Romaniaâs ccTLD registry, RoTLD, introduced a registration fee for .ro domain names for the first time in March 2018. 6 months later, commencing 30 August, RoTLD will commence deleting domain names for which the annual registration fee has not been paid. It is the last European ccTLD to introduce a registration fee.
For domain names that the registration fee, described by RoTLD as a âregistration and annual maintenanceâ fee, is not paid before the expiration date, they will be scheduled for automatic deletion (Pending Delete). The deletion will be performed after 90 days from the expiration date if, in this period, the registrant does not renew their registration by paying the registration fee. Should they not renew, the domain name becomes available for new registration based on a âfirst come, first servedâ basis.
Renewals of .ro domain names can be made for periods of 1 to 10 years and the registry fee, the fee charged to registrars, is â¬6 plus VAT. RoTLD set the fee taking into consideration general trends in domain name registration fees and adjusted to take into account the national circumstances of the Romanian market, such as income and purchasing power.
For those who register domain names with ICI Registrar, which like RoTLD is a subsidiary of ICI-Bucharest, they pay the annual registry fee plus â¬12 (plus VAT).
Expiry dates of domain names already registered were calculated taking into account the principle that the old registration fee should cover at least 5 years of maintenance. Domains registered before March 1, 2013 will receive a grace period of minimum 3 months, in order to pay the registration fee. Thus, the oldest domain names reached their expiry date on June 1, 2018.
For more information, see:
https://www.rotld.ro/static/media/uploads/anunt_introducere_serviciu_mentenanta_anuala_en.pdf
https://www.rotld.ro/home/