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Add Grace Period (AGP)

The Add Grace Period (AGP) is the window, typically five days after a domain's first registration, in which the registrar can delete the name and get the registry fee credited back.

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Also called AGP

Add Grace Period, explained

The AGP is a registry-to-registrar mechanism, not a consumer refund policy. In .com it is five calendar days. Whether you get money back for a quickly deleted registration depends on your registrar's own terms. Since 2009, ICANN's AGP Limits Policy has barred registries, absent an exemption, from crediting a registrar for AGP deletions beyond the greater of 10% of its net new registrations in a month or 50 names.

The limit exists because the AGP was abused. Domain tasting registered large numbers of names, kept the few that drew parking revenue within the window and deleted the rest at no cost; domain kiting chained deletions and re-registrations to hold names without paying. For an investor today the practical point is simple: the AGP is not a free trial. Treat every hand registration as a cost you will carry for at least a year, and check spelling, extension and trademarks before you buy rather than counting on a quick delete.

Example. An investor who registers a name with a typo and deletes it two days later may see the registry credit the registrar, but any refund to the investor depends on the registrar's terms.

Go deeper Expired Domains and Drop Catching: How the Domain Lifecycle Works

Sources

  1. ICANN — AGP Limits Policy (Dec 17, 2008; implemented by Mar 31, 2009)
  2. ICANN — .com Registry Agreement, grace period and pending delete specifications (Dec 1, 2024)

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.

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