When you register and pay for a domain name, you do not get the name forever, you are actually paying for the rights to use the domain name for a specific period of time. .KE domains names have a minimum registration and renewal period of 1 year, however domains can be registered and renewed for a total of 5 years at a time. It is important to ensure that your domain name is always active to avoid losing your domain name.
For those interested in getting a domain name, it is important to understand a typical lifecycle of any domain name. This article describes the different periods a domain goes through from the time it is registered to the time it is available for registration again.
Availability of the domain name
Before registering a domain name, you should check its availability. If its available, it can be registered by any person or organization via a KeNIC Accredited Registrar. If you want to register an available domain name, you can visit https://kenic.or.ke/registrars/ and select a Registrar of choice to assist with the registration.
Registration
A domain can be registered for between 1 to 5 years at a time, as long as the period does not cut across the maximum allowed period from the registration. The domain will become active for the period is has been registered for. If you want to keep the domain longer than what has been initially paid for, you will have to renew the domain. Similar to registration, .KE domain names can be renewed for between 1 to 5 years.
Domain expiry, beginning of renewal grace period
A domain is active for 1 year from the registration date. If a domain is not renewed before its expiration date, the domain status will be changed to expired. Being in this phase, the domain has a 90 day ‘Renewal Grace Period’ (RGP) within which the Registrant can renew the domain name. Domain names are automatically suspended 15 days after the expiration date and during this state the domain will no longer work and any websites or emails attached to it will be unavailable.
Renewing your domain name will restore it to ‘active’ and your emails and websites will start to work. For you to transfer a suspended domain, you have to request for restoration which is done by the Registry (KeNIC)
Pending Deletion
If the domain is not renewed within 80 days after the expiration date, the domain goes into a ‘pending delete status’ The domain is in the pending delete status for 10 days after which it is deleted and it is available for registration to the public.
Domains in the pending delete status can be renewed only after restoration by the Registry (KeNIC) via an official request from the Registrant through the domain Registrar.
Domain name is deleted and made available for registration
91 days after expiration, the domain is deleted and made available to the public. It is possible to purchase the domain again but at this point you do not have a claim to it and someone can purchase the domain name before you.
We recommend you set up an auto-renewal for your domain to avoid the risks of losing your name. Always keep track of your domain name to ensure it is active at any given time. Visit https://kenic.or.ke/ to get your own .KE domain today.