consecutive years.
Update your contact details with AFNIC and your registrar. Expiration notifications are sent by email: one obsolete email, and you no longer receive the alerts.
Check your payment card registered with the registrar. An expired credit card means an automatic renewal that fails silently.
Set up independent external alerts (calendar, monitoring tools, etc.) that notify you at least 30 days before the expiration date.

If the redemption period has passed: what to do?

Once the ~30 days of redemption have elapsed without restoration, AFNIC deletes the domain and then releases it directly: there is no separate « pending delete » phase that would be added afterwards. The release is carried out in hourly batches, at minute :32 (UTC). At that instant, the domain falls back into the public pool and becomes available again for registration by any party: on a first come, first served basis. From then on, neither you, nor your registrar, nor AFNIC can give it back to you by right.

This is precisely when drop-catching services such as Milodomain step in. As an AFNIC-accredited registrar for 20 years, we monitor releases in real time and try to capture domains that have particular SEO or commercial value, in order to subsequently put them up for public auction. If you have lost an important domain and it has not been snapped up by a competitor, it is technically possible that we have it in our portfolio and that you can buy it back via our platform.

That said, be realistic: on premium domain names (short, generic keywords, valuable brands), competition between drop-catching players is fierce. The window between the release and the capture by a third party is usually on the order of just a few seconds. The probability that you will be able to recover it amicably drops sharply once the redemption period has passed.

Special case: deletion at your own initiative

A technical detail that is often overlooked: if you have deliberately deleted your domain (EPP delete operation) instead of simply letting it expire, the move to the redemption period depends on the context. If the deletion takes place within 5 days of creation (a period called addPeriod), the domain does not move to redemption and is immediately released into the public pool. If the deletion takes place after this 5-day period, the standard 30-day redemption period applies normally.

This specificity is exploited by certain registrars as part of portfolio optimisation strategies, but it can also concern you if you have recently terminated a domain name that you now regret.

Check whether your domain is currently recoverable

To know exactly where your domain name stands, the quickest way is to consult its public RDAP record. Enter the following URL in your browser, replacing the name: https://rdap.nic.fr/domain/yourdomain.fr. You will obtain a JSON file containing the list of events (creation, expiration, last modification, sometimes deletion) and the current status. If you see "redemption period" and/or "pending delete" in the status field, you know where you stand: on a .fr, these two labels appear together during the redemption period and signal the same suspended state, from which you can still exit via a restore. If you see an empty status, the domain is either active (look at the expiration date) or already released (RDAP will return a 404 error).

On the practical side, do not hesitate to use the official AFNIC WHOIS service: https://www.afnic.fr/observatoire-ressources/services-en-ligne/whois/ which presents the information in a more readable form than the raw JSON.

Summary: the key points to remember

30 days of redemption period after expiration to recover your .fr.
Pending delete: this is not a phase added after the 30 days, but a status displayed at the same time as the redemption period in the whois/RDAP. Once the 30 days have elapsed, the drop follows directly.
Cost: 5-10 EUR excl. VAT on AFNIC's side, generally 50-150 EUR incl. VAT charged by your registrar.
Procedure: urgent email to your registrar, with an explicit "restore" request.
Verification: whois or RDAP to confirm the status and the deadline.
Prevention: autorenew + multi-year + up-to-date contact details + valid credit card.
After release: drop-catching is possible but competition is fierce on valuable domains.

If you need help monitoring a .fr domain currently expiring or identifying names released on the market, contact the Milodomain team. As an AFNIC-accredited registrar, we support both panicked holders and SEOs and companies looking to buy back high-value .fr domain names.