How to register a domain name ?
Who can register a .be domain?
Anyone, from businesses to organisations to individuals, can register a .be domain. You need not be a Belgian resident, or, if you operate a business, it need not be based in Belgium. When you register a domain name you acquire an annual right of use of the domain name. You cannot therefore buy a domain name or view it as your property.
Who is domain name holder: individual or company? FAQ27.
You can only apply for a domain name via one of our registered agents. These are mainly Internet Service Providers who have entered into a contract with DNS Belgium, through which they are entitled to register domain names. You will find a list of these agents on this website.
Should you wish to register a domain name with a suffix other than .be, please refer to the list of authorities responsible for other top-level domains.
Applying for a domain name: step by step
- Choose a name
A domain name must be unique. To check whether a given name is still available use the WHOIS search function, which you will find at the top of every page of our website, or here. Domain names must meet with a number of technical requirements:- minimum 2 characters among the letters "a to z", the numbers "0 to 9" and the hyphen "-";
- maximum de 63 characters;
- must not begin or end with a hyphen;
- must not contain a hyphen "-" on the 3rd and 4th position.
You can find more details in the general terms and conditions. - Choose an agent
Having chosen a domain name you must then contact a registered agent. You will find a list of these agents on our website. - Read the conditions !
When registering a .be domain name you lend your explicit agreement to the general terms and conditions for end users.
The agent you have chosen will give these conditions to you at the time of registration, either for formal signature, or for explicit acceptance during (online) registration. If your agent did not present you with these conditions, you can always view them here. - Provide the agent with the necessary details
You will need to provide the agent with the following details: Trading name (where appropriate) + contact person: name + phone no. + address + valid e-mail address!!! A valid e-mail address is of the utmost importance, because it is our only direct means of communication with you: it will be used as a means of contact, for example, if you wish to change agents. DNS may withdraw a domain name if it has no active e-mail address.
Remark: it is important to know in advance who is the domain name holder: individual or organisation (see FAQ27). - Complete the form
The agent will fill in an electronic form (or you can fill it in yourself if you register online). Be sure to check that the details are correct!! It is important that the details you give are actually your own, and not those of the agent or an intermediary (e.g. web designer). It will prove difficult to update the information if you discover an error later. The holder of a domain can only be modified by using the TRADE-DOMAIN transaction which requires a fee (equivalent to a new registration) and the explicit consent of both parties. - Register the domain name
Registration is completely automatic, either by e-mail or by an online transaction. Your agent will forward the form to us. The domain name will be automatically registered for a period of one year. The agent will be sent confirmation of this. Once the domain name has been registered, the corresponding fee will be automatically debited from the agent's account. It is not possible to correct a misspelled domain name; the agent will have no other option but to register the correct name and pay a second fee. - Activation
Newly registered domain names are activated immediately from 24 August 2005. - WHOIS
When registered, your domain name will be immediately stored in the WHOIS database. Your details will be available to everyone, on the basis that everyone is entitled to know exactly who lies behind a given domain name or its associated website. Obviously, the WHOIS database is subject to restrictions, as a means of preventing misuse. You can retrieve a maximum of 1 domain name per second and a maximum of 100 domains per hour. Anyone who retrieves a domain name will be subject to the WHOIS Disclaimer, which essentially stipulates that the information cannot be used for commercial purposes.
