Here are, in detail, the restrictions / rules imposed by the AFNIC for the registration of domain names having the following TLDs .fr, .re, .tf, .wf, .pm, and .yt.
Opening of the Registration of Terms Subject to Prior Review
Since July 1st 2011, AFNIC has opened the registration of terms subject to prior review.
Are concerned prohibited and reserved terms (and especially the names of municipalities), domain names under naming convention (agglo-, cc-, cr-, cg-, mairie-, ville-) as well as the name registrations of domain under the domains .gouv.fr.
If you have domains that are waiting, we advise you to open a ticket to find where the blockage comes from.
We invite you to read carefully the naming chart of the AFNIC (the .FR Register) and the Practical Guide.
Verifications for French People
In addition AFNIC checks for people with French citizenship if the Postal Code and the City correspond well.
For example :
- if postal code of your place of birth is 75002 and City of your place of birth is Paris, it will work well;
- if postal code of your place of birth is 75002 and City of your place of birth is Toulouse, it will not pass.
In addition, the domains registered with AFNIC can only be made by people residing in Europe and over 18 years old.
We therefore advise you to be careful to put the right information when registering your domain.
Information in the WHOIS
Currently, the AFNIC hides by default the information present in WHOIS for individuals.
If you have registered a SIRET or DUNS number, you will be registered as a legal entity and your information will be displayed.
Contact information such as address, city, zip code, phone, fax and email address can be changed via your PlanetHoster client area.
Inbound Transfer for Domains Managed at AFNIC
The transfer of domain names managed by AFNIC is a little different from other naming institutions:
- the AFNIC does not lock the domain names; it is enough to have the code AUTH / INFO to be able to transfer it;
- once the incoming transfer request is made, it takes 8 days if the old registrar does not validate the transaction;
- if the old office rejects the outgoing request, it will take 14 days in addition to the previous 8 days (see https://www.afnic.fr/en/your-domain-name/manage-your-domain-name/changing-registrars-3.html).
Request for AUTH / INFO Code
Currently, the AuthInfo code (or often wrongly called EPP code) for domains is not displayed in your member area for obvious security reasons (no locking).
If you want to have the EPP code of your domain, know that you can make the request via the support and advise you will transmit it without any problem.
Can I register a Domain Managed by AFNIC for More Than One Year?
Currently, the registration of domains by the AFNIC can only be registered for a period of one year and is renewable by annual period indefinitely.
How to Recover an Unpaid / Canceled Domain?
Domains that have not been paid on time or for which automatic renewal has been deactivated are transferred to a redemption status within 5 days, at which point they can no longer be used.
You have the option to recover the domain via the registrar within 7 days of the anniversary date of the domain; once this time is exceeded, the domain will be purchasable to anyone who wishes.
Which Countries Can Register a .fr Domain Name?
Authorized countries are:
- .at : Austria.
- .be : Belgium.
- .bg : Bulgaria.
- .ch : Sweden.
- .cy : Cyprus.
- .cz : Czech Republic.
- .de : Germany.
- .dk : Denmark.
- .ee : Estonia.
- .es : Spain.
- .fi : Finland.
- .fr : France.
- .gf : French Guyana.
- .gp : Guadeloupe.
- .gr : Greece.
- .hr : Croatia.
- .hu : Hungaria.
- .ie : Ireland.
- .is : Iceland.
- .it : Italia.
- .li : Liechtenstein.
- .lt : Lithuania.
- .lu : Luxembourg.
- .lv : Latvia.
- .mf : St-Martin.
- .mq : Martinique.
- .mt : Malta.
- .nl : Netherlands.
- .no : Norway.
- .pl : Poland.
- .pm : Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
- .pt : Portugal.
- .re : Réunion.
- .ro : Romania.
- .se : Sweden.
- .si : Slovenia.
- .sk : Slovakia.
- .tf : French Southern and Antarctic Lands.
- .wf : Wallis and Futuna.
- .yt : Mayotte.