Reserving a Dubai Domain Name

Internet domain names fall under the regulations of the ae Domain Administration within the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the United Arab Emirates. The ae Domain Administration was enabled in 2007 and also acts as Registry Operator. The .ae domain is the country top level domain for the United Arab Emirates. Domain name registration in Dubai is permitted at second or third level based on certain category labels. According to the ae Domain Administration, only Dubai companies are currently allowed to use co.ae as a domain name for their websites. The ae Domain Administration also establishes and enforces the policies for the .ae domain.

Obtaining a domain name license in Dubai

In order to use the .ae domain name, companies in Dubai and in other emirates are required to obtain a domain name license. Companies cannot own a name, that is why they are required to apply for a special license which is granted for a specific period of time and according to certain conditions. The terms and conditions for using the .ae domain name are set out in the following documents:

  • The domain name registration application,
  • The domain name license,
  • The applicant’s agreement to use the .ae domain,
  • The policy as established by the ae Domain Administration.

All companies in Dubai applying for a domain name reservation are also subject to certain eligibility criteria.

What are the eligibility criteria for domain name reservation in Dubai?

Any Dubai citizen or Company applying for domain name reservation must know that the domain name license does not provide them any intellectual property rights over the license or the domain name. Moreover, the applicant must make sure the chosen domain name does not violate the rights of third parties or any legislation and it is not offensive. The period a domain name license can be granted for ranges between one and five years.

The composition of the .ae domain names in Dubai

Domain names in Dubai must respect the following indications:

  • They may not begin with a number
  • They may contain English or Arabic numbers, but not English and Arabic numbers at once
  • They may not begin or end with a dash
  • They may not contain spaces
  • They may only contain dashes after the third and fourth positions

The .dubai domain name is not available yet, but the authorities are working towards providing this service. For information about the accredited domain names registers, you may contact our specialists in Quantum Auditing.