What is a Registrar?

A Registrar is a company or organisation that is authorised by the country code top level domain registry, in this case .IE, to sell and manage domains on behalf of registrants/customers.

An accredited .ie Registrar has proven their expertise in managing .ie domains on behalf of registrants/customers.  Accredited Registrars must sign a legally binding agreement with .IE.

Getting started as a Registrar for .ie

If you are already an experienced Registrar (for instance, if you are ICANN accredited or accredited with another ccTLD) we can fast-track your .ie accreditation through the Application/Approval/Commencement processes, described below. On request, we can send you a Registrar Application Check List, together with our EPP protocol specification and other documents. Please contact us at newregistrar@weare.ie. or go straight ahead and submit your application here.

If you are inexperienced, but interested in selling .ie domains, the best way to start is by negotiating terms with an existing .ie accredited Registrar. Please note that we do not charge any fees for any modifications or deletions required during the year.

Benefits of being an accredited .ie Registrar:

Once you’ve become an accredited Registrar you will receive substantial benefits such as:

  • A price reduction on registrations and renewal fees
  • Access to a web-based Console for domain management purposes
  • Immediate access to the EPP for faster automated transactions
  • Use of an online deposit account to pay for your renewals, transfers and new registrations
  • Potential to earn a payment from .IE for co-funded marketing assistance
  • Potential to earn volume growth rebates over time

What you need to do

To become an accredited .ie Registrar any company, organisation or individual should demonstrate a detailed knowledge of our policies, procedures and relevant technical issues. For non ICANN Accredited Registrars this is generally demonstrated by having already registered at least 200 .ie domain names.

You will also need to:

  • Sign a legal Registrar Agreement, which sets out our mutual responsibilities and obligations to each other
  • Pass a financial credit check
  • Provide a security deposit of €2,500
  • Show a clear commitment to promoting .ie domain names

How the process works

It’s simple, you can apply online here

Some of the information needed in the application form is as follows:

  • Length of time you have been registering domains
  • A list of the .ie domains currently registered by your company
  • A list of the NIC-Handles your company uses for .ie billing purposes, if applicable
  • The projected number of .ie domains you realistically hope to register per month
  • An indication of where you see your predicted business and customers coming from
  •  It is also highly recommended that you include any marketing or promotion campaigns you are planning to use to promote .ie domains over the next three to twelve month period

We monitor all accredited .ie Registrar accounts and reserve the right to withdraw the benefits of an account with appropriate notice. This will only happen if we feel that the commitment and results from the Registrar do not reflect the discount and credit terms provided.

If you have any questions or require clarification on the above please email: newregistrar@weare.ie

Approval Process

We will review the Registrar Application Form together with any accompanying documentation and references. If there are no clarification requests, the application will be approved to proceed to the next stage.

Accounts staff will confirm the two credit references, and provide you with our bank details to transfer the €2,500 security deposit.

If transferring domains, a signed letter of negative assurance from a solicitor or legal firm should be provided, confirming that the registrants of your .ie domains have been informed about the transfer to the new Registrar account and have no objection to moving to you, the Applicant Registrar (if any of them object, they must be excluded).

The legal Registrar Agreement will then be sent by DocuSign for completion by the Applicant.

Commencement Process

If applicable, the agreed list of domains will be transferred to the new Accredited Registrar account.  The Registrar will receive login details to the Console, and can begin transacting immediately.  The deposit account will be opened, to enable payment by drawdown for renewals, new registrations etc.

Access to the Console provides:

  • Secure online access to the Registrar’s portfolio of domains
  • Online registration, modification and request for deletion of .ie domain names
  • Scrutiny of new registrations over a selected period
  • Visibility of domains that will be billable in coming months
  • Visibility of domains that have been transferred to other accounts
  • Access to previous invoices
  • Easy access to technical and administrative contacts for the Registrar’s portfolio of domains
  • Statistical analysis of your portfolio of .ie domains
  • Access to the EPP test environment, if applicable, can be provided.  Once the testing phase has been completed, the Registrar will be whitelisted for access to the live EPP.
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