Enter the Macao market with a .COM.MO Domain

Yes. Article 2 paragraph 1 of the regulation requires an applicant for a name under com.mo to be a commercial entrepreneur or self-employed person registered within the Macao SAR. The requirement comes from the applicant's registration status in Macao rather than from the name of the zone, so a company incorporated abroad with no Macao registration cannot satisfy it. Article 5 paragraph 2 asks for the proof: a copy of documentary evidence that the business is registered within the Macao SAR.

No. Article 5 paragraph 4 says the registration procedures may be handled by a representative, and paragraph 5 requires a document showing the scope of the entrusted matters together with an identity copy. But that only solves the paperwork and correspondence side: eligibility is the applicant's own status. Article 9 adds that the holder's qualifications may be reviewed at any time, and article 10 paragraph 1 provides that a holder who no longer meets them has the domain cancelled.

Name choice is not free. Article 3 paragraph 3 requires the name to match the Macao-registered entity name or a trademark or patent registered in Macao, and article 2 paragraph 7 requires an applicant relying on a trademark to be the holder of that mark in Macao. You may apply for a different name that represents your entity, but the application is then published for fifteen days and opened to objection. If the mark is not yours, the actual holder's signed written consent must also be filed.

The two follow different rhythms. Article 4 states that a registration is valid for three years and may be renewed for an equal period. Article 11 paragraph 2, however, provides that fees are charged on a yearly basis, counted from the date of registration, and must be paid within the sixty days before each annual expiry. So even though the registration runs three years, payment comes up every year; paragraph 3 adds a sixty-day suspension if payment is missed, and paragraph 4 cancellation at the end of it.

The regulation contains no article headed transfer, and because there is no registrar system the concept of a registrar transfer does not apply — registration runs directly with MONIC. Among its downloadable forms MONIC publishes a domain management account transfer letter, but the legal effect of that form is not defined in the regulation. So if you are planning a transfer, obtain written confirmation from MONIC before starting; the incoming holder must also satisfy the eligibility test in article 2.