Buying a Domain Name in Estonia

The .ee domain name in Estonia

The Estonian Internet country code top-level domain (TLD) is .ee. The code falls under the administration of the Estonian Internet Foundation and was first enabled in 1992. The TLD was relaunched in 2010 when private individuals were also granted access to register domains under .ee. Nowadays, foreign citizens or companies operating in Estonia are also allowed to use the .ee domain for their websites.

The Internet Foundation has also enabled third-level domains dedicated to specific activities or organizations. These are:

• -          .com.ee for companies registered under the Estonian Commercial Law,
• -          .pri.ee for individuals,
• -          .fie.ee for sole traders,
• -          .med.ee for medical or healthcare facilities,
• -          .edu.ee for education providers,
• -          .lib.ee for libraries,
• -          .org.ee for non-profit organizations (NGOs).

Domain names can be registered with authorized registrars in Estonia.

Requirements to register a domain name in Estonia

The Estonian Internet Foundation has issued a few regulations for those wanting to register .ee domain names. Under these rules, an Estonian Internet domain name must meet the following requirements:

• -          the domain must be comprised of letter, number from 0 to 9 and dashes,
• -          a sub-domain cannot begin or end with a dash, and cannot contain a dash in the third or fourth position,
• -          a domain can be made up of minimum 2 characters and a maximum of 63 symbols,
• -          the domain name must be unique.

The license for an Estonian domain name has a one-year validity period and can be renewed provided that a renewal fee is paid. Our specialists in Estonia can guide you through the domain name registration procedure.

How to register a domain name in Estonia?

The registration procedure is quite simple; however, it does require attention. The registrant must submit an application with the Estonian Internet Foundation. The application must provide the following information:

• -          the name of the domain,
• -          two name servers and their IP addresses, as one of these will host the domain,
• -          an administrative contact,
• -          a technical contact.

In the case of companies, additional information will be required. If you want to open an online company in Estonia and need assistance, you can request the services of our consultants.