A .de doesn't expire.
It runs until it's ended; after deletion, only the last holder can take it back for 30 days.

It doesn't, at the registry. The contract with DENIC runs until it is ended, and DENIC's records show only the status and the date of the last change, never an expiry date.

The date that matters is your provider's: when its billing period ends unpaid, the provider either deletes the domain on your instruction or stops managing it.

There's no renewal grace at DENIC, because nothing expires there. There are two safety nets instead: TRANSIT, about a month to find a new provider when yours stops managing the domain, and a 30-day Redemption Grace Period after any deletion.

Here is what can happen when a .de is no longer paid for. How long your provider waits before acting is up to the provider.

TRANSITAbout a month; the deadline is in DENIC's letter

If your provider stops managing the domain, DENIC takes it over and writes to you by post. Nobody else can register it. You can move it to a new provider or delete it, both free at DENIC, or pay DENIC to keep it.

Deleted

Deleted on your instruction, or by DENIC when the TRANSIT deadline passes with nothing done.

Redemption Grace Period30 days

Only you, as last holder, or someone you name can register the domain again, through any provider, using a code DENIC sends you. Re-registering costs your provider, so expect a fee.

Released

After the 30 days anyone can register it.

No fixed term. The contract with DENIC runs until it's ended; your provider sets the billing period.

Ask the registry's WHOIS server, whois.denic.de, or type the name in the box above and nmspc asks the same server for you. IANA's RDAP bootstrap file lists no RDAP server for .de (checked 25 October 2026), so nmspc reads .de from WHOIS, and switches to RDAP on its own if IANA adds one.

DENIC also runs an RDAP server, rdap.denic.de, but IANA's bootstrap doesn't list it. Either way the record has no expiry date.

The record won't show an expiry date: the .de registry doesn't publish one, so only your registrar knows it.

Ending your hosting contract doesn't end the domain contract with DENIC. The domain goes to TRANSIT and DENIC bills you unless you move or delete it.

If the holder's details can't be verified, DENIC takes the domain offline and gives the holder 83 days to verify through the provider before the contract ends.

You don't have to live in Germany, but a holder outside Germany must name a German representative for legal papers within two weeks if DENIC asks.

DENIC eG, a cooperative in Frankfurt, runs .de. You register a .de through a provider that is a DENIC member, or directly with DENIC.

Add a .de domain and nmspc reads its renewal date from your registrar, when you connect it, then reminds you 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before it runs out, and before its certificate does. Free for every domain. Open nmspc

• DENIC: Domain terms and conditions (English translation)
• DENIC: Redemption Grace Period
• DENIC: TRANSIT service
• DENIC: FAQs about TRANSIT
• DENIC: whois service
• DENIC: domain not accessible (holder verification)
• IANA root zone database: .de
• IANA: RDAP bootstrap file for domains

Checked against these pages on 25 October 2026. Registries change their rules now and then; the source wins if it disagrees.