Overview
.CO has historically operated a domain lifecycle that differed in several meaningful ways from the standard model used by most gTLDs and ccTLDs. As .CO has migrated to the CentralNic Shared Registry System and aligned its operations with international registry standards, those differences have been resolved.
This article explains what the lifecycle looked like previously, what it looks like today under the current .CO Registry (operated by CentralNic), what has changed, and — critically — what that means for Registrars and their customers in practical terms.
| The short answer: The current .CO lifecycle is now fully standardised and aligns with the ICANN-defined grace period and hold period model used by major gTLDs. The historically divergent behaviours — particularly around renewal, expiry, and the redemption window — have been replaced by a predictable, well-documented set of periods. This article is your complete reference for the current lifecycle. |
What Made .CO's Lifecycle Historically Different?
For much of its operational history, .CO exhibited lifecycle behaviours that set it apart from the standard gTLD model. Registrars who worked with .CO during those earlier periods will recall some or all of the following:
Non-Standard Redemption and Pending Delete Windows
The duration and sequencing of the Redemption Grace Period (RGP) and Pending Delete phase were not always aligned with the ICANN-standard 30-day + 5-day model. Registrars experienced uncertainty about exactly when a domain would become restorable, and when it would finally be purged and released for re-registration.
Inconsistent Auto-Renew Behaviour
The auto-renewal mechanism did not always behave in a fully predictable way. In some periods, the window during which a Registrar could reverse an auto-renewal (the Auto-Renew Grace Period) was shorter or less clearly defined than the 45-day window now in effect, creating billing uncertainty.
Drop-Catching Unpredictability
Because the purge timing was less deterministic, drop-catching activity on .CO was harder to time accurately. Domains did not always become available at a predictable point after entering Pending Delete, which disadvantaged Registrars trying to fairly compete for released names.
Lifecycle Documentation Gaps
Earlier versions of .CO Registry documentation did not always comprehensively describe each lifecycle stage, grace period duration, and EPP status code behaviour, leaving Registrars to infer or discover behaviour empirically.
| Note for long-standing .CO Registrars: If your systems were built around older .CO lifecycle assumptions — particularly around expiry timing, redemption windows, or drop list interpretation — you should review this article in full and update your integrations to reflect the current standardised model. |
The Current .CO Lifecycle — Now Fully Standardised
Under the current CentralNic-operated .CO Registry, the domain lifecycle follows the ICANN-standard model precisely. Every stage, every period, and every EPP status code is documented and behaves consistently.
The lifecycle flows through the following stages:
| STAGE 1 — Available |
| The domain is not registered. WHOIS returns 'NOT FOUND'. EPP <check> returns avail=1. No DNS delegation exists. |
| STAGE 2 — Registered (Active) |
Registration period: 1 to 5 years. DNS delegation is live. The Add Grace Period (5 days) begins immediately after registration. During this window, the Registrar can delete the domain and receive a full credit for the registration fee — subject to the Add Grace Period Limits Policy (maximum 10% of registrations, or 50 domains, whichever is greater, per billing period). After the 60-day Registration Hold Period, the domain may be transferred to another Registrar. While active, the Registrar can update nameservers, contacts, lock statuses, and extend the registration period (up to the 5-year maximum). |
| STAGE 3 — Expired → Auto-Renew Grace Period (45 days) |
By default, all .CO accounts are set to the Auto-Renew model. When the domain's expiry date is reached, the Registry automatically renews it for one year and deducts the renewal fee from the Registrar's balance. The 45-day Auto-Renew Grace Period then begins. During this window, the Registrar can delete the domain and receive a full credit for the auto-renewal fee. This grace period is significantly longer than the 5-day Renew Grace Period that applies to manual renewals, giving Registrars adequate time to identify and action domains their customers no longer want. Auto-Delete model (alternative): Registrars who have opted for the Auto-Delete model will instead see domains placed on Pending Deletion when they expire, rather than being auto-renewed. |
| STAGE 4 — Deleted → Redemption Grace Period (30 days) |
If the Registrar deletes the domain — either manually, as a result of the Auto-Delete model, or by deleting during the Auto-Renew Grace Period — the domain enters the Redemption Grace Period. During this 30-day window:
|
| STAGE 5 — Pending Delete (5 days) |
After 30 days in the Redemption Grace Period, the domain transitions to Pending Delete status. The EPP status changes to pendingDelete with RGP status pendingDelete. Restoration is no longer possible during this stage. The domain cannot be recovered. This 5-day period serves as a final countdown before the domain is purged and released for general registration. |
| STAGE 6 — Released / Available |
Five days after entering Pending Delete, the domain is purged from the Registry database and becomes available for registration by anyone. Critically, domains are NOT purged in a single daily batch. They are purged continuously throughout the day, typically within 60 to 120 seconds of exiting the 5-day Pending Delete period. This makes the release timing more predictable and fair for Registrars engaged in drop-catching, compared to the historical .CO model. |
What Has Changed — Before and After Comparison
The table below summarises the key differences between the historical .CO lifecycle and the current standardised lifecycle:
| Lifecycle Stage | Previously (Historical .CO) | Now (Current .CO Registry) |
| Auto-Renew Grace Period | Duration was inconsistent or shorter than the current standard, creating billing uncertainty for Registrars. | Now a fixed 45-day Auto-Renew Grace Period, clearly documented and consistently enforced. Registrars have a reliable window to reverse unwanted auto-renewals. |
| Redemption Grace Period | Duration and restore eligibility window were not always aligned with the 30-day ICANN standard, causing uncertainty around when a domain could still be recovered. | Now a fixed 30-day Redemption Grace Period. Domains are restorable via EPP or Registrar Console throughout this entire window. Restore is immediate upon submission. |
| Pending Delete Duration | The final pre-purge phase was not always a clearly defined 5-day window, making it difficult to predict exactly when a domain would be released. | Now a clearly defined 5-day Pending Delete period following the 30-day Redemption Grace Period. Total post-deletion window before release: 35 days. |
| Purge Timing | Domains were often purged in batch processes at unpredictable times, making drop-catching difficult to time and disadvantaging smaller Registrars. | Domains are now purged continuously throughout the day, within 60–120 seconds of exiting the 5-day Pending Delete period. Timing is predictable and equitable. |
| Restore Report Requirement | Some registry systems require Registrars to submit a formal Restore Report as a second step in the RGP restore process. | The .CO Registry does not require a Restore Report. Submitting the Restore command (plus the Renew command) is sufficient to complete the restoration. |
| Domain Drop List | Drop list data was not always available in a reliable, structured format with predictable purge timestamps. | A structured CSV Domain Drop List is now generated every 24 hours and available via the FTP server. It includes Date_Purged to help Registrars time their drop-catching attempts. |
| Lifecycle Documentation | Earlier .CO documentation did not fully describe each stage, status code, and timing in a single reference. | The current .CO Registrar Operations Manual (v3.00.00, January 2026) documents the full lifecycle, all grace periods, all EPP status codes, and all hold periods in detail. |
What Has NOT Changed
The following aspects of the .CO lifecycle are unchanged and consistent with what long-standing .CO Registrars will be familiar with:
These lifecycle elements remain unchanged:
|
Complete Grace Period and Hold Period Reference
For convenience, the following table provides the complete current reference for all grace and hold periods in the .CO Registry lifecycle:
| Grace / Hold Period | Duration | What It Means |
| Add Grace Period | 5 days | Delete within 5 days of registration for a full credit (subject to 10% / 50-domain policy limit). |
| Renew Grace Period | 5 days | Delete within 5 days of a manual renewal for a full credit. |
| Auto-Renew Grace Period | 45 days | Delete within 45 days of an auto-renewal for a full credit of the renewal fee. |
| Transfer Grace Period | 5 days | Delete within 5 days of a completed transfer for a full credit. |
| Redemption Grace Period | 30 days | Restore a deleted domain within 30 days. DNS is suspended. Restore fee applies immediately. |
| Pending Delete Period | 5 days | Final countdown after the Redemption Grace Period. Domain cannot be restored. |
| Registration Hold Period | 60 days | Domain cannot be transferred for 60 days after initial registration. |
| Transfer Hold Period | 60 days | Domain cannot be transferred again for 60 days after a completed transfer. |
| Add Grace Period Limits Policy: The Add Grace Period credit applies only up to 10% of your total registrations per billing period, or 50 domains — whichever is greater. Deletions beyond this threshold will not be credited. This policy is enforced to prevent abuse of the add grace period mechanism. |
Practical Implications for Registrars
Update your customer communications
If your customer-facing renewal reminder emails or expiry notifications were calibrated around older .CO lifecycle timing, update them to reflect the current 45-day Auto-Renew Grace Period and 30-day Redemption Grace Period. Customers often confuse domain expiry with immediate loss of the domain — the current lifecycle gives them and you meaningful recovery windows.
Review your Auto-Renew settings
By default, all .CO accounts are set to Auto-Renew. If a customer does not renew before expiry, the domain auto-renews and you have 45 days to delete it for a credit if the customer confirms they no longer want it. If you prefer to have customers explicitly renew, switch your account to the Auto-Delete model via the Registrar Console.
Update your drop-catching tooling
If your drop-catching implementation relied on assumptions about batch purge timing, update it to use the Domain Drop List (available via the FTP server at /droplist/) and its Date_Purged field. Domains are now purged within 60–120 seconds of exiting the Pending Delete period, on a rolling basis throughout the day.
No Restore Report needed — simplify your restore flow
If your EPP client was built to submit a Restore Report as a second step, you can remove that step for .CO. The restore process requires only: (1) domain:update with rgp:restore op='request', and (2) a domain:renew command on the same day. No report submission is required or expected.
Billing predictability has improved
The well-defined grace period structure means you can now accurately predict exactly when charges will appear on your invoice. Transactions only become billable after their grace period expires. Auto-renewals do not deduct your balance until the 45-day grace period ends. Restore fees deduct immediately.