Domain Renewal & Transfer: Avoiding Losing Your .rw Domain

Why Renewal Dates Matter

A .rw domain isn't yours forever automatically. It's registered for a year at a time. If it lapses past its renewal date, it can eventually be released back into the registryThe organization that operates a top-level domain and maintains the master database of its registrations. for anyone else to register, which means losing not just the domain but everything tied to it: your website address, your business email, and any SEO value you've built up.

How Much Renewal Costs

Renewal is billed at the same annual rate as the original registration: 15,000 RWF/yr for .rw, and 9,000 RWF/yr for co.rw, org.rw, net.rw, coop.rw, and ac.rw. There's no separate renewal fee on top.

Avoiding a Missed Renewal

The simplest protection is keeping your contact and payment details current on your account, and noting your renewal date somewhere you'll actually see it before it arrives. A calendar reminder a few weeks ahead is enough to avoid a last-minute scramble. If you're unsure exactly when a domain expires, our free WHOIS lookup shows its current expiry date directly.

What Actually Breaks When a Domain Expires

An expired domain doesn't just risk being registered by someone else eventually, it stops resolving immediately. That means your website goes offline and any email addresses on that domain stop receiving mail, both at the same time. If you rely on that email for business communication, a lapsed renewal is a same-day problem, not a slow-motion one. If you discover a domain has expired, contact support right away: recovering a recently-lapsed domain is far more straightforward than waiting.

Transferring a Domain

.rw domains can be transferred to a new registrant or registrarAn accredited company that sells and manages domain registrations on a registry's behalf. when needed, for example, if you're selling a business along with its domain, or consolidating several domains under one account. A transfer between registrars is coordinated at the registry level between the losing and gaining registrar, and typically needs confirmation from the domain's current registrant before it completes. Contact us to start a transfer, and support will confirm exactly what's needed for your specific domain.

Renewing vs. Re-Registering

Once a domain has actually been released back into the registry after lapsing, it's gone: someone else can register it, and getting it back at that point means convincing whoever registered it to sell it to you, not a simple renewal. This is the practical reason renewal reminders matter more for a domain tied to an active business than the annual fee alone might suggest.

For current pricing on registration and renewal, see our pricing page, and check our domains page for availability if you're registering something new.