At Gandi the deletion system is automated. Deletion occurs 30 days after the expiration date, except for .be domain names which are deleted the day after the expiration date.

For all TLDs except .be, Gandi sets a HOLD status on your domain name at its expiration date. If you had a website or an e-mail address with this domain name, they will no longer work. This process is our last attempt to contact the domain's holder, if he/she has not read our renewal reminders.

30 days after the expiration date, if the domain is still not renewed, Gandi sends the deletion command to the appropriate registry. Then, the time before the final deletion depends on the registry concerned. In all cases, it is too late to renew at that point.

Domain names are not automatically renewed at Gandi. If you do not renew your domain name, it will be automatically deleted few time after its expiration.

However if you need, as owner, to delete your domain name before the expiration date, you can send a request as described below. Please notice that this deletion does not give right to any refund.

Please find below the steps to delete a domain name before the expiration date.

• By Form :

please print and fill out the Deletion before the expiration date form, which is available in the section customer care, tab Paper form.

The document is a PDF file. You need to use Acrobat Reader to open it, which you can download for free here.

• Proofs of identity :

Please do not forget to enclose the necessary proofs of identity. As proof of identity, we are waiting for: - For Individuals : proof from the signatory (for example copy of identity card or driver's license)

- For Companies : proof from the signatory + proof that the Company does exist and that the signatory is authoritative for this Company (for example certificate of incorporation, naming the signatory individual as CEO)

- Other cases : please contact us.

Our mailing address is:

    GANDI SAS
    Deletion service
    15 place de la Nation
    F-75011 Paris
    FRANCE

On receipt of your documents we will delete the domain from our database, and you will get a confirmation by email. After that the delay for a complete deletion depends on the registry involved, so your domain might remain a few time in the Whois.

Here are the various steps in the deletion process of each TLD ("D" stands for the expiration date)

CLIENT HOLD status: Gandi grace period, late renewal is possible at Gandi.

• .com .net .us .asia :
  • Expiration D to D+1: ACTIVE Status: Domain active and renewable
  • Expiration D+1 to D+30: HOLD Status: Domain deactivated but renewable
  • Expiration D+30 to D+60: REDEMPTION PERIOD Status: Domain deleted but restorable
  • Expiration D+60 to D+65: PENDING DELETE Status: No operation possible
  • Expiration D+65 or more: The domain may be registered again
• .org .info .biz:
  • Expiration D to D+1: ACTIVE Status: Domain active and renewable
  • Expiration D+1: HOLD Status: Domain deactivated but renewable
  • Expiration D+2 to D+30: PENDING DELETE RESTORABLE Status: Domain deleted but restorable
  • Expiration D+31 to D+60: PENDING DELETE SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE Status: No operation possible
  • Expiration D+65 or more: The domain may be registered again
• .be, .eu :
  • Expiration D: ACTIVE Status: Domain active and renewable
  • Expiration D+1 to D+40: QUARANTINE Status: Domain deactivated but restorable
  • Expiration D+41 or more: The domain may be registered again
• .fr :
  • Expiration D to D+30: Domain deactivated but restorable
  • Expiration D+31: The domain may be registered again

You can see this element in a domain name's whois :

Status: REDEMPTIONPERIOD

Status: PENDING DELETE - RESTORABLE

That means this domain name has been suppressed from Gandi's database, because it has not been renewed in a proper delay (30 days after expiration date). It is no longer available, usable, and you can't purchase it any more. By the way, it remains possible to restore it.

Gandi provides a restoration service. Restoration charges are higher than renewal charges. To restore your domain name you just have to click on this link. You can also wait for the registry to make the domain name available for purchase, from any registrar. You have to wait for 65 days from the domain name's expiration date.

When the domain name is free, the "first-come, first-served" principle applies: Gandi does not provide any pre-reservation service.

In a domain name's whois you can see this element :

Status: QUARANTINE

That means this domain name has been suppressed from Gandi's database, because it has not been renewed in a proper delay (before expiration date).

The only action available on the concerned domain is restoration: you can have access to this option via the renew page. All restoration charges for each TLD are available here.

If the domain is not restored, it will be freed by the registry 41 days after its expiration date. Once the domain has been freed, the "first-come, first-served" principle applies: Gandi does not provide any pre-reservation service.

Restoration is technically not possible during the 30-day period that seperates the deletion of the domain name by Gandi and by the Registry. This period is either called the "Redemption Period" or "Pending Delete Restorable", depending on the registry.

Gandi can restore your domain during this period for a fee of 100 euros, excl. tax.

This operation can be done online, and for .com, .net, and .be domains, you may either pay by credit card or cheque (all cheques must be drawn from a French bank, and be in Euros); all other TLDs can only be restored by bank wire transfer. Also, please note that in the event of payment by cheque, the operation will only take place once we have received your cheque.

Gandi must receive your payment at least 7 days before the deletion of the domain name by the registry, on order to allow for the time necessary to process the request. By default, your domain will not be restored. For more information on your deadlines and possible means of payment, you may contact Gandi's Customer Care department.

Gand provides a domain restoration service. It means that if your domain is in "Redemption Period" status, we can restore it for you.

The restoration process consists in recovering the domain's previous settings (same owner) and adding one year to the domain's validity.

Please, notice that when your domain falls into "Redemption Period" status, it is no longer managed by Gandi, but by the related Registry.

Gandi is charged more for a restoration than for a renewal by the registry.

Therefore, we must raise the price of a restoration to cover the cost of the operation.