Becoming an accredited registrar is not for everyone. You will need to have a well-funded company and meet extensive technical requirements. Companies simply wanting to offer registration services to their customers would normally consider becoming a domain reseller for an existing registrar, which is much easier and less expensive. (See “What is a registrar?” and “How can I offer domain registration services?“)

If you do wish to become an accredited registrar, the accreditation process is done through ICANN. the governing body for the domain name system. It takes approximately three to four months with startup costs of around $12,000 US (operating on a shoestring budget) with around $5k in annual costs. You’ll also need to prove that you have at least $70,000 US in working capital, and deposit ample funds from which your registrations costs will be debited from. These are ballpark figures only. For more specific details, keep reading.

The steps for becoming an accredited registrar are

1. Apply for Registrar Accreditation. You must complete an ICANN Registrar Accreditation Application and send it to ICANN along with a non-refundable US $2,500 application fee. You must submit the Application and review the Instructions for Completing the Application and the current Registrar Accreditation Agreement in order to apply.

2. Receive Notification That You Qualify for Registrar Accreditation. After completing its review of your application and conducting any necessary follow-up inquiries, ICANN will inform you by e-mail of its decision to accredit your business or not. ICANN will announce your accreditation, along with contact information for your company on its web site, unless you specify that you would prefer, for business reasons, to postpone the announcement of your accreditation.

3. Sign an Accreditation Agreement with ICANN. The last step in the ICANN Registrar Accreditation process is for you to execute a Registrar Accreditation Agreement with ICANN. The current version of the agreement was posted May 17, 2001. This is a standard document that all registrars sign with ICANN.

ICANN will send you two copies of the Agreement. Once you have signed both and returned them to ICANN, we will have them signed on ICANN’s behalf. ICANN will then notify the applicable registries of your accreditation so they can contact you to start signing agreements with them and get your systems prepared.

4. Receive Fully Executed Agreement from ICANN and Pay Accreditation Fee. Two or three weeks after you return your signed copies of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement to ICANN, you will recieve one of the originals back, fully executed, for your records. You will also receive an invoice for the annual fixed portion of the accreditation fee, which equals US$4,000 for the first TLD, and US$500 for each additional TLD.

5. Complete Preparation of Your Agreement with Customers and Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Policy. The ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement provides some guidance on these requirements. ICANN adopted a Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy which all accredited registrars are required to follow. You may also wish to implement a Privacy Policy to comply with the requirements of your accreditation agreement.

6. Inaugurate Your Service. After the above steps have been completed, you should be in a position to begin offering services to the public as soon as you pass testing and become operational with the respective registries for which you have been accredited.

Financial considerations

This is not an exhaustive list of all costs involved in becoming an accredited registrar, but is meant only as a helpful listing of many the costs registrar applicants may encounter in connection with the approval process.

To ICANN:

• US$2,500 non-refundable application fee, to be submitted with application.
• US$4,000 for the first TLD, and US$500 for each additional TLD yearly accreditation fee.
• US$70,000 in working capital requirement. THIS DOES NOT NEED TO BE PAID TO ICANN; ICANN requires only that you demonstrate (by submitting an independently verified financial statement) that you have at least this much liquid capital (cash or credit) before your ICANN accreditation becomes effective.
• Quarterly accreditation fee (variable portion) paid once you begin registering domain names. This fee represents a portion of ICANN’s operating costs based partly on your share of overall domain name registrations in the TLDs for which you are accredited, so it will vary depending on your volume of names registered as well as the total volume of all names registered.

More information on the accreditation process can be found at

http://www.icann.org/registrars/accreditation.htm

Update: coreymail adds, “This is the beginning. The hardest part is showing you have the computer-systems/servers, technical resources and people, security procedures, and ability to handle such a large project. ICANN assumes you are running a warehouse of systems with a Microsoft (OK, not quite, but close) level of operations ready to go.” Thanks! -rj-

Posted: December 10th, 2007 under ICANN, Registrars.
Comments: none

I wrote this answer a few years ago. I believe it holds true for the most part today. Your mileage may vary.

You can also use the Overture suggestion tool to guestimate how many “type-ins” a domain gets. A “type-in” occurs when someone types in a domain name into their browser window, usually from memory or just checking to see what is at that domain.

There’s no way to actually know how many type-ins a domain gets, unless you own the domain and have traffic stats. The suggestion tool is used because there is often a relation to how many times people mistakenly typein your domain into a search engine and how many people “type-in” your domain name.

Using the example from before, we use the suggestion tool to search for “doggrooming.com”. We see that there is 106 searches done last month for that domain name.

In my experience (and others will have their own opinions), these numbers generally indicate from 50% less to 50% more the number in daily type-ins to the domain name.

So for our example, 106 overture results would indicate type-ins of 53 to 159 per day.

A word of warning: common sense must be used. People only type in domains of common generic terms or sites they are familiar with. Overture searches are easily manipulated by search scripts and anyone who wants to inflate the numbers on a domain.

If you find a domain that is getting overture numbers for the domain itself, but none for the search term, it’s likely the numbers are artificially inflated for this month.

This happens a lot when domains are nearing their expiration date. Many domain speculators that use scripts to check for expiring domains with link popularity end up artifially inflating the overture numbers for the domain. So do your research and try to guess why the domain would have type-ins and don’t rely on Overture only.

kohashi wisely added, “Overture Numbers can easily be skewed and should not be trusted blindly.”

Posted: November 15th, 2007 under General.
Comments: none

According to the Nexus requirements for registering and owning a .US domain name,

Registrants in the usTLD must be either:
1.A natural person (i) who is a United States citizen, (ii) who is a permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories, or (iii) whose primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions [Nexus Category 1], or

2.A United States entity or organization that is (i) incorporated within one of the fifty (50) U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States possessions or territories, or (ii) organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia or any of its possessions or territories (including a federal, state, or
local government of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, and non-commercial organizations based in the United States) [Nexus Category 2], or

3.A foreign entity or organization that has a bona fide presence in the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories [Nexus Category 3].

Peter from Flexiwebhost adds:

” This is also true for a .de domain name.

If the person registering the domain name is not German or have a German office the domain name can and will be reclaimed.

Alot of registrars will enforce this before a domain can be registered through them.

It is always wise to familiarise yourself with even the basic terms and conditions for an extension before purchasing / selling these domains.”

Good advice. Thanks Peter!

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under General.
Comments: none

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under General.
Comments: none

Domains can be renewed indefinitely, but usually not more than 10 years in advance. When you register or renew a domain, you can choose the registration term in one year increments.

Some ccTLDs require initial registration periods of longer than one year. .Co.uk, for example, requires 2 years and .tm requires 10 years.

Network Solutions offers a “100 year” registration service. For $999, they’ll promise to renew your domain every year for the next 100 years.

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under Registrars.
Comments: none

For ownership transfers of a domain, the procedure varies by registrar.

Many registrars offer a free “push”, which allows you to immediately move a domain into another customer’s account. This method is becoming more common among registrars as it is preferred by domain resellers.

Other registrars may charge a fee, even up to $200 to change the owner on a domain and may involve signed paperwork in the procedure.

If the procedure for ownership transfer involves a fee or is overly complicated, another option is to transfer the domain to a different registrar before performing an ownership transfer. See my other FAQs for more information on registrar transfers.

Popular registrars and their transfer procedures:

eNom, 000domains, OpenSRS, Dotster, Fabulous: Free immediate push by seller. Buyer provides seller with a username to push to.

NetworkSolutions : Buyer must log-in to their Network Solutions account, request transfer, then seller receives an email with instructions to approve transfer request.

GoDaddy: Buyer needs to provide seller with full WHOIS information. Then seller initiates an account change through his account by inputting seller’s info into form. Seller is emailed a transfer id and transfer code with instructions on how to complete transfer. Seller logs into GoDaddy, goes to special page to Accept Account Change, enters the transfer id and code, then proceeds through a lengthy (but free) checkout process.

oniker: Free immediate push by seller. Buyer provides seller with their userid and auth code (not the account password!) for push.DomainSite: Free immediate push by seller. Buyer provides seller with their Account Code

Register.com : signed paperwork + $200 fee (is this still current?)DirectNic: Transfer fee required. (is this still current?)

Want to help add to this list? Comment below!

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under Transfers.
Comments: none

ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) defines how disputes over domain-name registrations are resolved in the global top-level domains (.biz, .com, .info, .name, .net, and .org as well as .aero, .coop, and .museum).

The UDRP includes a mandatory, non-binding, low-cost administrative procedure to resolve a certain set of claims — namely, claims of abusive, bad faith registration. This means a bad faith violation of someone else’s trademark. In situations other than these, the UDRP provides that disputes must be resolved by traditional means such as voluntary negotiation and lawsuits.

The UDRP is part of the Registration Agreement that Internet users sign to register domain names in the global top-level domains. A copy of the policy is available at <http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-policy-24oct99.htm>.

The approximate cost for a complaining party to file a UDRP is $1300 to $1600 for a single domain name, using a single panelist.  The responding party does not have to pay any fees to defend their name, unless they option to request a three-member panel to decide the case (the respondent would then pay 50% of the more expensive fee)

The UDRP applies to the global top-level domains: .aero, .biz, .com, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, .net, and .org. The UDRP does not apply to country-code top-level domains, except in a few cases where the local administrator has decided to adopt it. For a useful index of the dispute-resolution policies of the country-code top-level domains, see <http://ecommerce.wipo.int/databases/cctld>.

Are decisions from the UDRP ’s administrative procedeedings published on the web?

Yes, UDRP decisions are available at <http://www.icann.org/udrp/proceedings-list.htm>.

Are historical statistics on past decisions available online?

Yes, UDRP statistics are online at <http://www.icann.org/udrp/proceedings-stat.htm>.

How long does it take to decide a case?

Administrative proceedings under the UDRP generally progress faster than a regular court lawsuit. A decision is typically rendered in about two months.

Where can I find more information about the UDRP?

ICANN’s website contains a compilation of links and information relating to the UDRP at <http://www.icann.org/udrp/>.

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under Legal Issues.
Comments: none

This situation is less common now that registries have introduced EPP or domain authorization codes, but you should still take transfer requests very seriously. Read the transfer requests emails very carefully. In some cases if the domain owner does not deny a transfer request, it may go through after the stipulated time. Contact both your current registrar and the requesting registrar if needed.

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under Transfers.
Comments: none

Some unscrupulous registrars and domain resellers send out official looking “renewal” notices to domain owners that are really requests to transfer your domain to their registrar. Unsuspecting registrants may find themselves tricked into transferring their domains, or wasting money paying for a renewal they never receive.

What should I do to prevent being tricked into transferring my domain to another registrar?

The best way to combat this is to simply IGNORE all renewal/transfer related solicitations regarding your domain name that do NOT come from your current provider. (Note: if someone has initiated a transfer request for your domain, do not ignore it. See FAQ here!)

How can I combat an incident of illegal solicitation for domain transfer/renewal, etc.?

Incidents of any illegal domain renewal/transfer related solicitation scams can be reported to your current domain registration services provider. They may choose to take legal action against the offending company. Additionally, the following resources can be used to help combat such scams:

In the United States:
* Report your incident at the United States Postal Inspection Service using their on-line complaints forms published on their website: http://www.usps.com

* You can also file a complete report to your local Postmaster or mail to:
INSPECTION SERVICE SUPPORT GROUP
222 S RIVERSIDE PLAZA STE 1250
CHICAGO IL 60606-6100

In Canada:
* Businesses and consumers who believe they have been misled should contact the Competition Bureau toll free at 1-800-348-5358 or visit their web site: www.competition.ic.gc.ca

* Report your incident using the Competition Bureau On-line Complaints form at: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ct01260e.html

* Review the latest information at the The RCMP website: http://www.rcmp.ca/scams/bfraud.htm

My thanks to SlashRoot for his help with this FAQ!

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under Transfers.
Comments: none

These notifications are rare, but if you get one reply to it immediately!

It concerns potentially missing or or inaccurate Administrative WHOIS details for your domain name at the Registrar. If it’s not addressed and rectified within 15 calendar days from the date of the original notice, the Registrar may cancel your domain name registration. As a domain registrant, you are responsible for providing accurate WHOIS information on your domains. This is a disclaimer with each of the domain Registrar’s at the time of registration.

If you are concerned about privacy, many registrars offer WHOIS privacy services.

My thanks to Jeff for his input on this Q&A! -RJ-

Posted: November 14th, 2007 under General.
Comments: none