Search words: domain registration, domain renew, registrar change, domain holder change.

 

 

I I would like to register an .ee domain. What do I have to do?

 

1. I would like to register an .ee domain. What do I have to do?
Use the WHOIS search function to see whether the domain name you want to use is available. You can do this on the Estonian Internet Foundation website at www.internet.ee. Choose a registrar accredited by the Estonian Internet Foundation and submit an application to register the domain through them. The list of registrars is available online at www.internet.ee/eng/registrars.

 

 

5. I would like to register an .ee domain. What do I need to submit to the registrar?
The information you need to submit in order to register a domain name is set out in point 4.1.1 of the domain regulations. This states that you must submit to the registrar the following:

a) the domain name you are applying for;

b) the domain names and IP addresses of at least two name servers for the domain name you are applying for;

c) the contact details of your administrative contact person, including their full name, Estonian ID code, residential address, telephone number and e-mail address;

d) the contact details of your technical contact person, including their full name, registry/ID code (or date of birth if they have no such code), address, telephone number and e-mail address;

e) in the case of a legal entity, contact details including its name, address, registry code, telephone number, fax number (if applicable) and e-mail address; and

f) in the case of an individual, contact details including their full name, ID code (or date of birth if they have no such code), postal address, telephone number and e-mail address.

Please note: follow the instructions given by the registrar when submitting the application to register your domain name.

Please note: if the domain is being registered by a representative of the registrant (i.e. their administrative contact person), they must be authorised to do so in writing or have this right on the basis of Estonian law (e.g. as a member of a management board).

 

6. Who is the administrative contact and what part do they play?
An administrative contact person is a representative of the registrant who is authorised to arrange all registration services in the name of the registrant. The administrative contact person must be authorised in writing to act on behalf of the registrant in all matters related to the domain. If the registrant is a legal entity, the administrative contact is the person who orders the registration services from the registrar. If the registrant is an individual, they normally also act as the administrative contact.

 

7. Who is the technical contact and what part do they play?
The technical contact person has the right to amend name server data for domains with which they are associated. If the registrant is using the services of a web hosting provider, we recommend that they appoint a representative of the provider as the technical contact person for their domains. At the same time, if the registrant manages their own servers, they can appoint themselves as the technical contact person.

 

8. Do applications to register domains need to be signed?
Yes. Point 4.1.2 of the domain regulations states that domain registration is one of the four registration services that requires the registrant or their administrative contact person to sign their application. The regulations provide three ways of signing applications. They are:
a)digital signing using an Estonian ID card or the Mobile ID service;
b)signing by hand in the presence of a representative of the registrar (i.e. at the registrar’s office or a customer service location); or
c)in lieu of signing, paying the registrar for the registration service from the bank account of the registrant or their administrative contact person, noting on the payment order the reference number of the application as provided by the registrar and the corresponding domain name.

 

Yes. The domain regulations set out a number of restrictions on the format of domain names:

a) they can only contain letters, numbers (0-9) and hyphens (-);

b) the minimum length of a domain name is 2 symbols and the maximum length is 63 symbols;

c) no distinction is made in domain names between upper and lower case letters; and

d) a domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen and cannot contain hyphens as both the third and fourth symbols.

Please note: your choice of domain name may also be restricted by point 6.1.5 of the regulations, which states that the Estonian Internet Foundation has the right to refuse to register a domain name or to delete a registration if the domain name is in breach of public order or generally accepted morals or if it has the potential to mislead the public (e.g. well-known product or brand names or the names of government department or national registers).

 

10. What kinds of registration services do registrars provide?
According to the domain regulations, there are seven types of registration services, all of which can be provided by or arranged through registrars. They are:

a)registration of domain names;
b)deletion of registrations;
c)renewal of registrations;
d)transferring of domain names;
e)updating of contact details;
f)management of name server records; and
g)changing registrars.

11. What should I do if my service provider isn’t accredited with the Estonian Internet Foundation as a registrar?
You must choose an accredited registrar for registration services of .ee domain names. The foundation has no requirements in terms of other services (including mail servers and web hosting), which you are free to choose.

12. I would like to register a second domain in my company’s name and another in my own name. Is that possible?
Yes, it is. Due to the liberalisation of the requirements, both companies and individuals can now register an unlimited number of domains in their own names.

 

The cost of annual registration of a domain is determined by the registrar. The registry sets a uniform base fee for all registrars (€18.20 in 2011). The final cost is influenced by competition on the market, which is why it may end up being lower than the base fee, or the same as it, or higher.

14. Are domain names that use letters with diacritics (ä, ö, ü, õ, š, ž) charged at the same rates?
The cost of registering domain names containing letters with diacritics(õ, ä, ö, ü, š, ž) is the same as per ordinary domain names. The cost of annual registration of a domain is determined by the registrar. The registry sets a uniform base fee for all registrars. The final cost is influenced by competition on the market, which is why it may end up being lower than the base fee, or the same as it, or even higher.

15. Can I use a domain with diacritics (ä, ö, ü, õ, š, ž) in an e-mail address?
As many e-mail programmes today still lack support for domain names containing letters with diacritical marks, it is not yet recommended to use such e-mail addresses. You can instead reproduce the domain with diacritics using the punycode solution (for instance, the punycode for info@täpitähtedegadomeen.ee is info@xn--tpithtedegadomeen-qqbd.ee), but in this case the domain name spelling becomes more complicated.

16. What are the general domains that form part of the top-level .ee domain?
General domains are used to group and distinguish the domain names of individuals and institutions with similar traits. They are:

a)com.ee – companies (incorporated entities) as defined in the Commercial Code;
b)pri.ee – individuals;
c)fie.ee – self-employed people (sole proprietors) as defined in the Commercial Code; and
d)med.ee – medical/health care institutions.

17. Do I have to pay to register a domain name under general domains?
Yes. The registration of all domain names under general domains is subject to a fee as per the registration of domains under the top-level .ee domain. The cost of registering general domain names is the same as when you register ordinary .ee domain names.


II Other services related to registering domains

 

18. Do I need to submit an application to renew my domain like I did when I registered it?
No, you do not need to submit or sign a separate application form to renew a domain. You simply need to inform your registrar of your wish to do so and pay the renewal fee. Most registrars send their clients reminders that they need to renew their domains.

 

19. What happens to domains if the registrants forget to renew them?
During the last three months of the registration period (registration and renewal currently only being allowed for a period of one year), you can renew your registration by informing your registrar of your wish to do so. The Estonian Internet Foundation commences deletion proceedings in regard to any domain names that are not renewed. These proceedings last for 90 days, during which time the registrant can inform their registrar of their wish to renew their domain.

Deletion proceedings comprise a number of stages. First, a note is made in the WHOIS database that the domain name has expired. During the subsequent expiry period (30 days), the website and e-mail system operating under the domain remain fully accessible. If the domain is not renewed during the expiry period, it and its name server records are blocked. This means that the domain (e.g. the website or e-mail address) is no longer available online. This status remains in force for a further 60 days and is designed to give the individual who registered the domain a final chance to contact their registrar and renew it should they wish to do so. A note of this is made in the WHOIS database, which can be viewed via the Estonian Internet Foundation website. If the registrant still has not renewed the domain by the end of the 60-day deletion period, the domain name is deleted from the registry and ‘quarantined’ for a period of up to 24 hours. After this the domain name becomes available once more and is registered in the name of the first registrant to submit a correct application (i.e. on a first come, first served basis).

 

20. What should I do if I want to delete my .ee domain?
If you do not want to renew your domain registration, you need to submit a signed application to your registrar to delete the domain. After this, once the registrar has forwarded the application to the registry, the 60-day period of deletion proceedings begins in regard to the domain, at the end of which and after a further period of up to 24 hours of ‘quarantine’ the domain name is deleted from the register. During the period of deletion proceedings the registrant can still reclaim their domain by submitting an application to the registrar to renew the domain.

 

21. What should I do if I want to transfer my domain to another person?
When transferring a domain name, the person to whom it is being transferred must submit an application to the registrar of the current registrant stating their wish to register the domain in question in their name. This application must include all of the information normally required to register a domain as well as signed consent from the current registrant to transfer the domain to the new person. In accordance with point 5.3.6.3 of the domain regulations, this application must be signed using one of the options described in point 4.1.2.1 i.e. it must bear a digital signature or a handwritten signature given in the presence of the registrar’s representative.

 

22. Can I change registrars?
Yes, you can. Registrars must not impede their clients if they wish to change registrars. For example, they cannot bind the provision of domain registration services to the use of other services which they provide. Registrants are free to choose and change registrars at any time.

23. I would like to change registrars. What do I need to do?
To change registrars you will need to ask your current registrar for your domain’s authorisation code. This must then be submitted to your new registrar, who will use it to amend the registry data and officially become the new registrar of your domain.

 

24. I would like to change my domain’s name servers. What do I have to do?
Changing name servers is one of the seven registry services that can be provided by a registrar. The person who registered the domain or the administrative or technical contact person are authorised to make such a change. (This is the only registration service that the technical contact person can independently arrange.)


III Domain Disputes Committee

25. What is the domain disputes committee?
Situations can arise in registering domains in which individuals who are not acting in good faith attempt to register names. This is known as ‘domain name hijacking’. In order to prevent this unlawful activity, a domain disputes committee (hereafter referred to as the DDC) has been founded as part of the Estonian Internet Foundation. The DDC is neither a court nor a tribunal, but a specialised independent body operating as part of the foundation that is charged with the task of resolving disputes related to .ee domain names. Its activities are regulated by the rules of the DDC.

 

26. Under what circumstances can I lodge a complaint with the DDC?
If you feel that someone has registered a domain name, without your consent, that is similar to your brand or trademark or to your name or the registered name of your company, you can lodge a complaint with the committee.

27. What should I do if I want to lodge a complaint with the DDC?
Draw up your complaint in accordance with point 5 of the DDC rules. You should provide evidence supporting your claims and also pay the committee fee. Your complaint must be signed digitally. Submit your complaint by e-mail to vaidlus@internet.ee. A detailed description and the requirements of proceedings to resolve disputes are set out in the rules of the DDC.

28. How much are the DDC fees?
DDC fees are used solely for the organisation of the work of the committee, covering the working fees of the people involved (2/3) and the work of the secretariat (1/3). The fees can be viewed online at www.internet.ee/upload/files/Domain_Dispute_Committee_fees.pdf.

29. What happens if the DDC upholds my complaint?
If the committee feels that a complaint is valid, the domain name violating your rights is either deleted or transferred to you, depending on which of the two decisions you seek from the DDC in the course of the dispute proceedings.


IV General

 

30. Who should I talk to if I have problems with my registered domain?
If you encounter any problems with a domain (or service), please contact your registrar.

 

31. Who should I talk to if I have problems with web hosting?
If you experience any problems with web hosting (or the server on which your website and/or e-mails are located), please contact your web hosting service provider.

 

32. How can I check who my registrar or web hosting service provider is?
You can find out who your registrar or web hosting service provider is by doing a WHOIS search on the website of the Estonian Internet Foundation. Web hosting service providers are not directly indicated in WHOIS, although you can normally determine the provider by looking at the names of the domain name servers.