From March 2018, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) will relax the eligibility rules for registering domain names in Ireland’s ccTLD. The change will see what is called the “claim to the name” rule dropped, meaning registrants will only need to have a “connection to the island of Ireland” and to prove their identity.
 
The changes follow a consultation conducted by IEDR. IEDR say that as a result of the changes they want to:

• make it faster and easier for those with real Irish connections to get a .ie
• grow .ie, especially with Irish Small Office/Home Office/Micro businesses
• remove the ‘claim’ requirement, as applicants can’t prove future ‘claims’ (e.g. new start-up businesses who want a web presence before setting up a physical presence)
• remove restrictions on domains that reflect a person’s name, nickname, or pen name.

What will not be changing is that registrants will need to have legitimate connections with Ireland, either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, and each application for registration will continue to be manually verified. For help with your .ie domain names, contact us at [email protected].