A domain name is placed in Redemption Period status when a registrar requests the deletion of a name that is not within the Add Grace Period.
Redemption Period:
A name that is in redemption period status will not be included in the zone file. A registrar can not modify or purge a name in redemption period status. The only action a registrar can take on a name in redemption period is to request that it be restored.
Any other registrar requests to modify or otherwise update the domain will be rejected. Unless restored, the domain will be held in redemption period status for a specified number of calendar days. The current length of this Redemption Period is thirty calendar days.
For someone interested in registering previously registered – but now expiring domains: the domain will always go into redemption period status before it is released to be re-registered. It will remain in redemption period status for 30 days at which time it will then move to Pending Delete status.
If a domain is renewed by the original registrant during the redemption period status, the domain will NOT go to Pending Delete status.
What is the Domain Redemption Period?
The Redemption Period is a Domain Registry Period of up to 30 days that occurs when a domain name is deleted after having expired or unrenowned. Instead of just getting deleted and returning to the pool of domain names available for registration, the existing registry keeps a hold on the domain name in a technically called as redemption period. During this 30-day Redemption Period, the original domain registrant (owner of the domain) is allowed to retrieve the domain name from deletion by contacting their Registrar. This process costs an additional fee.
This extra 30-day Period – Redemption Period – extends the time available to renew expired domain names by 30 days. However, all names that enter the Redemption Period are removed from the zone files in the global DNS; as a result, any Web site or email services associated with the domain name gone into Redemption Period will stop working and would appear offline.
Pending Delete Phase
In addition, after the 30-day Redemption Period there is a 5-day Pending Delete Phase. When a domain is in Pending Delete Phase, no one is allowed to renew the domain and it cannot be yet registered because it’s still not returned to the public domain pool. After the 5-day Pending Delete Phase the Registry will release the domain name back into the public pool of available domain names enabling fresh registration.
Renew domain before redemption phase
It is strongly recommended that you renew your domain registration on time before the domain name is placed in redemption lock because once its placed in redemption, the zone files of such domain gets automatically removed from the Domain Name Service and associated website and email etc services will cease to work.