In this article, we explain what quarantine means for a domain name and how you can recover a domain that is in quarantine.

What is quarantine?

When a domain name is cancelled (for example after a termination, or because a renewal failed), the domain name is not released immediately. The domain name first enters a quarantine period (also known as the redemption period).

During this period:

• no one else can register the domain name;
• you, as the holder, can still recover the domain name;
• the website or email on the domain usually no longer works, even though the domain has not been released yet.

Note: Once the quarantine period has expired, the domain name becomes available for registration by anyone. From that point on, we can no longer recover the domain name for you.

How long does quarantine last?

The length of the quarantine period differs per extension:

• .nl domains: SIDN applies a quarantine period of 40 days after cancellation.
• International extensions (such as .com, .net, .org, .info): these usually have a Redemption Grace Period (RGP) of around 30 days, followed by a few days in which the domain is released.
• For other extensions, the exact period may vary; we are happy to check this for you.

Costs for recovering a domain

Recovering a domain from quarantine is unfortunately not free. The registry (for example SIDN for .nl domains, or the relevant registry for international extensions) charges us as the registrar an additional fee on top of the normal renewal cost. This is also known as a redemption fee or restore fee.

• These costs are usually noticeably higher than a normal renewal.
• The exact amount depends on the extension (TLD) and can vary per registry.
• We will always inform you of the exact cost in your ticket before we submit the request, so you can decide whether you want us to proceed.

Step 1. Check whether the domain is still in quarantine

For .nl domains, you can check this via the SIDN Whois check. If the status shows quarantine, recovery is still possible.

For other extensions, we can look this up for you via a whois lookup.

Step 2. Create a ticket with Etheron

Recovering a domain from quarantine cannot be done independently through the customer portal, this goes through the registry and can only be requested by us as the registrar.

1. Log in to your customer portal and create a ticket.
2. Clearly mention which domain name it concerns and that you want to recover it from quarantine.
3. We will check the status of the domain and let you know the exact cost before we submit the request.

Step 3. Domain is restored

Once the request has been approved by the registry, the domain name becomes active again. Afterwards, you can:

• renew the domain name as normal;
• check and reconfigure the DNS settings and any connections (such as hosting or email).

Troubleshooting

• Domain has already been released: once the quarantine period has passed and the domain is available for registration again, we can no longer recover it for you. Someone else may then register the domain.
• Not sure whether your domain is still in quarantine: contact us and we will check this for you.
• Domain was cancelled without you doing this yourself: this can happen after a failed renewal. Contact us as soon as possible, the sooner we submit the request, the higher the chance that recovery is still possible.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via Discord or create a support ticket.