{
  "$schema": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/schemas/article-v1.json",
  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "id": "ens-renewal-and-expiration",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/ens-renewal-and-expiration/",
  "collection": "ethereum",
  "title": "ENS renewal and expiry: what happens when a .eth name runs out?",
  "description": "Learn what ENSv1 .eth expiry changes, how its grace period works and why an expired name does not remove wallet access.",
  "aliases": [
    "ENS name expired",
    "renew eth domain"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "An ENSv1 .eth registration needs renewal to retain its name rights. The documented registrar provides a 90-day grace period after expiry, followed by a temporary-premium registration phase if it is not renewed. Expiry affects the name and its routing usefulness, not the private key or assets of the wallet it previously pointed to. Check the specific registrar: subnames, DNS names and other ENS versions can differ.",
    "claimId": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "x425-eth-ens-register",
      "x425-eth-ens-expiry"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Scope",
      "value": "The 90-day period here is the documented ENSv1 .eth grace period.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-register"
      ],
      "id": "scope",
      "claimId": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-fact-scope"
    },
    {
      "label": "After grace",
      "value": "The name must be registered anew rather than renewed.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-expiry"
      ],
      "id": "after-grace",
      "claimId": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-fact-after-grace"
    },
    {
      "label": "Assets",
      "value": "An expired label does not transfer the previous wallet’s funds.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-expiry"
      ],
      "id": "assets",
      "claimId": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-fact-assets"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "ethereum-accounts"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "lifecycle",
      "heading": "Expiry is a naming event",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-register",
        "x425-eth-ens-expiry"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Renewing extends the registration period. ENSv1’s grace period gives the existing registration an opportunity to be renewed before the name becomes available through the temporary-premium process. Do not assume that every name function remains usable throughout expiry.",
        "A project-issued subname or imported DNS name can follow its issuer or external registrar. Check its actual lifecycle instead of copying the .eth second-level rules."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "example",
      "heading": "The old wallet survives a lost name",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-expiry",
        "x425-eth-ens-roles"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Suppose your name expires and later another person registers it. The ETH already held at your old wallet address remains controlled by your wallet’s keys. Future senders resolving the reused name may reach a different address once its records are changed.",
        "Tell contacts to verify current routing rather than rely on a remembered label. Losing a name can disrupt how people find you without changing who can sign for the old account."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "renewal",
      "heading": "Check the name and resulting expiry",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-register"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Anyone can pay to renew an ENSv1 .eth registration. Confirm the exact normalized name, duration and quoted rent, and inspect the resulting expiry after the renewal transaction. Paying someone else’s renewal is not an ownership purchase.",
        "Keep reminders outside a single website session. Fees, registrar implementations and interfaces can change; the name’s actual onchain expiry is more useful than a remembered purchase anniversary."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Will my wallet stop working when my ENS name expires?",
      "answer": "No. The name is a label pointing at records. The account address, keys and existing assets remain separate from that registration.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-expiry"
      ]
    },
    {
      "question": "Do all ENS names have a 90-day grace period?",
      "answer": "No. This article describes ENSv1 .eth second-level registrations. DNS names, subnames and other registrar versions require their own expiry checks.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-eth-ens-expiry",
        "x425-eth-ens-wrapper-expiry"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-quick-answer",
      "articleSlug": "ens-renewal-and-expiration",
      "statement": "An ENSv1 .eth registration needs renewal to retain its name rights. The documented registrar provides a 90-day grace period after expiry, followed by a temporary-premium registration phase if it is not renewed. Expiry affects the name and its routing usefulness, not the private key or assets of the wallet it previously pointed to. Check the specific registrar: subnames, DNS names and other ENS versions can differ.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-50f4215631218b71",
        "source-fb90e1f6259646dd"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-50f4215631218b71",
          "locator": "Registering a name; commit-reveal; renewals"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-fb90e1f6259646dd",
          "locator": "Expiry; grace period; wallet access"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "ethereum",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Registrar/support documents90day grace then temporary premium; aftergrace registration insteadof renewal. Draft correctly separates wallet authority and name routing, and does not generalize90days to DNS/subnames. No unconditional claim that all wrapper operations work during grace."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-fact-scope",
      "articleSlug": "ens-renewal-and-expiration",
      "statement": "Scope: The 90-day period here is the documented ENSv1 .eth grace period.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-50f4215631218b71"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-50f4215631218b71",
          "locator": "Registering a name; commit-reveal; renewals"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "ethereum",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Registrar/support documents90day grace then temporary premium; aftergrace registration insteadof renewal. Draft correctly separates wallet authority and name routing, and does not generalize90days to DNS/subnames. No unconditional claim that all wrapper operations work during grace."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-fact-after-grace",
      "articleSlug": "ens-renewal-and-expiration",
      "statement": "After grace: The name must be registered anew rather than renewed.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-fb90e1f6259646dd"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-fb90e1f6259646dd",
          "locator": "Expiry; grace period; wallet access"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "ethereum",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Registrar/support documents90day grace then temporary premium; aftergrace registration insteadof renewal. Draft correctly separates wallet authority and name routing, and does not generalize90days to DNS/subnames. No unconditional claim that all wrapper operations work during grace."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "ens-renewal-and-expiration-fact-assets",
      "articleSlug": "ens-renewal-and-expiration",
      "statement": "Assets: An expired label does not transfer the previous wallet’s funds.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-fb90e1f6259646dd"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-fb90e1f6259646dd",
          "locator": "Expiry; grace period; wallet access"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "ethereum",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:27:58.939Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Registrar/support documents90day grace then temporary premium; aftergrace registration insteadof renewal. Draft correctly separates wallet authority and name routing, and does not generalize90days to DNS/subnames. No unconditional claim that all wrapper operations work during grace."
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "x425-eth-ens-register",
      "label": "ENS ETH registrar",
      "publisher": "ENS Labs",
      "url": "https://docs.ens.domains/registry/eth/",
      "locator": "Registering a name; commit-reveal; renewals",
      "note": "ENSv1 .eth registration and renewal procedure; not an assertion that ENSv2 uses the same pricing or grace period.",
      "version": "ENSv1 registrar documentation",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:55:25.210Z",
      "contentSha256": "9fa58bcc8f42a32872442b058cd89f5ba50d1568ff8909a4077e911563aa8274",
      "recordId": "source-50f4215631218b71"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-eth-ens-expiry",
      "label": "Expired ENS names and wallet access",
      "publisher": "ENS Labs",
      "url": "https://support.ens.domains/en/articles/12311858-do-expired-ens-names-affect-wallet-access",
      "locator": "Expiry; grace period; wallet access",
      "note": "Name expiry affects name use rather than cryptographic ownership of the associated account.",
      "version": "Documentation snapshot retrieved 2 October 2026; response hash recorded separately",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:55:25.397Z",
      "contentSha256": "a35541d3315935531ad5d33e3608a8a7cb5261539cc11195e31f377b5ccfa511",
      "recordId": "source-fb90e1f6259646dd"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-eth-ens-roles",
      "label": "ENS terminology",
      "publisher": "ENS Labs",
      "url": "https://docs.ens.domains/terminology/",
      "locator": "Owner; controller; resolver; registrant",
      "note": "Roles in ENS naming, resolution and management.",
      "version": "Documentation snapshot retrieved 2 October 2026; response hash recorded separately",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:55:25.181Z",
      "contentSha256": "eda2d55d25857800cbddcf2ddc398a9235d7cf2572bc315534aaf8b3939fed9a",
      "recordId": "source-0314bf4e15f4a3c3"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-eth-ens-wrapper-expiry",
      "label": "ENS Name Wrapper expiry",
      "publisher": "ENS Labs",
      "url": "https://docs.ens.domains/wrapper/expiry/",
      "locator": "Expiry; parent and child names",
      "note": "Subname rights and burned permissions have expiry conditions.",
      "version": "Documentation snapshot retrieved 2 October 2026; response hash recorded separately",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:55:25.302Z",
      "contentSha256": "59662b899664b935b97e8c70f3818c585a222d358ddacac1094f34756ac11c93",
      "recordId": "source-a2283706a3e288fd"
    }
  ],
  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "ethereum-accounts",
      "erc-721-nfts",
      "ens-name-registration",
      "ens-owner-manager-resolver"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “ENS renewal and expiry: what happens when a .eth name runs out?.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/ens-renewal-and-expiration/"
}