March 1 of the current year was marked by the change of maintenance services for .ro domains. Thus, as mentioned in a previous article , starting from this date, they will have to be registered and renewed for a limited period of time, between 1 and 10 years. The annual cost is 6 euro/year excluding VAT in the case of RoTLD accredited registrants and 12 euro/year excluding VAT in the case of direct sales through the RoTLD website.
This change brings with it a series of questions regarding the maintenance and updating of .ro domains, such as:
What is the expiration date of a domain?
A domain registered before March 1, 2018 is valid for 5 years, according to the previous principle that the registration fee had to cover a minimum of 5 years of maintenance. RoTLD has an online calculator that simulates the expiration date and status of each website. Here’s what they look like on the klain.ro website.
Domain Name: klain.ro
Join Date: 2008-11-18
Expiry Date: 2018-11-18
Status: OK (domain is active, not suspended, or expired)
If the domain is not renewed before its expiration date, it enters the pending delete status for a period of 3 months. During all this time, it is not lost or deleted, but it can only be accessed if it is reactivated for at least one year.
An exception to this rule applies to domains registered before March 1, 2013, which enter a grace period for paying for the service of 3 months. Thus, they will have the status of pending delete only from June 1, 2018, and their holders have another 3 months to pay the fees.
If there is a transfer of the right of use before 1 March 2018, the start date of the calculation will be the date of the transfer. For example, a domain registered in 2013 and transferred in 2017 will only expire in 2022.
What are the ways to pay the annual fee?
Payment is made directly to the domain provider or to the Registrar to which the domain was moved. Any transfer of the domain between the Registrar can be done by obtaining a transfer key through the personal customer account on the RoTLD. No matter what Registrar the domain holder has, this account is permanently available.
The recommended way to make the payment is online, as the services are activated and reactivated (in case of exceeding the expiration date) automatically. The invoice proving the payment of the fee is sent by email by the supplier.
Another directive aimed at aligning with European practices is the deletion of the domain if it is not activated within 32 days.
How to register a new .ro domain?
The application for registration can be submitted using the form available on the RoTLD website, and the activation of the domain is done only after confirmation of payment by the bank. Following activation, the tax invoice is sent in electronic format.
What is the procedure for transferring the right to use a .ro domain?
The transfer of the right of use marks the change of the owner of the .ro domain. Its cost is equivalent to the renewal of the domain for a period of one year, i.e. 12 euros + VAT. Following the completion of the procedure, the expiration date of the domain in question is reset, and the maintenance period begins with the end of the transfer.
This process comprises four steps:
- Transmission of the authorization key to the future holder by the current holder.
- Filling in the online form by the future owner and sending the order.
- Completion and submission of a standard application by the current holder or its legal representative and processing by RoTLD.
- Sending the invoice and confirming the payment by the bank.
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