Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry

Changes to Registration of .CO Domain Names Imminent

As of 7 February there are changes to the manager of the .CO (Colombia) registry and to the registration policies.

The new company managing the .CO registry will be Internet SAS and to coincide with them taking over the registry management the following changes to registration policies are being implemented, the most important of these being:

  • anyone, whether they are a resident of Colombia or not, will be able to register a .CO domain name apart from the following second level domains: org.co, edu.co, mil.co, and gov.co that will continue to have special requirements.
  • registration of .CO domains will be available through several registrars, allowing competitive prices and additional services
  • the documentation and the steps for registration are simplified with the previous verification requirement abolished
  • it will be possible to register an unlimited number of domains
  • domains will be able to be registered from one to five years
  • domains will be able to be transferred between registrants
  • from March 2010 it will be possible to register second level domains such as example.co, however there will be a phased in process over four stages:
  • Phase 1:
  • those that have a .CO domain registered before 30 July 2008 will have priority to register the same domain at the second level (this phase will occur between 1 and 20 April, 2010)
  • Phase 2:
  • those that have trademark in Colombia before 30 July 2008 will be able to register their domains (between 26 April and 10 June 2010)
  • Phase 3:
  • anyone will be able to request a domain with a fee higher to the normal one, while where there are several applicants an auction will decide the successful registrant (between 21 June and 13 July 2010)
  • Phase 4:
  • registration will be open to the general public on a “First Come, First Served” basis through registrars with registrations from one to five years, commencing on 20 July 2010.

All of the above dates are tentative and them could change, so it is best to check the .CO registry website to confirm any dates at www.nic.co.

Also see www.cointernet.com.co/administrador/medios/el-7-de-febrero-de-2010-el-dominio-co-tendra-un-nuevo-administrador/ for further information (in Spanish).

To register your .CO domain name, check out America Registry here.