A .fr domain that never expires?

[encyclo]

I own a .fr domain which I decided not to renew. The domain expired six weeks ago according to whois and the email notification from my registrar. Two weeks ago I got a second email from my registrar saying that the name had been definitively destroyed and was available again for registration by anyone. This appears to conform to the AFNIC documents which say that there is no period of grace for .fr domains, and that you definitively lose the domain if you miss the expiry date.

Despite all this, as of today the name is still registered, the expiry date is listed as being in July 2008. What's more, the domain still resolves - the 301 redirect via my registrar's control panel is still active and functional.

So what's the deal with .fr domains which are not renewed? Will it ever stop resolving, or do I get this one for free? :)

[simsambox]

I saw the same thing with a .com domain registred @ networksolutions.
Domain was expired and I received emails for that domain and website was available for more than 1 year or so (after expiration)

[encyclo]

I checked this domain again today. It's now three and a half months since the domain officially expired, but it still resolves. A whois search at afnic.fr shows that the domain is unavailable for purchase. I guess I am really getting this one for free! ;)

[swa66]

It might be that your registrar paid the registry for another year.
The whois info at afnic.fr doesn't actually say when a domain expires (just an anniversary, and last changed dates).

AFAIK this is how most continental European registries work.

So yes, you might get it for free for another year.

But it's very bad news. It means your registrar isn't on top of things from an administrative point of view and they could as well miss a payment on your behalf and drop a name you wanted to keep.

[le_gber]

it may be a stupid question but are you still listed as the owner. Could the domain have been bought by someone else and the registrar kept the nameserver settings intact during the transfer?

Can you access it through your registrar control panel?

[encyclo]

are you still listed as the owner

Afnic don't indicate the owner name via the whois, but I am still the listed owner at the registrar. I have not tried to make any changes to nameservers etc. but the domain is still listed with an expiration date in July 2008 (in warning red). As mentioned in my first message, I have an email from the registrar dated in early August saying that the domain had been definitively destroyed.

I never received any notification from Afnic, however. I'm not familiar with .fr domains, so is this usual? The registrar is one of the top .fr registrars in terms of volume, and has a generally very good reputation. It's a real mystery! I suspect it is the registrar which is at fault, for want of a better explanation.