Skip to main content

How to renew a BNS name

Most names on BNS need to be "renewed" periodically, or they expire. Once a name expires, you're at risk of losing your name. The renewal period for your name depends on the "namespace" - for example, .btc names need to be renewed at least once every 5 years. Other namespaces require yearly renewal, and some never expire.

By viewing your name on Dots you can see when your name expires and renew your name.

Renew your name

Renew screenshot

To renew your name, first go to the "edit" page for a specific name. Once you're logged in, the homepage will list your names. You can click "edit" next to the name you want to renew.

On the name page, you'll see expiration information on the left-hand side. If your name expires, you'll see an estimated expiration date. If your name doesn't expire, it'll say "no expiration". Hovering over the expiration will show how many blocks you have remaining before the name expires.

If your name expires, a "renew" button will be visible. Click the renew button to go to the renew page.

On this page, you'll see more detailed information related to when your name expires and what your new expiration will be after your renew.

Click the "renew" button to sign the renewal transaction. There is no fee associated with renewing your name.

FAQs

Can I renew a BNSx name?

Yes, you can renew a BNSx name.

Early BNSx users used a "v1" wrapper contract, which doesn't allow renewing a BNSx name. These users will need to unwrap their name in order to be able to renew.

After renewing, when does my name expire?

Each namespace has a "lifetime" property, which refers to how long until an unrenewed name expires. For the ".btc" namespace, this is 5 years.

After renewing, your new expiration be based on the moment your name is expired - not based on your previous expiration date.

As an example, assume you own the name "example.btc", which expires in 1 year. If you renew that name right now, your new expiration will be 5 years from now - not in (1+5) 6 years.

Is there a cost to renew my name?

No, renewing a name has no cost.