When does a .nz domain expire and drop?
- Expiry to drop
- 91 days
- Grace
- None
- Redemption
- 90 days
- Pending delete
- 1 day
A cancelled .nz is released about 91 days after cancellation. For about 90 days it is held in a redemption period in which its registrant can reinstate it at any time. It then passes a brief pending delete and is released. .nz is the country code of New Zealand, run by InternetNZ, and open to register worldwide.
Watch a .nzThe .nz timeline, stage by stage
The stages a cancelled .nz passes through before release.
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Redemption: about 90 days | Day 0 to 90 after expiry | The name has been cancelled and is unavailable to anyone else. Its registrant can reinstate it through their registrar at any point in this period. |
| Pending delete: 1 day | Day 90 to 91 after expiry | The name can no longer be reinstated and is about to be released. This is the stage to be ready on if you want it. |
| Released: registrable by anyone | From about day 91 | 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. |
.nz at a glance
- Registry
- InternetNZ
- Backend
- InternetNZ
- Type
- ccTLD
- Country
- New Zealand
- Delegated
- 1987-01-19
- DNSSEC
- Yes
- IDN
- Yes
- Restrictions
- Open
- Label length
- 1–63 chars
- Redemption
- 90 days
- Pending delete
- 1 day
- Expiry to drop
- 91 days
A long hold, then a quick release
A cancelled .nz is unavailable to anyone else for about 90 days, and its registrant can reinstate it at any point in that window. After a 1-day pending delete it is released.
That is about three months from cancellation to availability, among the longest of any registry. Names can be registered directly at the second level (example.nz) or under categories such as co.nz.
Who runs .nz, and since when
.nz is the country code of New Zealand, delegated in 1987 and run by InternetNZ, with an independent commissioner overseeing the rules.
Direct second-level registrations opened in 2014 alongside the long-standing categories. The redemption period comes from the published .nz rules, and our engine re-verifies it against the live record.
How to register a .nz domain
A .nz is open to anyone worldwide with no New Zealand presence requirement, at the second level or under categories like co.nz and org.nz.
- Open to anyone, individual or company, with no New Zealand presence required.
- Register directly (example.nz) or under a category (example.co.nz) through an authorised registrar.
- Te reo Māori vowels with macrons are supported as internationalized names.
- Registration is renewable; a cancelled name enters the timeline below.
The long redemption period means a lapsed .nz stays recoverable by its registrant for months. The move into pending delete is the signal that release is close.
.nz technical profile
How .nz publishes registration data, secures its zone, and handles non-Latin names.
WHOIS lookups
Registration data for a .nz domain is queryable over WHOIS at whois.irs.net.nz. 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 .nz registry supports DNSSEC, so a domain can publish DS records and let resolvers cryptographically validate its DNS answers against tampering.
Internationalized names
The .nz registry supports internationalized domain names, so labels in non-Latin scripts register as punycode alongside ordinary ASCII names.
- WHOIS
- whois.irs.net.nz
The registry signs the .nz zone for DNSSEC, and a name's cancellation and pending delete are visible on its WHOIS record.
Is .nz a good domain?
Where .nz fits, and its trade-off.
A New Zealand address
For a business serving New Zealand, .nz or .co.nz is what customers expect, and it signals a local presence.
Short at the second level
Direct registration means a short example.nz is possible instead of the longer example.co.nz.
A long wait to catch
With months of redemption, a lapsing .nz you want takes patience, and the registrant can reinstate it at any point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about .nz domains.
What is a .nz domain?
.nz is the country code top-level domain of New Zealand, delegated in 1987 and run by InternetNZ. It is open to register worldwide.
How long does it take for a cancelled .nz to drop?
About 91 days: about 90 days of redemption in which the registrant can reinstate it, then a 1-day pending delete, then release.
Can I reinstate a cancelled .nz?
Yes, if you are its registrant, at any point during the redemption period, through your registrar.
Is .nz the same as .co.nz?
They are separate names under the same registry and rules. example.nz and example.co.nz can be held by different people.