The .de top-level Country Code domain name (ccTLD) is an extension representing Germany. For companies that conduct business in Germany and individuals who want to reach the growing number of Internet users there, .de domain names are a good investment. Registering a .de domain name gives you regional recognition and an easy-to-manage Web presence.
Who can register .de domain names?
Anyone can register .de domain names on a first-come, first-served basis. The administrative contact for the domain name must have an address in Germany and, if not, we provide a proxy service. In this case, your administrative contact will still be listed in the Whois database.
Which registry controls .de domain names?
DENIC eG is the registry for .de domain names.
What are minimum and maximum registration lengths for .de domain names?
The minimum and maximum registration length for .de domain names is 1 year.
How do I transfer a .de domain name from you to another registrar?
The transfer must be initiated through your new registrar. The transfer will require an authorization code. Please contact our support team to request the authorization code.
Can I add privacy and protection to .de domain names?
Neither privacy nor domain name protection are available for .de domain names do to German government regulations.
Can I change the registrant or other contact name on .de domain names?
To change the registrant information on your .de domain name, please contact our support department.
Are there restrictions if I change the nameservers for my .de domain name?
Yes. The following nameserver requirements apply to all .de domain names:
- Two nameservers which must be authoritative. You can verify if your nameserver is authoritative by visiting http://www.denic.de/en/background/nast.html and entering the domain name and the nameserver the domain name is using to receive a reply. If the answer at ZoneCheck lists a Non-authoritative answer at the top of the nameserver list, it is not authoritative. Remember that the nameservers that you are trying to use at the registry must be the only ones listed on each nameserver that you are trying to use. The nameservers listed in the nameserver's zone file for the domain name must match the nameservers you are trying to use for the domain name or it will be considered non-authoritative.
- Each nameserver must be on a separate class C network (i.e. the first three octets cannot be the same, 216.1.69.1 and 68.42.99.120 would be valid, for example.)
- An SOA (Start of Authority) Refresh value between 10000 and 86400 seconds is required.
- A Retry value between 1800 and 28800 seconds is required.
- A Time to Live (TTL) value between 180 and 345600 is required.
- An MX record must be specified which resolves to a valid mail server for the life of the domain name registration, not just for the registration itself.
- Serial numbers for all nameserver zones for the domain name must match.
