From March 2018 the Irish domain name registry are making it easier to register a .ie domain name.
Following a consultation period, new liberalisation policies are coming into force to remove some of the administrative overhead in registering an Irish (.ie) domain.
Previously, if you wanted to register a domain you needed to satisfy the registry about three things:
- Your identity – by providing a copy of your ID,
- Your association with Ireland – demonstrating that you are Irish, resident in Ireland, an Irish business, or a business trading in Ireland,
- Your claim to the domain name – for individuals, this meant you could only register your actual name; and for businesses, your business name or trademark.
The change coming into effect soon is the removal of the 3rd requirement. You no longer have to prove your claim to a name. As long as you can prove your association with Ireland, you will soon be able to register whatever domain name you like.
The change is seen as a liberalisation of the IE registrations, and has been made to encourage Irish businesses and individuals to use IE domains who had previously been put off by the registration rules.
The negative side is that the change also opens the market to an increase in domain name squatting, or speculative registration. And so, businesses in particular are being encouraged to come forward and secure their name now before the changes take effect.