Given there's sometimes confusion as to what the life-cycle of a Domain Name is, we thought it would be prudent to outline the standard policy adopted by many gTLDs and New gTLDs (unless specified otherwise in their dedicated page). It isn't really possible for us to do the same for ccTLDs due to their differencies but please see their dedicated pages for specifics on each ccTLD we offer.
Available
As the name suggests, the domain is available for registration.
Registered
At the time a free domain is requested, it is assigned to the person who requested it. If everything is correct, the domain is active. The domain will be active during the years for which the registration has been requested. During this period you can extend the number of years to prevent the domain from expiring when it reaches the expiration date.
Grace period
The domain has expired and stops working. It must be reactivated immediately if the owner of the domain wishes to maintain the domain. For the most common extensions (gTLDs) there is no restore fee, you just pay for the renewal of the domain but for many ccTLDs if the domain is in grace period you have to pay for the restore.
Redemption Period
The domain has been removed, but can be reactivated and renewed at a higher price than the usual price for a renewal.
Pending Delete
The domain will be deleted by the registry and can no longer be reactivated. It will become free for registration.