How to check a domain name's expiration date

Every domain name has a registry expiry date: the day its current registration term ends. If nobody renews it by then, the domain stops resolving and, a few weeks later, becomes available for anyone to register.

1. Use a lookup tool

The quickest way is a lookup that reads the registry directly. Type the domain into the checker below and you get the registration expiry date and the SSL certificate expiry date in one go.

2. Query RDAP or WHOIS yourself

RDAP is the modern, structured replacement for WHOIS, and ICANN requires it for all generic top-level domains. From a terminal:

curl -s https://rdap.org/domain/example.com | grep -A2 '"expiration"'

Or with classic WHOIS:

whois example.com | grep -i 'expir'

Look for Registry Expiry Date. Some country-code domains (for example .uk and .de) publish less data, or none, over public lookups.

3. Log in to the registrar

The registrar's dashboard shows the expiry date and, crucially, whether auto-renew is on and which card it will charge. Public lookups can't show you either of those.

Why the date alone isn't enough

Auto-renew fails quietly. An expired card or a closed account means the renewal never happens, and the warning emails go to whoever registered the domain.
Client-owned domains are invisible to you. If you manage a client's website but they own the domain, the registrar's reminders go to them, not you.
Dates change. A renewal moves the date forward by a year or more, so a one-time check goes stale.

That's why agencies monitor domains instead of checking them once. Lapse rechecks every domain twice a day and emails you 30, 14, 7, 3 and 1 days before a registration ends.