What kinds of domain names do you offer?

We can directly register, transfer and renew domain names ending in these suffixes: .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .co.uk, .me.uk, and .org.uk.

Free domain name registration and renewal is included with any Web hosting account that uses one of these domain names (or you can purchase domain names without Web hosting).

We can also host Web sites ending in any other domain name you own through a different company (some examples include .ws, .tv and .au), although we can't provide free domain name renewal for these.

What do the domain name suffixes mean?

For the most part, there's no difference between a domain name ending in, say, .com and one ending in .org. The central registry for each domain name suffix is run by a different company, but the domain names work the same way when you use them for a Web site or e-mail service.

There are some restrictions on who can register two types of domain names, though:

  • .biz domain names can only be used by businesses.
  • .us domain names can only be used by people who live or work in the United States.

All the other types of domain names can be registered by anyone. (Originally, .net was intended for Internet companies and .org was intended for nonprofit organizations, but that's no longer an actual rule. For example, a for-profit company may use a .org domain name if they wish to do so.)

Can I register a locality-based .us name, such as "something.ca.us"?

Locality-based .us domain names, which end with a state abbreviation such as ".ca.us", are not handled like normal .us names. They're separately assigned by local "delegated managers", coordinated by a company named NeuStar.

Getting one of these domain names is a somewhat manual process, explained on the "Interim Process" section of the NeuStar "Delegated Managers" page. You'd download and complete the template they mention, then e-mail it to them. They'll do a lot of checking to make sure you're really the appropriate representative of the local government, then issue the domain name to you.

We can provide Web hosting service for locality-based .us domain names if you ask us to manually set up the hosting account, even though we can't procure the domain name for you.

Can I register a .edu domain name?

Only universities and other institutionally accredited post-secondary institutions can register .edu domain names. They aren't available to the general public or to other schools such as elementary schools, high schools, etc.