When does a .ie domain expire and drop?
- Expiry to drop
- 80 days
- Grace
- 45 days
- Redemption
- 30 days
- Pending delete
- 5 days
An expired .ie is released about 80 days after expiry: up to 45 days in which the registrar can still renew it, 30 days of redemption out of the zone, then 5 days of pending delete. .ie is the country code of Ireland, run by .ie Domain Registry, for registrants with a real connection to the island of Ireland.
Check a .ie expiry dateThe .ie timeline, stage by stage
The stages an unrenewed .ie passes through, as published by the registry.
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal grace: about 45 days | Day 0 to 45 after expiry | The registration has expired but the current owner can still renew at the normal price, usually through their registrar. The name often stops resolving during this window, and nobody else can register it. Registrars frequently delete earlier than the final day, which starts the rest of the timeline early. |
| Redemption: about 30 days | Day 45 to 75 after expiry | Deletion has begun. Only the current registrant can recover the name now, typically by paying a restore fee on top of the renewal, and it cannot be registered by anyone else. A restore during this stage is a strong signal the name will not drop. |
| Pending delete: 5 days | Day 75 to 80 after expiry | The point of no return. Recovery is no longer possible for anyone, including the original owner, and the registry releases the name at the end of this fixed window. This is the stage worth acting on if you want the name. |
| Released: registrable by anyone | From about day 80 | The name leaves the registry's deletion pipeline and returns to the public pool, registrable at the standard price on a first-come basis through any registrar. Availability monitoring exists to catch this moment. |
.ie at a glance
- Registry
- .ie Domain Registry
- Backend
- .ie Domain Registry
- Type
- ccTLD
- Country
- Ireland
- Delegated
- 1988-01-27
- DNSSEC
- Yes
- IDN
- Yes
- Restrictions
- Local-presence
- Label length
- 1–63 chars
- Grace
- 45 days
- Redemption
- 30 days
- Pending delete
- 5 days
- Expiry to drop
- 80 days
A generic-shaped timeline
A .ie follows the same three stages as a generic TLD: up to 45 days of grace, 30 days of redemption, and a 5-day pending delete in which the name can be neither renewed nor registered.
The registry charges a restore fee to recover a name in redemption, so a .ie that reaches pending delete is rarely brought back. The registry publishes this lifecycle itself.
Who runs .ie, and since when
.ie is the country code of Ireland, delegated in 1988 and run by .ie Domain Registry.
Registration rules were relaxed in 2018 so that a connection to Ireland, rather than a specific claim to the name, is enough. Our engine re-verifies the lifecycle against the live record.
How to register a .ie domain
A .ie is not open to the whole world: the holder must show a real connection to the island of Ireland, such as an address, a business or trading there.
- Connection to Ireland required: individuals and organisations must show a link to the island of Ireland, north or south.
- Register through an accredited registrar; the registry sells wholesale.
- Irish fada characters (á, é, í, ó, ú) are supported as internationalized names.
- Registration is renewable; an unrenewed name enters the timeline below.
The connection rule applies to whoever catches a drop too, so check you qualify before watching a .ie.
.ie technical profile
How .ie publishes registration data, secures its zone, and handles non-Latin names.
WHOIS lookups
Registration data for a .ie domain is queryable over WHOIS at whois.weare.ie. The registry does not publish an RDAP service in the IANA bootstrap, so status and dates are read from WHOIS, which is what our monitoring reads.
DNSSEC
The .ie registry supports DNSSEC, so a domain can publish DS records and let resolvers cryptographically validate its DNS answers against tampering.
Internationalized names
The .ie registry supports the fada characters used in modern Irish, so names like éire.ie register as punycode alongside plain ASCII names.
- WHOIS
- whois.weare.ie
The registry signs the .ie zone for DNSSEC and publishes standard statuses, so each stage of an expiring name is visible on its record.
Is .ie a good domain?
Where .ie fits, and the constraint.
An Irish address
For a business serving Ireland, .ie signals local presence and is widely trusted by Irish customers.
Names with a fada
Irish names and words can be registered with their accents, as they are actually written.
The connection rule
Holders with no link to Ireland cannot register a .ie, which narrows the pool chasing an expiring name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about .ie domains.
What is a .ie domain?
.ie is the country code top-level domain of Ireland, delegated in 1988 and run by .ie Domain Registry.
How long does it take for an expired .ie to drop?
About 80 days: up to 45 days of grace, 30 days of redemption, then 5 days of pending delete.
Who can register a .ie domain?
Individuals and organisations with a real connection to the island of Ireland, north or south, such as an address or business there.
Can I restore a .ie in redemption?
Yes, if you are its holder, through your registrar. A registry restore fee applies. Once pending delete begins, it cannot be recovered.