English
Magyar
A domain name is the foundation of every website, which is why both businesses and private individuals must do everything they can to ensure it remains their property. What happens when a domain name expires?
This is a very common question, as it often happens that someone fails to renew their domain name simply by accident or through forgetfulness, which can cause a huge loss of business, particularly for an online business, and may even lead to email services being disrupted.
What should you do if your domain name has expired? In this article, we’ve answered this important question, but only in relation to .hu domains, as different rules often apply to domains registered abroad.
If your domain has expired
A domain name is said to have expired if, at the end of the registration period (for example, 1 or 2 years after the right of use was acquired), the current owner fails to pay the registration fee.
This means that the domain name will not be renewed; contrary to popular belief, this is not an irreversible process, but on the renewal date the domain will become completely inactive on a temporary basis, meaning that neither the associated website nor the email system will be working.
There is a grace period for domain renewal
People’s biggest fear regarding an expired domain name is that they have lost it forever, because few realise that there is a grace period during which the right to use it still belongs to us; it cannot fall into anyone else’s hands, although the associated services (website, email) will not work.
For .hu domain names, this is usually 45 days; in other words, the owner has this amount of time to pay the registration fee again without incurring any extra costs or surcharges, after which the right to use the domain will be restored to them.
Everything will be back to normal within a few hours, so the relevant website and email services can resume.
Even if we miss the grace period, all is not yet lost
Although it is a very rare occurrence, we should definitely mention what happens if we miss the grace period. Even in this case, all is not lost, but regaining the domain name becomes a little more complicated.
This is because, following the 45-day grace period, there is a 60-day parking period, which means that the domain name is still not up for grabs; however, the previous owner cannot re-register it for the standard registration fee, but only for an amount increased by a surcharge.
In the vast majority of cases, the only domains that end up in the parking period are those that the owner has let go of – in other words, they no longer need them – but it’s worth knowing that even in such cases, the situation can still be salvaged.
When can we lose a domain name permanently?
In the case of .hu domain names, you may permanently lose the right to use them if you have missed both the grace period and the parking period. This normally happens very rarely by accident, as owners have more than three months to take action.
However, once the 60-day parking period has also expired, the domain is returned to the public database and anyone is free to purchase and register it.
This can cause particular inconvenience in the case of popular or brand-oriented domain names, as a domain reseller may snap them up; so if we do wish to regain the right to use them, we will have to pay many times the standard registration fee.
The reason for this is that in such cases we are buying the domain name directly from the owner – rather than from a registrar – who sets its value as they see fit; consequently, the purchase price can range from a few hundred to as much as several thousand euros.
How can we avoid losing our domain name?
Losing a domain name is often not just down to a failure to renew it. Whilst this is the most common reason, we have compiled some useful tips below that may help you avoid this inconvenience:
- Automatic renewal: Most registrars offer an automatic domain renewal option. This is important because it ensures that the domain is automatically renewed at the end of the registration period, provided there are sufficient funds on the linked bank card, thereby avoiding any misunderstandings.
- Choose a reliable registrar: Domain registration should always be carried out through a reliable registrar who, in addition to using automated systems, notifies owners of expiry dates and has an English-speaking support team should any issues arise.
- Use up-to-date contact details: When registering a domain, only provide contact details that are actually valid. If there are any changes, always update your email address and telephone number, as registrars will use these to notify you if there is a problem.
- Register for a longer period: If the domain name is important to you, there’s no need to wait until the end of the registration period; you can renew it in advance and even pay the fee for up to 5 years, thereby avoiding the issues mentioned above.
- Pay attention to domain ownership: For business customers, the domain name should always be registered in the company’s name; for private individuals, it should be registered in their own name. It should not be registered in the name of a colleague or acquaintance, as this could easily lead to a loss of ownership in the event of a problem.