Buy .sg Domain Name

SGNIC's category rules make .sg the broadest zone: all persons may apply in this category. The only condition falls on applicants from abroad — they must appoint and duly authorise a local agent in Singapore as their administrative contact. If you want a Singapore address without being tied to a particular institutional registration, this is the zone; for an address that also states a business registration there is .com.sg.

VerifiedID@SG is SGNIC's mandatory identity verification; its stated purpose is to mitigate the use of fake identity information associated with a .sg registration and to enhance trust in .sg websites. It is carried out by the administrative contact of the domain name, who verifies the identity and contact information of the registrant. Every .sg name registered from 2 May 2013 onward is covered, as are older names whose registrant or administrative contact details change.

The administrative contact has 21 calendar days from the date of registration to complete verification, with a one-time seven-day extension available through the portal. Miss the window and the new domain stays suspended — in SGNIC's words, its website and emails will cease to function. An unverified name also cannot be renewed. This step therefore decides whether the address works at all, rather than being a piece of administration.

Yes, on one condition: the category rule requires a foreign applicant to appoint and duly authorise a local agent in Singapore as its administrative contact. The VerifiedID@SG page adds that every administrative contact must maintain a local presence and a valid Singapore postal address. Foreign applicants without Singpass or Corppass may, in exceptional circumstances, ask their administrative contact to apply for an 'SGNICID'.

Verification uses Singpass for individuals with a Singapore NRIC or FIN, and Corppass for organisations with a UEN; SGNIC puts the process at under five minutes. The administrative contact signs in to the VerifiedID@SG portal and confirms the registrant's identity and contact details. For foreign applicants who hold neither credential, the SGNICID is defined as an exceptional route.

SGNIC separates the categories by purpose:

• .sg — open to all persons
• .com.sg — businesses registered with ACRA, Enterprise Singapore or a professional body
• .org.sg — bodies registered with the Registry of Societies, plus town councils, community centres, places of worship and embassies
• .edu.sg — educational institutions only
• .gov.sg — government bodies only
• .net.sg — IMDA licensees and network-based hosting providers

In SGNIC's own words, the term options for a new registration are 1 year, 2 years and 3 years. The same options apply on renewal, provided the expiry date after renewal does not exceed three years from the date SGNIC receives the instruction. Bear in mind too that an unverified domain cannot be renewed: making a long-term plan before VerifiedID@SG is complete buys you nothing.

You can see whether a .sg name is registered, and the general state of the record, through WHOIS; SGNIC governs this area with a separate WHOIS/RDAP policy. A lookup will usually show the status of the name and its registration dates, while contact details are published only in limited form. Run the lookup on the whois search page, and check whether a name is free with domain search.