When Do .ai Domains Drop? Expiration & Deletion Timeline
A .ai domain takes about 90 days to drop after it expires, moving through Identity Digital's expiration and deletion stages before the name is released.
.ai Expiration Timeline
- 1
Expiry
Registration ends
- 2
Grace Period (30d)
Identity Digital allows renewal without a redemption fee
- 3
Redemption (60d)
Recovery is still possible, usually for a redemption fee
- 4
Drop
Deleted from the registry, open for new registration
Total time from expiry to drop: 90 days.
About the Identity Digital lifecycle
The government of Anguilla owns .ai and, following the January 2025 migration of registry operations to Identity Digital, replaced the old redemption-period model with a two-stage 30-day suspended period followed directly by a 60-day pending-delete window and no separate redemption phase, a structure unique among ccTLDs given the surge in .ai demand from AI-branded startups.
Track a .ai domain's drop date
Check a specific .ai domain's current status and estimated drop date, or set up a free alert so you know the moment it moves toward pending delete.
Frequently asked questions
How long after a .ai domain expires before it drops?
A .ai domain generally drops about 90 days after its expiration date: 30 days of grace, then 60 days of redemption before deletion. Identity Digital can vary the exact timing within its published windows.
Can I re-register a .ai domain the day it expires?
No. Expiration only starts the clock. The previous owner (or anyone who pays the redemption fee) can still recover a .ai domain while it is in its recovery window. It is not open for new registration until it is deleted from the Identity Digital registry, roughly 90 days after expiration in the typical case.
What does the .ai grace period mean?
During the 30-day grace period, the domain still resolves to the old owner's nameservers in most cases, and the registrar can restore it with a simple renewal, no redemption fee required. Once grace ends, recovery gets more expensive or closes entirely, and the domain becomes visible as "expired" to drop-catching tools.
Is .ai different from other TLDs' drop timelines?
Since the January 2025 registry migration to Identity Digital, .ai follows a two-stage recovery model: a 30-day suspended period, then a roughly 60-day window before the name is released, about 90 days total from expiry.