In this article we will cover the domain name lifecycle with RS Host. This covers everything from registering your domain names with us up to them being released back to the registrar to be registered by someone else. There are different timelines for .uk domain names compared to other top level domains which we will outline below.
Domain Name Registrations
When you first register your new domain name with ourselves it will become active within 5 minutes of you making a payment. If you choose to pay via BACS then it can take several days for the domain name to become active as we have to manually process those payments. Once the domain name is active and paid for, it is then yours for the duration of time that you have paid for. This can be anywhere from 1 to 5 years.
Domain Name Transfers
.uk domain names
Once you release your domain name from your current provider over to ourselves it will generally move over within around 10 minutes, depending on how long it takes your current provider to release the domain to ourselves. In order to release your current domain to ourselves you will need to update the "TAG" with your current provider. Once it the domain has been successfully transferred over you will receive an email from ourselves and the domain name will show as active in your client portal
Non .uk domain names
For every other domain name the process is a bit longer. You will require an EPP Code from your current provider and you will need to provide this to ourselves when you being a domain name transfer. Once you initiate the transfer to RS Host from your current provider it can take anywhere from 1-7 days for the domain name to be released to our systems. Keep an eye out for any authorisation emails from your current provider to ensure a smooth transition.
Domain Name Reminders
Once you transfer over or register a domain name with RS Host our system will automatically sync the domain names expiration date with the billing cycle you have chosen. You will receive an email reminder from ourselves 45 days before the domain name is due to expire. You will receive a further reminder 30, 15 and 5 days before the domain name is due for renewal. To ensure you have enough time to pay for your domain renewal we set the billing due date to be 5 days prior to the domain name expiration date. An invoice will be raised 14 days prior to the due date. Once this has been paid your domain name will be automatically renewed for the selected period of time. If you do not want to wait for the automatic payment you can renew your domain name early from the client portal.
Domain Name Expirations
If an invoice is not paid then your domain name will not be renewed with ourselves. If a domain name is not renewed then it will stop working and any associated services with that domain name, such as web or email hosting, will also stop working too.
For non .uk domain names your domain name will stop working as soon as it has expired. Additionally the name servers that your domain name uses will be updated and your domain name will be redirected to a parking page roughly 1-3 days after it has expired. Your domain name will enter a 40 day grace period where you are able to renew the domain name at our normal renewal price. After the 40 day grace period your domain name will enter a redemption period for an additional 30 days. During this time the domain name can be renewed, but for a higher cost*. After the additional 30 days your domain name can no longer be renewed and will eventually become available for anyone else to register after that point.
For .uk domain names it is slightly different. Once the domain name has expired you will have a 30 day grace period before it's fully suspended. During this time associated services such as web hosting and emails will continue to work. After this 30 day period your domain name will be suspended and any associated services will go offline. The domain name will then remain in a suspended state for the next 60 days and after that it will be deleted and free for anyone else to register it. You are able to renew your domain name at any point during these 90 days at no additional cost.
If you have any questions about the domain name lifecycle with ourselves then please reach out via a support ticket in your client portal or by calling our support team.
*Redemption fee renewals differ on a per-domain basis. You can view the full pricing from your client portal.
