.tel Domain: The Extension That Keeps Contacts in DNS
The .tel extension entered the root zone on 1 March 2007, after ICANN approved this sponsored extension on 30 May 2006; the contracting party is London-based Telnames Limited. Its idea sits apart from other extensions: phone numbers, e-mail addresses and location records can live directly in the domain's DNS zone. The registry provides a free profile service called Telhosting for exactly that, which removes the need for a separate web server.
A common misreading follows the extension around: people assume a .tel name can only work as a business card. The registry's own question-and-answer page states the opposite, since a holder who prefers not to use Telhosting may use the name for any purpose, including running an ordinary website. Freelancers, small teams and anyone consolidating scattered contact details find it practical. Compare available names on the .tel domain search page.
Specification 12 of the ICANN agreement defines the .tel community as those who wish to store and publish contact information through the DNS. No profession, organisation type or document is requested; in exchange every holder must accept the Acceptable Use Policy. Where the policy is breached the registry first grants a thirty-day period to put things right, and may lock or delete the name if no answer arrives. Read the policy before you register.
.TEL Domain at a Glance
- Registry operator Telnames Limited (London)
- Root zone entry 1 March 2007; ICANN approval 30 May 2006
- Agreement type Base, Community (Specification 12), non-sponsored
- Eligibility No identity or document check; acceptance of the use policy is mandatory
- Free service Telhosting profile page, entirely optional
- Document Requirement No documents are required to register a .tel domain
- Character Length 3 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 10 servers
Related Domain Extensions
Registering the same name on more than one extension keeps someone else from taking your brand.
.tel 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
$19.00 /year -
Transfer
$18.99 /year -
Renewal
$20.99 /year -
Restore
$136.00 -
Late Renewal
$4.18
Included With Every .tel 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 lock
While the lock is on, nobody can move your domain to another registrar without your approval.
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Domain forwarding
Point the domain at your existing site, a campaign page or a social profile — at no extra cost.
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Free WHOIS privacy
Your name, address and phone stay out of public WHOIS records, which cuts down spam and scam calls.
.tel Domain Lifecycle
What happens day by day after it expires
Day 0 is the domain's expiry dateIn short: your .tel domain is put on Client Hold on its expiry date, so the site and e-mail stop that same day. You can still renew during the first 20 days, but from this point a late renewal fee is added on top of the renewal price. On day 20 the registration is deleted and until day 50 only a paid restore brings it back. Nothing at all can be done in the 5 days that follow, and on day 55 the name is open to anyone. There is exactly one way never to enter this chain: keep auto-renewal on.
Domain Is Available (Available)
A .tel address at this stage has not been taken yet, and it goes to whoever registers first. Check the name you have in mind — if it is free, it can be yours within minutes.
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 (Client Hold)
On its expiry date your .tel domain is put on Client Hold: the site and e-mail go down that day, but the registration is still yours. A single renewal within these first 20 days brings everything back exactly as it was — nothing is lost. The only difference is that a $4.18 late renewal fee is now added to the renewal price; renewing before the expiry date avoids that fee entirely.
Redemption Period (Redemption / RGP)
On day 20 the registration is deleted and the 30-day redemption period that ICANN requires of every gTLD registry begins. The name is not released to anyone during this time; only you can take it back, by paying the restore fee, until day 50. That fee is far higher than a renewal — renewing on time is always the cheaper route.
Pending Delete (Pending Delete)
Once the redemption window closes too, the domain enters its final 5 days and there is no way back. Neither renewal nor restore works here; nobody — your registrar included — can return the name to you. The registry uses this window as the last hold before the name goes back into the pool.
Open to Anyone Again (Released)
On day 55 the name .tel returns to the pool and anyone can register it. Sought-after names are often gone within seconds, and there is no guaranteed way to get one back. Yet staying out of this timeline is entirely in your hands: leave auto-renewal on and the expiry date will never catch you off guard.
The timeline above is the schedule Atak Domain applies and publishes. The ICANN chart you will find elsewhere shows a renewal window of up to 45 days after expiry; ICANN's policy on expired registrations (section 2.2.1) lets registrars delete an expired domain at any time, provided they disclose their policy in advance. We apply that window as 20 days and publish it here in plain sight. Full text of the policy: ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy
.tel Domain Specifications and Registration Rules
Registration conditions, supported features and the registry's own timelines in a single table.
.tel Domain Registration
- Document Requirement No documents are required to register a .tel domain
- Character Length 3 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 10 servers
.tel Domain Support
- IDN Support Yes
- Transfer Support Yes
- Late Renewal Support Yes
Frequently Asked Questions About .tel Domains
The questions people actually ask before registering — answered plainly.
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Yes, and the registry says so plainly. A holder who prefers not to use Telhosting may use the name for any purpose, including publishing a normal website. The name can be pointed at your own server exactly like any other domain. What sets the extension apart is the option of publishing contact details through the DNS without a server at all, which is offered rather than imposed. Plan the hosting side from the hosting packages page.
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No, using it is entirely voluntary. The registry provides the profile page at no charge: you can add contact records, promotional text, images and documents. Anyone who prefers not to may leave it empty or point the name at their own infrastructure. A simple decision rule applies here: if a single contact page is enough, the profile service does the job; if you plan a blog, a shop or an application, set up your own hosting.
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Neither identity nor profession is checked. The community definition in the ICANN agreement asks what the name will be used for rather than who the applicant is: individuals, groups, businesses and associations wishing to publish contact information through the DNS all fall inside it. No document is requested, though by registering you accept the use policy. That policy is the text that actually limits how the name may be used.
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A written notice and a thirty-day window to fix things come first. The registry or the sponsoring organisation investigates the claim, then asks for corrected registration data or for the use to be brought in line with the policy. If no adequate answer arrives within the period, access to the service may be restricted and the name locked, transferred or deleted. Your registrar receives copies of these notices, so keep your contact address current.
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The standard gTLD transfer applies: lift the lock, obtain the authorisation code, open the request with the gaining provider. One detail is specific to this extension, because contact records kept in Telhosting live in a separate account rather than in the domain itself, so export a copy of that content before you move. Start the process from the domain transfer page.
Ready to Claim Your .tel Domain?
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