Who can become a registrar?
Anyone can serve as a registrar. The registrar has certain obligations and responsibilities.
The obligations and responsibilities of the registrar are regulated in the Information Society Code (FFS 917/2014) and the Domain Name Regulation M 68, both came into effect in September 2016.
How does it work?
Once you have registered as an ax registrar you will receive a username and password to log in to your own registrar platform. On this platform you will be able to eg.:
- Register ax-domain names for your customers in a simple and transparent form
- Manage domains for your customers, for example: adjust the DNS settings, contact information, etc.
- Change the validity date of your customer´s domain, add time periods in relation to current price list
- Create transfer codes when changeing ownership of domains
- Create or receive transmission codes when customers want to change registrar
- Manage your own data
Whois.ax do not use EPP apis, it works with manual forms.
Responsibility, regulations and legislation
As a registrar, you have certain responsibilities and obligations. Only registrars can register and manage a customer’s ax-domain name in the Government’s domain name registry system.
On the customer’s request the registrar shall register the domain name in the domain name registry system administered by the Government of Åland, update the domain name, renew the validity of the domain name, change the domain name registrar, transfer the domain name to another holder or remove the domain name from domain name register.
The registrar is for example also required to provide their customers:
- Information on the domain name form, content and legality
- Information to customers if the registrar business is changed or canceled
The registration of domain names under the top level domain .ax is regulated by the Information Society Code (917/2014) paragraphs about domain names and domain name regulation M68. On September 5 2016, the new law on the top level domain .ax came into force. The law stipulates ia. operational model for administration of domain names, responsibilities and obligations as well as the form and content of the domain name.
Information Society Code (FFS 917/2014), pdf
Payment and invoicing
The Government of Åland charges a domain name fee from registrars for each registration and each renewal of domain names. The domain name fee is the same for all registrars.
The fee is currently:
- Domain valid for 1 year – 20 euro
- Domain valid for 3 years – 55 euro
- Domain valid for 5 years – 85 euro
However, registrars are free to price their own services and set their own prices for their customers.
As of May 30, 2022, the Government will provide e-payment for domain name registrations and domain name renewals. The registrars must have a positive balance, sufficient to cover the registrations and renewals that are made. For a shorter transition period after the introduction of e-payment, however, a certain negative balance will be allowed.
Situations and procedures
Profiles
- Domain name holders The one who uses and owns a specific domain. Holders do not have their own administration, instead the administration is handled by a specific registrar which the holder has chosen.
- Registrar All registration, administration and management for domain name holders is handled by registrars.
- The registrar of Åland Government The Government registrar does not handle registrations, but only administer the Government’s own domain names.
Situations and procedures
Transfer codes are always created by the current registrar and the code is valid for five days.
Change registrar
Situation: The domain name holder wants to transfer a domain name from one registrar (R1) to another (R2)
Procedures: The domain name holder should contact R1 by email and request a transfer to another registrar. The holder receives the transfer code in the response email from R1. The holder then sends the code to R2 who fills it in on the registrars page under “Take ownership of domain”. If the code is valid, the domain name will automatically move to R2.
The domain name change holders (within the same registrar)
Situation: A domain name holder (H1) wants to transfer the domain name to another holder (H2).
Procedures: The domain name holder (H1) contacts the registrar to request a transfer code to change the holder (owner) of a specific domain name. The registrar generates a code and sends it back to H1 by email. H1 then sends the code to the new holder (H2), who in turn sends the code to the registrar as receipt that the holder change is okey. The registrar updates the domain name data with H2´s information.
Change of holders and registrars
Situation: A domain name holder (H1) wants to transfer a domain name to another holder (H2). The domain name holders have different registrars.
Procedures: This procedure is a combination of situations 1 and 2. First step is to change holders (situation 2). When the new holder (H2) is registered, H2 request the transfer code from R1 (situation 1).