To renew a domain name, simply proceed with the renewal instructions in the email reminder that was sent to the contacts of the domain name. Note that the domain name can be renewed by any Gandi handle (unless managed by a reseller). For complete step-by-step renewal instructions, visit the wiki renewal section here.

A domain can be renewed at any time except:

• If the domain is not registered with Gandi
• If the domain has the status "Redemption Period" or "Pending Delete" (domain expired, and already deleted from our database) (see restoration)
• During the 15-day period before an outgoing transfer.

It is not recommended or necessary to wait until the last minute to renew, because:

• You would not gain any pro rata, since a renewal adds a full year to the expiration date
• You risk a disruption in service: website, e-mail would be pulled offline
• You risk losing the domain: once the domain is deleted, it can be registered by anyone (the 'first-come, first served' rule applies to domain registration).

See Automatic renewal of domain names

Technically speaking, you do not need any password to renew a domain name.

During the renewal process you will have the opportunity to create a new account, and receive an invoice in your name. Choose "You do not yet have a Gandi handle" on the log in page.

The contacts of the domain (not the owner) receive e-mail reminders. Reminders are sent :

• 2 months before expiration (to the billing contact)
• 1 month before expiration (to all contacts of the domain)
• 15 days before expiration (to all contacts)
• On the day of expiration (to all contacts, for information).

However, if the concerned domain name is managed by a reseller, the concerned will receive our renewal reminders, as he is the main contact.

It is therefore important that the contacts' e-mail addresses are still valid.

At Gandi, domain names are not automatically renewed.

If you do not renew before the expiration date, the domain will no longer be active (HOLD status : no website, no e-mail ). This suspension period applies to all domain names except .fr .eu and .be TLDs. The duration is different according to the TLD. During this period, you can reactivate the domain name by renewing with the standards conditions. In the event of a late renewal, we reactivate the domain as soon as we receive your payment. Then the reactivation will be propagated on the Internet within a half-day.

If you do not renew, then we will we send the deletion command to the registry. Then the delay for a complete deletion depends on the registry.

During this second period, you can no longer renew the domain, though is it possible for us to restore it. Please, be aware that, since restoration fees are much higher by the Registry than an ordinary renewal, the restoration process is more expensive than an ordinary renewal.

The duration of a domain (except for .be, .fr, and .eu) can not exceed 10 consecutive years, so you can add up to 9 years to your domain name.

You can keep your domain name as long as you want, but at any given moment, the expiration date can not exceed 10 years.

For .fr .eu and .be TLDs, the expiration date can not exceed 2 years.

You can arrange the same approximate expiration date for your domains, but it is not posssible to manually set the exact expiration date for each.

For .com/.net domain names, the registry Verisign can provide registrars with a ConsoliDate service, which enables to add up to 11 months to a domain name. Gandi does not provide this service.

However you do not lose any prorata with renewal, thus you can renew all your domains at the same time each year, even if they do not have the exact same expiration date.

If you receive a renewal reminder from Domain Registry of America, please, ignore that letter!

We have no connection with that company. Your domain cannot be registered with their services, that company is not an ICANN accredited registrar.

If you have not already transferred your domain to them, it is still registered at Gandi. You can check this in the Whois database. Pay particular attention to the lines "Registrar" and "Expires".

We plan to take action against this company. If you wish to support this action, feel free to contact us so that your case will also be filed, and you may even send us a copy of the DROA letter. Our fax number : +33 (1) 43731851.

Please also notice that you can protect your domains against fraudulent transfers, by activating the Transfer Protection from your "Domains" page (except .FR .EU and .BE domain names).