FAQ

The .tel is a service that allows individuals and businesses alike to store and manage all their contact information and keywords directly in the DNS without the need to build, host or manage a website. For more information, see .tel for businesses and .tel for individuals.

The value of a .tel domain lies with the ability to host personal (or corporate) contact information directly in the DNS, which can then be universally accessible. This stands in contrast to the typical use of the DNS for other TLDs, in which the DNS only provides a mapping between domain names and IP addresses.

The .tel enables you to protect your private data, allowing it to be seen only by people you authorize. For more information, please see How do I protect my Private Data.

ICANN, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers, is the international organization responsible for the oversight of the coordination of the Domain Name System and Top Level Domains (.com, .net, .org, .biz, etc.). More information is available at ICANN.org.

ICANN has delegated to Telnic Limited, the .tel Sponsoring Organization, the responsibility for developing, implementing and policing certain policies related to the .tel Top Level Domain and its community.

You can only purchase your .tel domain online through an ICANN accredited registrar or their reseller. Click "Buy your .tel" in the navigation to see the list of all participating registrars.

Prices for a .tel domain name will vary from registrar to registrar, but are comparable with the prices for other popular domain names.

Typically, registrars will allow you to register domain names for up to 10 years.

A preferential registration period Sunrise allowed trademark owners to protect their intellectual property. That period concluded on 2 February 2009. For more information, please refer to the Sunrise Policy.

The minimum number of characters in a .tel domain is 3 and the maximum number is 63 not including the .tel suffix. Every domain must contain at least one letter from a-z or "A to Z" in standard US ASCII script. No domain can begin or end with a hyphen nor can a domain have a hyphen in the 3rd and 4th position. A .tel domain may not consist purely of digits. The .tel naming conventions are described in detail in the Acceptable Use Policy. The reserved list is also available for review.

The WHOIS service enables you retrieve information on registrants of .tel domain names, although physical persons may opt out of WHOIS and hide their details. To perform a WHOIS lookup, use our web facility at http://telnic.org/whois.html or run the following command on the command-line prompt:
whois -h whois.nic.tel yourname.tel.
Please note the trailing dot after the .tel domain name

You can sell or transfer a .tel domain just as you would with other domain names. Please be notified that according to ICANN regulations, domains can only be transferred after 60 days from the date of registration. The date of registration for all .tel domains purchased on or prior to the start of the General Availability period is set to March 24th 2009. After 60 days since this date you may contact your registrar to transfer your .tel domain as required.

.tel domain names are subject to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), which establishes a procedure for resolving many trademark disputes relating to domain names. More information on the (UDRP) is available.

Please consult the Acceptable Use Policy for details on how .tel domains should be used.

To request access the .tel zone file, complete and sign the .tel Zone File Access Agreement form. You need to return the form to Telnic Limited via post, fax or email zone-file-access-requests@registry.nic.tel.

Yes. You are allowed to run a commercial directory-style service under your .tel domain under the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP); the restrictions are that you are not allowed to sub-delegate the management of that contact information to a third party.

No. Once you have taken full ownership of your .tel domain you are able to resell the domain whenever you like.

It depends. Please email reseller@telnic.org to find out what resources are available for resellers.

You can access the WHOIS now.

Telnic does not provide refunds for .tel domains in Landrush. Please check whether your registrar has a refund policy.

The link, username and password for accessing your .tel control panel have been sent to you by your .tel provider when you purchased your .tel. If you cannot find the link, please contact your .tel provider.