When Do .org Domains Drop? Expiration & Deletion Timeline
A .org domain takes about 80 days to drop after it expires, moving through Public Interest Registry (PIR)'s expiration and deletion stages before the name is released.
.org Expiration Timeline
- 1
Expiry
Registration ends
- 2
Grace Period (45d)
Public Interest Registry (PIR) allows renewal without a redemption fee
- 3
Redemption (30d)
Recovery is still possible, usually for a redemption fee
- 4
Pending Delete (5d)
Locked, cannot be renewed or recovered
- 5
Drop
Deleted from the registry, open for new registration
Total time from expiry to drop: 80 days.
About the Public Interest Registry (PIR) lifecycle
Public Interest Registry (PIR), a nonprofit spun out of the Internet Society, runs .org and follows the standard ICANN Redemption Grace Period exactly, but with a smaller, less commercially-driven catching market than .com since many expired .org names belonged to nonprofits or hobby projects rather than businesses.
Track a .org domain's drop date
Check a specific .org 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 .org domain expires before it drops?
A .org domain generally drops about 80 days after its expiration date: 45 days of grace, then 30 days of redemption, then 5 days of pending delete before deletion. Public Interest Registry (PIR) can vary the exact timing within its published windows.
Can I re-register a .org 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 .org domain while it is in its recovery window. It is not open for new registration until it is deleted from the Public Interest Registry (PIR) registry, roughly 80 days after expiration in the typical case.
What does the .org grace period mean?
During the 45-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.