FAQs

An authorisation code (or Authcode) is a unique randomly generated code, assigned to your domain name, which is used to securely authorise your transfer request. To transfer your domain name to a new Billing Contact (Accredited Registrar), you will need an Authcode. Once you receive your Authcode please give it to your new Accredited Registrar who will arrange the transfer on your behalf.

You can request your Authcode: 1. From your current .ie Accredited Registrar. 2. Direct request to the .IE Registration Services team – the team will generate the code on your behalf. The Authcode will be sent directly to the email address assigned to the Registrant Contact and Administrative Contact on the domain name.

The customer must provide you with the Authcode, you cannot get this information yourself. Your customer can request their Authcode: 1. From their current .ie Accredited Registrar. 2. By direct request to .IE’s Registration Services team – the team will generate the code on their behalf. The Authcode will be sent directly to the email address assigned to the Registrant Contact and Administrative Contact on the domain name.  

You can contact your current Registrar and request the details, or alternatively you can contact .IE directly on +353 1 236 5400 (option 1) or by emailing registrations@weare.ie.

If you need to update your email address, you can contact your Registrar, who can update the email address on your behalf. This will take effect immediately.

Once you receive your Authcode, please provide it to your new accredited Registrar. The Registrar will then complete the transfer.

Once the transfer request has been successfully completed by your registrar, .IE will  administratively pass it automatically. The transfer details will be updated and go live at the next .ie zone update. Please note .ie zone updates occur every two hours.

We do not charge for the use of Authcodes. You will have to pay a transfer fee to your new registrar. This fee either renews a domain that is due for renewal, or serves as an advance payment for your next renewal.

The domain name system (DNS) is used at the beginning of almost every instance of network communication. While the operators of the DNS fulfill many different functions, the core function of the DNS is to provide a directory service. When one enters an address or URL in a browser such as www.gov.ie, the DNS lets the computer know where the information is by referring to the relevant IP address. The DNS has a hierarchical structure in which the apex is known as the root domain or dot (“.”). The Root Zone holds the delegation pointers to Internet protocol numbers for the top-level domains such as .ie, .uk, .fr, .com & .org etc. These top level domains hold the delegation pointers for the second level domain names such as boi.ie, gov.ie or adidas.com.

DNSSEC provides data origin authentication and data integrity verification to the DNS through the use of public key cryptographic signatures. Public key cryptography uses asymmetric key algorithms of mathematically related key pairs in the form of a secure private key and a published public key. The combination of the key pair enables the verification of the authenticity of a DNS message through the creation of a digital signature of the DNS data using the secure private key. This signature can in turn be verified by a recipient security aware resolver using the already published public key from the pair.

The DNS Internet protocol was originally designed with virtually no security in its specifications. This protocol was fit for purpose during the earlier days of the Internet in the 1980s and early 1990s. As time progressed, DNS began to experience several distinct classes of vulnerabilities and threats, which may be exploited in an insidious manner. The threats include, but are not limited to, packet interception, query identity prediction, cache poisoning and betrayal by a trusted server.

The domain owner and the client looking up DNS information about the domain can benefit from the cryptographic guarantees that DNSSEC delivers. Domain owners can be assured that their DNS data is not being manipulated through any means. Domain owners’ customers can be certain that they are receiving the correct DNS data for the domain they are looking up.

You should get in touch with your DNS administrator or if you outsource your DNS administration to an accredited .ie registrar, you should contact them for assistance.

If you manage your DNS settings and DNSSEC data, your domain remains signed. If you do not manage your own DNS and DNSSEC data and if the gaining registrar supports DNSSEC and manages your DNS settings, your domain remains signed. If they don’t support DNSSEC, you need to use the DNSSEC Registrant Change Request Form to request the removal of the DS-records. That would mean that your domain is going unsecured or without DNSSEC signatures.

The DNSSEC Policy and Practice Statement (DPS) is available here in alignment with RFC6841.

The Internet Society Deploy 360 website provides excellent and regularly updated resources on all things related to DNSSEC.

The Document Uploader on this website lets you send us documents for new registration or modification requests.  

The Document Uploader can accept . pdf, doc, docx, jpeg, jpg, png, odt and bmp files. Any other file type will be rejected.

You can upload up to five files at once.

Yes. Each file can be a maximum of 5MB in size.

No. The Document Uploader will not change the existing requirements.

All computers connected to the Internet have unique numerical addresses to make sure that information gets to the right place. The domain name system (DNS) changes these numerical addresses into text based domain names to make it easier to find the information you are looking for. The Internet address .ie lets people know that your website is in, from, or related to Ireland. Domain names identify particular web pages. For example, in the web site address http://www.why.ie the domain name is why.ie. Domain names are also used in e-mail addresses, firstname.lastname@why.ie

A registrant is the individual or organisation (e.g. limited company, partnership, sole trader etc.) that registers a domain name. This individual or organisation holds the right to use that domain name for as long as it is registered.

A registrar is the company that you choose to register your domain name through. This may be an ISP, website developer, hosting company or a company that specialises in registering domain names. A list of our Accredited Registrars is available here.

Resellers are companies with trading arrangements with registrars to register domain names on their behalf.

To check what domain names are available you can use our online WHOIS search facility. A search for a name will show you if it is available. If you want to purchase an available domain name, please contact a registrar. If the domain name is not available the organisation or person who registered it and when it was registered will be listed in WHOIS. Individual owners are not listed on WHOIS following the introduction of GDPR (.ie Whois Policy). You can use the WHOIS search box on every page of this website.

We recommend that you register your domain name through one of our Accredited Registrars. Registrars will help you to register your domain name and they will usually provide related services, such as the hosting of your website and email services. To make the registration process straightforward, we recommend that you visit our How to register a .ie domain page. Here you can see what supporting information you need to submit with your application.

Registration works on a first come first served basis. If somebody has already registered it you can offer to buy it from them but there is no obligation on them to sell. For more information visit our Sell your domain page. If you feel that the domain was registered in bad faith by the current holder, you can use the Alternative Dispute Resolution Service which offers an easier and more affordable option for disputing a .ie domain registration. Another option is to use the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) process. Please be aware that this can cost between €1,500 and €5,000 (payable to WIPO  and not to .IE). Please visit the WIPO website for further information.

Yes, however there is no obligation on them to sell the domain name if they do not wish to do so. Click here for more information about buying and selling domains that are already registered.

Registrations are provided on a first come first served basis once the applicant has provided a connection to Ireland and proof of identity. It is the responsibility of every registrant to ensure that they are not in violation of existing trademarks or intellectual property.

Registering a .ie domain has never been easier. To find out what supporting information you will need to submit with your application please visit our document requirements page.

Domain names can only use letters, numbers, the fada character (acute accent) and hyphens (“-“). Spaces and other symbols are not permitted for use. Names cannot begin or end with a hyphen and are not case sensitive. Domains cannot exceed 63 characters.

No, we do not provide any hosting services. To host your .ie domain you should contact one of our Accredited Registrars.

When an application is submitted it is usually processed within 3 hours, Monday to Friday. If the registration requirements are immediately met the application will be accepted and the domain will go live in one of the IE Zone Reloads. These occur every odd hour daily (01, 03, 05, 07, 09, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 hrs). If the registration requirements are not met you will receive an email telling you what you need send us to complete your application.

No, you can avail of the express registration process and do not need to re-submit any documents.

No, if you register a domain name this does not prevent other people from registering similar domain names or variations. If you do not want other individuals or organisations to be able to use variations of your domain name, you should register them yourself. For other Top Level Domains (TLDs), someone can register the same .com, .net, .org etc. domain name as your .ie domain name unless you have already registered it yourself.

These are shortened domain names, where the use of one or two letters only is allowed before the .ie extension, e.g. hp.ie. These domains are usually in great demand as they are easy to remember and a great asset for businesses who need a memorable domain to market their work online.

.IE, through its responsibilities of managing the .ie namespace, restricted the release of a small number of one and two letter .ie domain names on the grounds of possible commercial use by the Registry in future, or on the basis that the registration of such domains could be misleading to the Internet community, cause confusion, or damage the credibility and reputation of the Registry.

A nameserver is used to connect your domain registration to your website. Websites are hosted on computer servers. These servers are identified and located using long sets of numbers (IP addresses). These can be hard to remember. Domain names, using letters rather than numbers are easier to remember. When a user enters your domain name into their web browser, the nameservers direct users to your website (using the IP address where it is hosted).

The Administrative Contact must always be a named person under the .ie Registration and Naming Policy. It must be a person capable of receiving notices and giving instructions regarding the domain, so it cannot be a legal entity, such as a company. If you are registering a domain for a company, please ensure there is a separate contact for the Administrative Contact so that there is a named person in the contact name field for that role. Administrative Contact changes are all made by your Registrar, they can assist you with updating domain contact information. Please contact them to check what information they require from you in relation to this request - they can make this change for you in our systems.

A Billing Contact manages your domain registration, including its renewal. The Billing Contact is also known as your registrar.

You should contact the company responsible for hosting your domain name, which is often the registrar that manages your domain name. In general if you need to change anything relating to your website, and not just the domain name itself, you should contact your registrar.

The Technical Contact is the individual or company responsible for the nameservers listed on your domain name. If there are any problems with the nameservers at the time of registration or during future modifications, this contact will be notified by email. Updates to your Technical Contact information are made by your current .ie Accredited Registrar.

To transfer your domain name to a new registrar, you will need an authorisation code (Authcode). The Authcode is a unique randomly generated code, assigned to your domain name, which is used to securely authorise your transfer. Once you have your Authcode please give it to your new registrar who will complete the transfer for you.

.ie domain registrations are made on a first come, first served basis. No application is ever refused on the grounds that a similar domain or company name might exist.

No, the Administrative Contact must be the individual, or from the organisation, which holds the .ie domain name. This is to ensure that the control of the domain name will remain with the domain holder. The Administrative Contact has the power to transfer, renew or delete the domain name. It is important that these powers stay with only the domain holder and not with the person you commissioned to design your website or any other third party. The only exception to this rule is where a legal professional has been chosen to act as the Administrative Contact on behalf of an organisation.

Yes, please click here for information about the process and how to sell your domain name.

To renew your domain, you need to pay the renewal fee to your registrar. Before your domain comes up for renewal, your registrar will notify you. So make sure all the contact details you provided are correct. You should follow your registrar’s domain name renewal process. Once the payment is made, your registrar can renew your domain. For more information, please contact your registrar about their renewal terms and conditions.

If you receive notification from your registrar that your domain is due for renewal and you do not renew it your registrar will not renew the domain name on your behalf. This could result in your domain name being deleted. For further information about domain renewals please contact your registrar.

To check when your domain is due for renewal, type your domain name into the WHOIS search box at the top of this page. The field ‘Renewal Date’ will show the date for renewal. Your domain will completely expire 80 days after its renewal date if it is not renewed.

All .ie domains will be auto-renewed on their renewal date for 1-year. This means that the renewal fee will be automatically deducted from your Registrar Current Account.

• -  At any time up to 45 days past the original expiry date, a Registrar can choose to cancel the auto-renewal.
• -  If a Registrar initiates a deletion request for a domain, the domain will move to the Redemption Period state. In this state the domain will be excluded from the active zone which will cease any email or web hosting services associated with this domain.
• -  A Registrar can restore the domain within a 30-day timeframe from entering the Redemption Period.
• -  If the domain is not restored during those 30 days, the domain will enter Pending Delete state for 5 days.
• -  During these five days the domain can no longer be renewed or re-registered.
• -  The Registrant Contact and Administrative Contact will be contacted by email to inform them that the deletion process has begun for the domain name.
• -  In cases where a domain is deleted due to its failure to auto-renew (owing to inadequate funds in a Registrar's current account), the deletion process will take place 80 days after the expiry date and time.

The most common reason for a domain name to be suspended is non-payment of the renewal fee to your current Registrar. A domain will be suspended on the 45th day after the renewal date has passed if the fee remains unpaid. When suspended, the domain name is still registered to the current holder, but does not have any functionality. This means that your website and emails will not operate. The suspension period lasts for an additional 30 days, after which your domain will enter Pending Delete state for 5 days. Payment of the renewal fee will still be accepted up to the point of domain entering Pending Delete state, which will occur 30 days after the suspension date. When the domain enters the 5 days Pending Delete state, the domain can no longer be renewed. After deletion, the domain name is removed from the .ie database and becomes available to the general public for re-registration on a first come first served basis.

Yes, if your application expires, your documents will need to be provided again.