Wouldn’t it be great if you could register a .ie domain name as quickly and easily as a .com?
Imagine being able to order a .ie domain name for your business and be guaranteed to get it?
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?
And it’s not “pie in the sky”.
We’ve always felt that the rules and policies around .ie domain names were far too complicated for most people and that they were the reason why so many businesses opted for .com (or even .co.uk). At the moment if you want to register a .ie domain name you need to fit into the IEDR’s rules and policies around registrations. So if you want to register a domain name you need to explain why as well as showing that you are a bona fide Irish business or resident. (Non-Irish businesses can register names as well, but they have to go through a slightly different process)
If you’re familiar with the rules and policies you can easily get a domain name, but most small businesses don’t care about obtuse domain name policies and simply want to get a domain name for their business so they can get online.
If it’s hard to get a .ie domain name, or if there’s a general perception that .ie domain names are a pain to deal with, then people will opt for other domain extensions like .com, .co.uk or .eu (along with hundreds of others).
If you believe, like us, that the rules and restrictions around .ie domain names are a hindrance to Irish business please take the time to submit your comments via the public consultation.
Under the proposed rules change if you want to register a .ie domain name you will simply need to show your “connection” to Ireland ie. that you are a resident, doing business in Ireland or a citizen. You can read more about the proposed changes here.
Over the past couple of years we have been engaged with IEDR via the Policy Advisory Committee. Changes that have been made over the last couple of years include:
- introduction of short IE domains eg. bk.ie, aa.ie
- introduction of fadas on .ie domains
- removal of restriction on selling IE domains in the aftermarket