This article explains how .ie domains work from a billing, renewal and lifecycle perspective.
Firstly, to clarify terminology, there are some important dates to understand:
Registration Date
This the date a domain was initially registered with the underlying IE domain registry.
Usually it will be the same date that the domain was originally applied (and paid) for, however the domain may not be fully usable until all supporting documentation has been received and accepted by the registry.
Expiry Date
This is the date a domain is scheduled to expire with the underlying domain registry. Usually this will be a multiple of years after initial registration.
Renewal Date/Auto-Payment Date
This is the date for auto-renewing domains, that credit cards will be charged by our billing system and if successful, that domains are renewed.
Unless indicated otherwise, the scheduled renewal date for .ie domains is 7 days before the expiry date, however it may be later if payment has not been received by the renewal date.
If a domain payment is received and processed earlier than this date (e.g. Bank/EFT Payment, or manual renewal by credit card), the domain will be renewed on the date payment is received.
Renewals are final, once processed, and cannot be reversed.
Renewal Invoice Date
This is the date that the renewal invoice for auto-renewing domains will be generated by our system.
Unless indicated otherwise, the renewal invoice date for .ie domains is 21 days before expiry, but can be different in the event of a manual renewal request.
Suspension Date
This is the date a non-renewed domain will be suspended by our system and will cease to resolve. Usually it is still possible to renew a domain after this date, although additional fees may apply.
Unless indicated otherwise, the scheduled suspension date for .ie domains is 15 days after expiry.
Renewal Grace Period
This is the period after expiry that it is still possible to renew a domain without incurring extra fees. Unless indicated otherwise, the renewal grace period for .ie domains is 30 days.
At the end of this period, the domain will be placed in to the quarantine and deletion process with the IE domain registry.
Redemption Period
This is the period after the Renewal Grace Period that it is still possible to retrieve a domain from the quarantine and deletion process. Unless indicated otherwise, the redemption period for .ie domains is 30 days.
An additional fee is imposed by the IE domain registry for retrieving a domain from quarantine, please check our pricing page for details.
Deletion Period
This is the period after the redemption period while the domain is being deleted. Unless indicated otherwise, the deletion period for .ie domains is 5 days. It is not possible to retrieve a domain during this time, however the domain might become available for registration again after this time.
Auto-Renewals
Domains are set to auto-renew by default, using the default payment on your account. In practice, this means that as long as you have a valid credit card on the account, your domains will roll over each registration period until such time as you disable auto-renew for a domain. The system will send reminders about renewing domains 30 days before expiry, will generate an invoice 21 days before expiry, and will attempt to charge your credit card on the renewal date 7 days before expiry. The latest time to disable auto-renewal on your domain is 6am on the renewal date. If there is an open (unpaid) renewal invoice at the time auto-renewal is disabled, then that will be cancelled.
Please also refer to the following articles for more information:
Irish Domains Terms of Service
How to cancel a domain name
How to enable/disable auto-renew for a domain name.
