Enter Ireland market with a .IE Domain

Yes, but you must document your connection to the island of Ireland before registration. For applicants based elsewhere the policy sets the test as trade rather than residence: you must show that you trade, or clearly intend to trade, with consumers or businesses on the island of Ireland. Proof of your corporate or commercial identity is required alongside. The registry states in the policy that it authenticates the veracity of the supporting documentation supplied.

The policy lists acceptable evidence item by item. For applicants on the island: an Irish CRO number, a Revenue VAT number or a registered business number; for a sole trader, a VAT number in their own name or proof of business or income tax registration; for a trademark holder, the trademark number or certificate; for an individual, an Irish driving licence or passport. For applicants elsewhere: invoices, press releases, promotional material, or a screenshot of an e-commerce store showing that customers can select anywhere on the island of Ireland for delivery.

Applications are valid for twenty-seven days from the day of submission, and the validation process runs throughout: the registry verifies both your connection to the island of Ireland and your personal or commercial identity, and requires payment to have been made. Once the checks pass, the name goes live at the next zone reload, which occurs twelve times a day at every odd hour. You must also supply a minimum of two valid name servers.

The default behaviour is automatic renewal: all .ie registrations renew themselves for one year on their renewal date. The registry explains why — renewal rates in the zone are high, so it assumes registrations will be retained. You may also renew for a maximum term of up to ten years ahead. Two refund windows exist: the registration fee is refunded if the name is deleted within fourteen days of acceptance, and the auto-renewal fee if the name enters the deletion process within forty-five days of that renewal.

On the day the deletion request is submitted. The policy is explicit: the domain is removed from the zone that same day, so any website or email addresses attached to it stop working shortly afterwards. The name can be restored by paying the renewal fee for up to thirty days after the request, while deletion becomes final thirty-five days after it. In other words, the service goes down on day one, but you have roughly a month to recover the name.

Yes, but the transfer is not a form-filling exercise; it is a fresh eligibility application. The request is submitted through the sponsoring registrar, and the proposed new registrant must provide evidence of their connection to Ireland and, as required, their commercial or personal identity before the registry completes the transfer. Changing registrar is a separate and unrestricted process. The registry also offers a registry lock service against unwanted changes. Start from the domain transfer page.