You have 90 days. When a .co.nz or .nz domain isn't paid for, the registrar cancels it and it goes into a 90-day redemption period. Until that ends, only the holder can get it back. After that, anyone can register it.
What happens when a .nz domain lapses
A .nz domain doesn't switch off on its expiry date. It stays registered until the registrar renews or cancels it. A registrar can cancel for non-payment after giving the holder 14 days' notice. So the date that matters is the cancellation date, not the expiry date.
Once it's cancelled:
- Your website and email stop. A cancelled domain is taken out of the DNS, so the site won't load and email to your addresses bounces.
- Nobody else can register it for 90 days. The Domain Name Commission (DNC) calls this the redemption period. Older guides call it "pending release".
- The registrar can't sell it to someone else, or claim it has special access to it.
- After 90 days it's out of your hands. It moves to "pending delete", can't be reinstated, and within a few working days anyone can register it.
Step 1: Look the domain up
Search for the domain with the WHOIS lookup on the Domain Name Commission website. Note down:
- The status: whether it's still registered or has been cancelled
- The cancellation date: your 90 days run from here
- The registrar: the company you need to talk to
- The holder (registrant): whose name the domain is in
If the holder is an old web designer or a former staff member, read how to get your domain back from a web designer as well.
Step 2: Ask the registrar to reinstate it
Ask the registrar to reinstate the domain.
- Contact them from the details on the record. If you can, use the email address or phone number on the registration record, since that's how they'll check you're the holder.
- Update out-of-date details. If they're out of date (which may be why the reminders never reached you), update them at the same time.
- Expect to pay the renewal, and possibly a reinstatement fee on top. The DNC says any extra fee has to be in the terms you agreed to when you signed up.
Step 3: Or move to a different registrar
During the 90 days, the holder can transfer a cancelled domain to a new registrar and ask the new one to reinstate it. The .nz rules don't allow either registrar to charge for the transfer itself, though the renewal and any reinstatement fee still apply.
Step 4: Check your website and email are back
Once it's reinstated, give it a little while, then:
- Check the site loads. If it still won't, work through the website down checklist.
- Send a test email from an outside account such as Gmail.
- Ask regular customers and suppliers to resend anything important. Email sent to you while the domain was down will have bounced back to the sender. Don't count on it arriving later.
.com domains work differently
A .com follows ICANN's rules, not the .nz ones.
.co.nz and .nz |
.com |
|
|---|---|---|
| After the expiry date | Stays registered until renewed or cancelled. Cancelling needs 14 days' notice | The registrar can delete it any time, but must let you renew until then |
| Site offline | Once cancelled | For at least the last eight days it's still renewable |
| Getting it back | 90-day redemption period after cancellation | 30-day redemption grace period after deletion |
| Extra fee | Possible reinstatement fee, if it's in your terms | A restore fee the registrar must publish |
Timings vary by registrar, so check yours now.
Watch out for fake renewal notices
The DNC has warned about letters from a company trading as "Domain Names NZ" that look like invoices or renewal notices but are really offers to register a different version of your name. Under the .nz rules, only the registrar listed for your domain may send you a renewal notice. If one arrives from a company you don't recognise, check the registrar in the lookup before you pay anything.
When to get help
Get help straight away if:
- you can't reach the holder
- the registrar isn't answering
- most of the 90 days have already gone.
The DNC takes complaints about registrars and can help if you can't get your contact details updated.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your site once it's back, start with our free website check.