A domain name registered on February 29 must be assigned a future expiry date, but February 29 only occurs in leap years. This article explains how registries handle expiry dates for leap year registrations and lists the expiry date that applies to common OpenSRS TLDs.
About leap year expiry dates
Each registry sets its own policy for assigning expiry dates to domains registered on February 29. Some registries calculate the expiry date as if the domain were registered on February 28, and others calculate it as if it were registered on March 1.
When a domain is registered on February 29, it is generally assigned an expiry date of February 28, based on a term of 365 days per year. From time to time, this date is synchronized with the authoritative date in the WHOIS of most registries. As a result, some registrants may notice a slight change in the expiry dates reported in WHOIS. For .DE registrations, the expected expiry date is treated as authoritative.
Expiry dates by TLD
The following list shows the expiry date assigned to leap year registrations for a number of OpenSRS TLDs.
TLD | Leap year expiry date |
|---|---|
.AT | February 28 |
.BE | February 28 |
.BIZ | February 28 |
.BZ | February 28 for 1 to 3 year registrations; February 29 for 4 year registrations |
.CA | February 28 |
.CC | February 28 |
.CH | February 28 |
.CN | March 1 |
.CO | February 28 |
.COM | February 28 |
.DE | March 1 |
.DK | February 28 |
.ES | February 28 |
.EU | February 28 |
.FR | March 1 |
.IN | February 28 for 1 to 3 year registrations; February 29 for 4 year registrations |
.IT | March 1 |
.INFO | February 28 |
.LI | February 28 |
.ME | February 28 |
.MOBI | February 28 |
.MX | March 2 |
.NAME | February 28 |
.NET | February 28 |
.NL | February 28 |
.ORG | February 28 |
.TEL | February 28 |
.TV | February 28 |
.UK | February 28 |
.US | February 28 |
.WS | February 28 for 1 to 3 year registrations; February 29 for 4 year registrations |
Note: This list covers common TLDs only. For policies that are not listed here, consult the TLD Reference Chart or contact OpenSRS Support.
Next steps
- Confirm a domain's expiry date after registration. See How to determine the expiry date for a domain.
- Review TLD-specific policies for the domains you manage. See Domain Help Topics.
Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.
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