Introduction

In this article, we will explain the policies regarding the France country-code TLD .fr.

The reader is encouraged to understand all the concepts and terms outlined in the Basics before proceeding further with this article. In fact, this article is written on the premise that the reader is familiar with the terminology used.

Prerequisite

Go to: https://my.planethoster.com.

Basics

If necessary, refer to the article about Country-Code Domain Specifications.

Required Registration

AFNIC prohibits special characters in the first and last name fields of contacts. The acceptable syntax is:

• Latin characters (except numbers and special characters);
• hyphens;
• apostrophes;
• spaces.

Prohibited Names and Reserved Names

AFNIC maintains a list of names that are not available for registration: https://www.afnic.fr/en/resources/reference/charters/terms-subject-to-prior-review/.

Registrants requesting registration of the names appearing on this list will be authorized to do so only if they can prove to AFNIC that they are entitled to do so. They must provide a detailed statement (4000 characters maximum) explaining the interest in the name. The request will then be forwarded to the AFNIC legal department which will approve or refuse it. If necessary, the AFNIC may ask the holder to provide follow-up documents to justify the request. 

PlanetHoster is there to support you in this process!

Residency and Location Requirements

The .fr ccTLD is available to French citizens who have an address in France.

In addition, people must be residents of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Organizations must be located in one of these countries.

Specifications of the Fields in the France “.fr” ccTLD

The “Name” fields are coded for organizations only, as an option:

“Name” field (optional)	Description
VAT Number	The organization’s Value Added Tax (VAT) number.
Number of the brand	Registration number of the organization’s trademark.
SIREN/SIRET Number	The 9-digit or 14-digit SIREN code which is used to identify the company for tax purposes. For organizations located in France, please indicate this number to avoid validation problems with the registry.

Additional information

The Practical guide for holders of domain names under the .fr is very useful to consult.

You can also visit the AFNIC website at https://www.afnic.fr/en/.