If you go to register a name and the price looks like millions — that's not an error. When a .eth name comes out of its Grace Period (90 days after expiry), it enters a 21-day Temporary Premium window where it costs extra to register. The fee starts at $100 million and drops to $0 over those 21 days.
What is the Temporary Premium?
The Temporary Premium is a one-time fee added on top of normal registration costs for any .eth name that has recently expired. It starts at $100 million and drops to $0 over 21 days. Once it hits $0, the name is available at normal registration fees again.
After Grace Period ends, the name has to be registered as new — the previous owner can't extend it. During the 21-day window, anyone can register it by paying the current premium price plus the standard annual registration fee.
Good to know
The Temporary Premium is a one-time cost, not an ongoing charge. Once you register, you only pay the standard annual renewal going forward.
Anyone can register the name during the 21-day window — so waiting carries the risk that someone else registers it first.
What should you do?
Wait for the price to drop. Open the name in the ENS App and check the decay chart — it shows the current price and how fast it's falling. The price falls over 21 days, but anyone can register the name at any point. If you wait, you risk someone else registering it before the price reaches your target.
Register now. If you need the name, register at the current premium price. You pay the premium today plus the normal registration fee — but the name is yours.
Wait out the full 21 days. Only works if nobody else registers the name first. If the 21-day window closes without anyone registering it, the premium drops to $0 and normal registration fees apply.
How does the price decay?
The fee starts at $100 million on day 1 and falls exponentially over 21 days until it reaches $0. The drop is fast early on and slows down as it approaches zero.
You can watch the price in real time in the ENS App — the name's page shows a live chart of the decay curve so you can see where it is now and when it will reach a level you're comfortable with.
Why does the starting price start at $100 million?
The $100M figure was never meant to be a price anyone pays. It's a deliberate barrier against sniping.
Before this mechanism existed, bots and traders would buy any name the moment it expired. They paid thousands just to get there first. Ordinary users couldn't compete; names were gone before most people had a chance to see them.
Starting the premium at $100M and letting it fall over 21 days stops that. No bot can profitably front-run a three-week price decline, so every registrant has a fair window to wait and buy at a price that makes sense for them.
What happens if nobody registers the name?
If nobody buys the name during the 21-day window, the premium drops to $0 and the name returns to normal registration fees — the same as any other available name. Nothing locks it away; you just register it like you would any open name.
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