Domain Name Registration Rules & Guidelines

Brief overview of domains rules to consider when registering a domain.

General Domain Name Rules

Domain names cannot contain spaces.
Domain names are not case sensitive e.g. can be used as freeparking.co.nz or FreeParking.co.nz
Use only letters, numbers, or the hyphen ("-") character.
They cannot begin or end with a hyphen.
Registered on a first come, first served basis.

Specific Domain Name Rules

.nz Domain Names (New Zealand)

Must have at least 2 characters.
No registration conditions except for the 5 moderated extensions, which are .cri.nz, .govt.nz, .iwi.nz, .mil.nz and .parliament.nz
Length cannot exceed 63 characters in total (not including extension).
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum.

.com .net, .org, .biz and .info Domain Names (International/General)

No special registration conditions, i.e. anyone can register.
Length cannot exceed 63 characters in total (not including extension).
Must have at least 2 characters.
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum.

.com.au and .net.au Domain Names (Australia)

Restricted to Australian companies, foreign companies licensed to trade in Australia, and holders of an Australian Registered Trade Mark.
Domain name must exactly match, be an acronym or abbreviation of the registrant’s company or trading name, organisation or association name or trademark; or be otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.
2 year minimum and maximum registration period.
Can only be renewed during the 90 days before expiry i.e. after 21 months of registration.

.co.uk and .org.uk0 Domain Names (United Kingdom)

2 year minimum and maximum registration period.
.co.uk is intended to be used for commercial purposes and .org.uk for not-for-profit or public service enterprises.
Must have at least 3 characters and less than 65 characters, including .uk.
Can only be renewed during the 6 months prior to the expiry date i.e. after 18 months of registration.

.cc Domain Names

To be used for commercial and personal sites
Cannot contain all numbers
Must have at least 3 characters, but less than 47, not including .cc
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum

.jp Domain Names (Japan)

To be used for commercial and personal sites
Must have at least 3 characters, but less than 63, not including .jp
1 year minimum and maximum registration period

.mobi Domain Names (International/General)

For use with websites designed for mobile phone usage
The use of .mobi domain names is regulated by the dotMobi Registry - websites using a .mobi domain name must conform to mandatory rules, and compliance is tested
Must have at least 3 characters and less than 63 characters, not including .mobi
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum

.tv Domain Names (Tuvalu, but branded as Television)

Used for commercial and personal sites
Registered on a first come, first served basis
Must have less than 63 characters, not including .tv
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum

.ws Domain Names (Western Samoa, but branded as Website)

To be used for commercial and personal sites
Must have at least four and as many as 63 characters, not including the .ws
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum

.us Domain Names

To be used by U.S. citizens and residents, U.S. corporations and other U.S. organisations and organisations with a presence within the United States
Domain names must be longer than 2 characters and cannot exceed 63 characters (this does not include the extension)
Registration term from 1 year minimum to 10 years maximum