Frequently Asked Questions

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About .be Domain Names

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Last Updated: May 11, 2015 2:14 PM

The .be country-code top-level domain name (ccTLD) is an extension representing Belgium. For companies that conduct business in that country and individuals who want to reach the growing number of Internet users there, .be domain names are a good investment. Registering a .be domain name gives you regional recognition and an easy-to-manage Web presence.

Who can register .be domain names?

Anyone can register .be domain names on a first-come, first-served basis.

Domain names can contain up to 63 characters, with a minimum of three characters, and can contain letters (a to z), numbers (0 to 9), and hyphens (except at the beginning or end of the domain name). You cannot register domain names with special characters such as & and #.

Which registry controls .be domain names?

DNS.be is the registry for .be domain names.

For how long can I register .be domain names?

The minimum and maximum registration length for .be domain names is one year.

When do .be domain names renew?

Your .be domain name renews before its expiration date. The renewal date depends on whether you set the domain name to auto-renew or manually renew. We attempt auto-renewal on the first day of the month prior to the domain name's expiration date. If the renewal attempt fails, we re-attempt renewal on the 10th of the month and again on the 20th of the month.

If we cannot auto-renew the domain name and you do not manually renew it by the 20th of the month prior to the expiration date, you can attempt to recover it, and there might be a fee to do so. See Recovering Expired Domain Names for instructions.

For example: Your .be domain name expires on October 10. If your domain name does not renew automatically, you can renew it manually by September 20. For automatic renewals, we attempt to renew the domain name on September 1, September 10, and September 20.

Can I transfer .be domain names to my account with you?

No. We do not currently support the transfer of .be domain names to us.

How do I transfer .be domain names from you to another registrar?

You must initiate the transfer of your .be domain name with the new registrar, who will require the registrant to provide an authcode for the transfer. You may request the authcode by:

  1. Submitting an email request to the ccTLD Team of Domain Services at cctldprocessing@secureserver.net.
  2. Or you may also request the authcode directly with DNS.be via the registry whois page for the domain name.
Either way, the code will be generated by the registry, and sent to the registrant email address currently listed on the registry whois.

Can I add privacy and protection to .be domain names?

No. Domains By Proxy® Private Registration and Protected Registration are not available for .be domain names.

Can I backorder .be domain names?

No. We do not currently support the backorder of .be domain names.

Can I move .be domain names to another account with you?

Yes, but there are limitations. When you move the domain name, the registrant's first name, last name, and organization (company name) cannot change.

Can I update the contact information on .be domain names?

To update the registrant contact information for your .be domain name, contact our support department.

NOTE: Updates to the registrant's first name, last name, and/or organization (company name) are called a trade. This process mirrors new registration, and the registry charges a fee for it (the cost of one year of registration). The domain name's registration resets to one year when the trade completes.

You can update all other contact information in the Domain Manager. See Update contact information for information.

Are there nameserver requirements for my .be domain names?

You can use any valid nameservers with your .be domain name. You can enter a maximum of 4 nameservers.

If you want to use custom nameservers for your .be domain name, you must complete a two-step process in the Domain Manager.

First, follow the instructions in Setting Nameservers for Your Domain Names to set the host name and IP addresses for each nameserver. Then, follow the instructions in the Setting Nameservers for a Domain Name Registered with Us section of Setting Nameservers for Your Domain Names to set the nameservers in our system.

What is the refund policy for .be domain names?

We do not support refunds upon cancellation for .be domains at this time (registration, auto-renewal and manual renewal).