com.al Domain: Albania's Commercial Sub-Zone
com.al is Albania's commercial sub-zone and is run by the same body as the top level: the national telecoms regulator AKEP. A single regulation (02/2008, as amended effective 1 November 2018) governs .al and its six sub-zones together, and article 6.3 defines the audience for com.al in one line: private legal persons, that is commercial companies. Associations are directed to org.al and network operators to net.al; no other sub-zone may be invented.
For a company based abroad the decisive difference sits here. Article 13.1(b) grants com.al registration to public and private legal persons and traders whose seat or object of commercial activity is in Albania. The preceding paragraph builds the same sentence for .al and adds the words «and in any other state in the world» — words that are absent from the com.al paragraph. The regulator kept the Albanian link exactly where it wanted to. Without a company established in the country, the practical route is the top level.
That the sub-zone is a genuine registry zone can also be verified technically: com.al has its own SOA record, runs on AKEP's own name servers and carries its own DNSSEC signature; names under it resolve through a validated chain. The process matches .al: self-declaration, three working days for registrations and changes, and a 30-day block if payment is missed. Check eligibility and availability together on the domain search page.
.COM.AL Domain at a Glance
- Registry AKEP — same authority and same regulation as the top level
- Intended audience Private legal persons, that is commercial companies (art. 6.3/b)
- Zone structure Separate registry zone with its own SOA and its own DNSSEC signature
- Sibling zones org.al associations, net.al network services, edu.al education
- Disputes Administrative appeal to AKEP, WIPO arbitration or the courts
- Document Requirement View required documents
- Country Albania
- Character Length 2 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 5 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 5 servers
Popular Domain Extensions for Albania
Registering the same name on more than one extension keeps someone else from taking your brand.
- .com.al
- .al
.com.al Domain Prices — No Surprise Fees
Registration, transfer and renewal fees are listed separately. The renewal price can differ from the first-year price, so you see both up front.
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New Registration
$39.99 /year -
Transfer
$39.99 /year -
Renewal
$43.99 /year -
Trustee Service
$1.00
Included With Every .com.al Domain
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Free DNS management
Change A, MX, TXT and CNAME records yourself from the panel — no waiting on anyone when you move a site or mailbox.
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Domain forwarding
Point the domain at your existing site, a campaign page or a social profile — at no extra cost.
.com.al Domain Lifecycle
What happens day by day after it expires
Day 0 is the domain's expiry dateIn short: for .com.al the post-expiry timeline is set by the registry, so it differs from one extension to the next. The diagram below shows the windows that actually apply to .com.al, day by day. One thing never changes, whichever extension you hold: renewing before the expiry date is always the cheapest and safest route.
Domain Is Available (Available)
A .com.al address at this stage has not been taken yet. Because .com.al requires documents, the registration completes once your documents are approved; review times vary by extension. Check the name and start your application with your documents ready.
Domain Is Active (Active Period)
Once registration is complete, the domain is registered to you for the term you selected. You can renew at any point before it expires to keep it active, or switch on auto-renewal so you never have to watch the date.
Renewal Window (Grace Period)
The registration does not end on the expiry date: for .com.al the registry keeps the name for you during this window, and a renewal brings it back. Depending on the registry, the site and e-mail may stop working from day 0, so renewing before expiry is still the safe route.
Domain Is Available Again
Once deletion completes, the domain leaves the system and anyone can register it — popular names are often taken the same minute by someone watching. Keep auto-renewal on so a name you care about never gets this far.
.com.al Domain Specifications and Registration Rules
Registration conditions, supported features and the registry's own timelines in a single table.
.com.al Domain Registration
- Document Requirement View required documents
- Country Albania
- Character Length 2 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 5 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 5 servers
.com.al Domain Support
- IDN Support No
- Transfer Support Yes
- Late Renewal Support No
Documents Required for a .com.al Domain
"Albanian company registration, Albanian trademark registration or EU trademark registration is required."
Frequently Asked Questions About .com.al Domains
The questions people actually ask before registering — answered plainly.
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That is how the rules read. Article 13.1(b) grants com.al registration to public and private legal persons and traders whose seat or object of commercial activity is in Albania. The preceding paragraph of the same article says «and in any other state in the world» for the top level; that phrase is missing from the com.al paragraph. For a company based abroad the practical route is therefore the direct .al level. We recommend confirming your position before you place an order.
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The regulation is silent on this, and the silence matters. It never mentions a trustee, proxy or local representative; article 13.1(b) only requires the seat or object of activity to be in Albania and does not describe how that may be satisfied. In other words, there is no published rule saying a trustee arrangement will be accepted for com.al. If you are considering one, get written confirmation before attempting the registration — otherwise the application may be refused.
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The difference is the audience, and article 6.3 spells it out. com.al is for private legal persons, meaning commercial companies. org.al is reserved within that group for associations. net.al is for private legal persons and traders operating in the field of networks. The remaining three are restricted: gov.al for state institutions, mil.al for the armed forces, edu.al for education and research bodies. Article 6.4 forbids the use of any sub-zone outside this list.
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No — registration rests on a declaration rather than a document file. Article 4.1 states that AKEP acts on the principle of self-declaration and treats the information in the form as accurate. Supporting documents are mandatory under article 14.2 only for gov.al, mil.al and edu.al; com.al is not on that list. The trade-off is a heavy responsibility: article 11.4(a) allows AKEP to withdraw the name without any compensation if the declaration turns out to be untrue.
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The chain is the same as for the top level. If payment is missed the name is first blocked for 30 calendar days, and article 25.2 says the holder keeps the right to reopen the existing name by paying during that period. If the situation is unresolved when the period ends, the name is closed and returns to free status within 30 calendar days. The address does not resolve while the block is in force, so a right of recovery is not the same as uninterrupted service. AKEP emails a reminder 30 days before expiry.
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Yes. com.al is a separate registry zone and carries its own DNSSEC signature: the zone has its own DS record in the parent, and names under it resolve with validated answers. Its own SOA record and AKEP's own name servers likewise show that it is a genuine registry zone. In practice, validating resolvers can check that DNS answers for your com.al name were not altered in transit.
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