.IE Domain General FAQ Ireland FAQ

Domain FAQs
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  • What exactly is the IEDR - is it a statutory body, is it a semi-state, is it part of UCD, is it some kind of public service or is it just a monopoly like, say, the ESB?
  • The IEDR's origins are in UCD but since July 2000 it's been a private company, limited by guarantee. It has no shareholders, the company is owned by its members who are the directors. Surpluses are not distributed; they are added to opening reserves. Directors as per the company's constitution do not have a beneficial interest in the reserves of the company. Only the IEDR can administer .ie - which it does as a public service - but it is not a monopoly in the sense that anybody in Ireland, or elsewhere, can register domains from a choice of approximately 250 different national and generic TLD names. The IEDR liaises as required with national and international governments, governing bodies, trade associations and abides by Internet best practice principles while still operating as an independent private company.
  • What is a domain name (or: what does .ie mean) and do I need one for my business?
  • A domain name is nothing more than the Internet equivalent of a postal address or a telephone number. The same way in which "Ireland" as a postal address and the "353" phone prefix flags where you're physically located, the Internet "suffix" of .ie advises the entire e-business world that you're doing business in, or from, Ireland. If you're doing business in Ireland you're unlikely to want to use an American phone number or an Armenian postal address. That's why .ie is the logical "Internet address" for Irish companies conducting e-business. If you accept that ultimately most commerce is conducted via the Internet and it would take a brave person to believe otherwise, then you do need an Internet presence and the sooner the better.
  • How come anyone can get any .com domain name and yet it seems difficult to get a .ie domain name?
  • You've actually answered your own question. Anyone can get any .com domain name - which means somebody has probably already grabbed your .com domain name! Because it's a .ie "Internet address" it tells your potential customers that you're doing business in, or from, Ireland and that you really are who you say you are! This difference between a .ie "Internet address" and a .com "Internet address" has been described as the difference between a recognizable business address and a PO address. Both perform precisely the same function but, from the consumers' perspective, the clearly recognizable business address in a known geographic location inspires more confidence.
  • Why is it cheaper to get a .com domain name compared to a .ie domain?
  • You're not comparing like with like! .com is a high volume, free-for-all, universally recognized, automated, budget priced "Internet address" and, like any other TLD, it functions adequately. Like many other ccTLDs, .ie is managed, a national "Internet address" which, due to necessary human intervention to ensure checks and balances, comes at a higher cost - but due to its exclusivity and the checks we carry out it also conveys commercial credibility and respectability. It also underlines to your prospective customers and clients that you are transacting business in Ireland. The world may be a global village electronically but consumers still like to instinctively know where you're based.
    The prices for .ie domain names have been reduced significantly over the past number of years and if you choose to register a domain through one of our registered resellers you will often get it for a fraction of the full retail price that we offer.
  • I want to contact the holders of a particular .ie domain. What should I do?
  • Due to Data Privacy / Data Protection regulations The IEDR cannot give out any contact details other than what is listed publicly on our WHOIS. Should you wish to contact the owner of a particular .ie domain name, the only method we can suggest is going to their website and seeing if they have any contact details listed there. The IEDR will under no circumstances give out contact details.
  • What is a Nic-Handle?
  • A NIC handle is a unique identifier assigned to the contact records on each domain name. This way, if you make a change to the NIC handle (i.e., the email address), all domains using that persons' NIC handle will be updated as well, thus keeping all your information up to date. It can be likened to an account number.
  • What is an Admin-Contact?
  • The Admin Contact is the individual or company that is responsible for authorizing any changes, transfers or deletion of the domain names. To change the Admin contact listed on your domain, we will require a signed fax on the Domain Holders letterhead to be submitted. This fax must state: "I authorize the change of Admin Contact for the domain xxxxxxxxx.ie from (Previous Admin Contact name) to (New Admin Contact name + email address)." If the previous Admin contact is no longer with the Domain Holder organization, please also state this on the authorization fax.
  • What is a Tech-Contact?
  • The Tech-Contact is the individual or company that is responsible for the nameservers listed on your domain name. If there are any problems with dns at the time of registration or modification, this contact will be notified by email. The Admin, Technical and Billing contacts for a domain name can update the Technical contact by simply logging in using their assigned username and password. The IEDR do not require an authorisation fax if you are only amending the Technical contact.
  • What is a Billing-Contact?
  • A Billing contact is the individual or company that is responsible for payment of the initial registration fee and the annual renewal fees for a domain. The IEDR will send an invoice to the billing contact each year for the renewal fee of your domain name.
  • Does the IEDR provide any hosting services?
  • No, the IEDR does not provide any hosting services. You can contact us directly to obtain these services.
  • If I register a .ie, does that prevent others from using similar names as .ie domains, or even the same name as a .com, .org, etc?
  • No. If you register a domain name, for example test1234.ie this does not prevent other people from registering similar domain names such as test-1234.ie or testing1234.ie etc. The applicant must of course, be able to demonstrate a legitimate claim on the domain they request. If you do not want other individuals or organizations to be able to use variations of your domain name, you can register them first.
    With regard to other tld's, there is nothing to stop someone registering the same .com, .net etc domain name that you have registered under .ie.
  • A domain name that I want is already registered. Is there anything I can do to get the domain name?
  • Many different people and organizations can have a claim on the same domain name. We work on a first come first served basis. So if someone else with a legitimate claim to the domain name has gotten there first then there is nothing you can do. Your only alternative is to choose a different domain name.
    If you feel strongly that the domain has been registered in bad faith by the current holder, you can avail of our Dispute Resolution service. Complaints are not decided on by IEDR, but by an independent and impartial Panel of one or three experts appointed by the World Intellectual Property Organization. However this may be a costly and a long drawn out process.
    A Complaint must comply with the following:
    1.1.1 the domain name is identical or misleadingly similar to a Protected Identifier in which the Complainant has rights; and
    1.1.2 the Registrant has no rights in law or legitimate interests in respect of a domain name; and
    1.1.3 the domain name has been registered or is being used in bad faith.
    A Complaint is only valid if it complies with this Policy and the Rules of Procedure for initiating and the hearing of a Complaint.
  • I need to edit my website and/or set-up e-mail. Who do I contact to do this?
  • You should contact the company that is responsible for hosting your domain name. The IEDR cannot assist you when it comes to uploading content for your website or setting up new email addresses.
  • I want to change the nameservers that my domain name points to but I don't know my user name and password. How can I do this?
  • The Admin, Technical, and Billing contacts for a domain name can update the nameservers by simply logging in using their assigned username and password. The IEDR do not require an authorisation fax if you are only amending the nameservers.
    A minimum of 2 nameservers that are set up to host your domain must be included in your request.
  • I need to change the IP address, MX record or A Record for my domain. Who should I contact?
  • To change these details you need to contact your hosting provider. The IEDR have no control over the information that your hosting provider has stored for your domain on their nameservers.
  • The renewal date for my domain has passed, but I haven't received a bill for it. What does this mean?
  • If your renewal date is in the current month you will not be sent an invoice until the first working day of the month following the renewal month. (For example. If your domain name has a renewal date of the 10th of September then it will be invoiced on the 1st working day of October). If your domain name is registered through a Reseller, you should contact them directly about any billing queries. If your domain is billed from us directly and you believe that you should have received a copy of your invoice by now, please log into your account online to ensure that we have the correct contact details for you. When you log in, you can also view any outstanding invoices that are on your account and pay for them online.
  • The renewal date of the domain xxxxxxx.ie is in the past but the domain has not yet expired, why is this?
  • All domain names are invoiced on the first working day of the month following the month that their renewal falls in. For example. If your domain name has a renewal date of the 10th of September then it will be invoiced on the 1st working day of October. The renew date will remain in the past until payment is made. When payment is made the renewal date will instantly go forward by one year. If payment is not received within 30 days of the invoice date the domain name will move into a suspension process.
    The suspension process initially notifies the admin contact by email that the domain name has not been paid for and unless payment is made, will be suspended in two weeks from the date of the email. If payment is not received within those two weeks we will proceed to suspend the domain name as advised. The domain will be suspended for 2 weeks during which time payment can be made and the domain reactivated. However if payment is not received the domain name will be deleted two weeks after suspension and will then be available for re-registration to the general public, a first-come, first-served basis.
  • I forgot to renew my domain name and now it has been deleted. What should I do next?
  • If the domain name is still available (You may check this using our WHOIS service) then you can submit a new application for the domain name. We recommend that you contact one of our resellers to register the domain. Unfortunately someone else may have registered your domain name in the mean time. As soon as a domain name is deleted it becomes available to the general public again for re-registration on a first come first served basis. The new applicant would also have had to demonstrate a legitimate claim on the domain name. In this case, you should choose an alternative domain name to register.
  • My domain has a status of Active - Locked." What does this mean?
  • If your domain name is 'Locked' this simply means that it is not available to be transferred to another billing contact during the 'locking' period. It does not mean that your domain is unavailable and you are free to make amendments to your DNS as you wish.
    The domain will become unlocked when the IEDR issues an invoice to your reseller for the domain and the fee has been paid (Invoices are issued on a monthly basis).
    It is perfectly normal for newly registered/recently transferred domains to have a 'Locked' status, this is due to the IEDR's billing cycle.
  • My domain has a status of Suspended." What does this mean?
  • The most common reason for a domain to be suspended is a result of non payment. The Suspension period lasts for 14 days, during which time the domain name is still registered to the current holder but does not have any functionality ie., no website or email. After 14 days of suspension if the renewal fees have still not been paid, the domain name will be deleted and made available to the general public for re-registration on a first come first served basis.
    If your domain name is registered through one of our resellers, you should contact them directly to pay your renewal fees.
  • The renewal date for my domain has passed, but I haven't received a bill for it. What does this mean?
  • If your renewal date is in the current month you will not be sent an invoice until the first working day of the month following the renewal month. (For example. If your domain name has a renewal date of the 10th of September then it will be invoiced on the 1st working day of October). If your domain name is registered through a Reseller, you should contact them directly about any billing queries. If your domain is billed from us directly and you believe that you should have received a copy of your invoice by now, please log into your account online to ensure that we have the correct contact details for you. When you log in, you can also view any outstanding invoices that are on your account and pay for them online.
  • The renewal date of the domain xxxxxxx.ie is in the past but the domain has not yet expired, why is this?
  • All domain names are invoiced on the first working day of the month following the month that their renewal falls in. For example. If your domain name has a renewal date of the 10th of September then it will be invoiced on the 1st working day of October. The renew date will remain in the past until payment is made. When payment is made the renewal date will instantly go forward by one year. If payment is not received within 30 days of the invoice date the domain name will move into a suspension process.
    The suspension process initially notifies the admin contact by email that the domain name has not been paid for and unless payment is made, will be suspended in two weeks from the date of the email. If payment is not received within those two weeks we will proceed to suspend the domain name as advised. The domain will be suspended for 2 weeks during which time payment can be made and the domain reactivated. However if payment is not received the domain name will be deleted two weeks after suspension and will then be available for re-registration to the general public, a first come first served basis.
  • I recently registered a domain and the renewal date is still the same as the date of registration, why is this?
  • The renewal date will not go forward until we have received payment for the domain name.
  • What supporting information do I need to submit to register a .ie domain name?
  • Registering a .ie domain has never been easier. To find out what supporting information you will need to submit with your application, contact us today.

    Source: www.domainregistry.ie


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