A .ro domain is registered for 1 to 10 years, in the name of an individual or a company, and must be renewed before it expires. Here are the concrete steps, the data you'll need and the mistakes that can cost you the domain, above all leaving it in someone else's name.
How .ro domains work today
The national registry for .ro domains is RoTLD, run by ICI Bucharest. You register a domain either directly with RoTLD or through an accredited partner (a registrar) such as GazduireOnline.ro. A few basic rules, current at the time of writing according to RoTLD's official notice:
- .ro domains are registered and renewed for a limited period: at least 1 year and at most 10 years;
- the annual registration and maintenance system has applied since 1 March 2018, so even an older domain has an expiry date you need to keep an eye on;
- you can look up the expiry date of any .ro domain in RoTLD's WHOIS.
Technically you don't “buy” the domain. You obtain a right of use for it, for as long as you pay the maintenance fee and follow the rules.
Individual or company?
Any individual or legal entity can register a .ro domain, whatever country they are in. A domain has a single holder, though: two people cannot hold it jointly.
| Individual | Legal entity (company, PFA, NGO) | |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable for | Personal blog, portfolio, projects before the company exists | Any commercial or non-profit activity |
| Shown in WHOIS | Data not shown publicly (GDPR) | Data shown publicly |
| If things change | The domain must later be moved to the company through a transfer of the right of use (a paid service) | Stays with the company even when the director changes |
Note: a company that does not exist yet cannot hold a .ro domain. RoTLD states clearly that “reserving” a name for a future company isn't allowed either. If you are still setting up your company, either wait for its tax ID or register in your own name and transfer the domain later, paying the transfer cost.
For a business, the advice is simple: put the domain in the company's name. It is one of the company's assets, just like its trademark or its bank account.
What data you need
Have it ready before you order. RoTLD requires accurate and complete data and does not accept changes once the request has been submitted.
- Individual: full name as on your ID, address, phone and an e-mail address you check every day.
- Company: exact company name, tax ID (CUI), trade register number, registered office and a contact person. Under RoTLD's rules, the contact person must be an employee of the company.
- Billing details. Invoices are issued to them.
- Nameservers (at least two), if you already have hosting. Your hosting provider gives them to you, and you can also set them after registration.
The steps, one by one
- Check availability on our domain check page.
- Choose the period, between 1 and 10 years. A longer period means fewer chances to forget a renewal.
- Fill in the holder data carefully, double-checking the name, CUI and e-mail.
- Pay for the order. With us, you pay online by card (Visa/Mastercard) through NETOPIA Payments. The domain is activated once payment is confirmed, and you receive an electronic invoice.
- Set the nameservers, so the domain points to your hosting. DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate.
- Note the expiry date in your calendar, even if you get e-mail reminders.
One useful detail from RoTLD's rules: an unpaid registration request cannot be cancelled on request. The name becomes free again only after about 32 days, when the request is deleted automatically.
Renewal: what happens at expiry
Before the expiry date you pay the maintenance fee for one or more further years. If you don't, RoTLD puts the domain into PendingDelete status:
- it stops working: website and e-mail go down;
- it can still be renewed, moved to another registrar or transferred to another holder;
- after 90 days it is deleted automatically and immediately becomes available to anyone, first come, first served.
Don't rely on those 90 days. From the first day your website and e-mail are down, you're losing customers and messages.
Keep your data up to date
Under Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 155/2024 and the GDPR, RoTLD applies a registration data verification policy. In practice:
- RoTLD can ask you to confirm your data at any time, by e-mail to the holder's contact address;
- if you don't validate it within the deadline in that notice, the domain is suspended and scheduled for deletion;
- you can also validate your data yourself, from the online administration panel on rotld.ro.
The holder's e-mail address also receives the link for resetting your administration password, along with other important confirmations. If that address no longer exists, changing it takes a signed form and copies of documents. That costs you time exactly when you need the domain most.
Why the holder must be you, not your web developer
It happens all the time: the web agency, or “a friend who knows computers”, registers the domain in their own name “to keep things simple”. The trouble comes later:
- under RoTLD's rules, only the holder has the right to administer the domain. The technical contact does not;
- if you fall out, or your contractor disappears, moving the domain into your name requires their agreement, through the transfer of right of use procedure;
- if their company is struck off, the procedure gets much more complicated and involves documents from its former shareholders.
It's perfectly normal for an agency to manage the technical side for you, such as DNS or nameservers. But the holder and the contact e-mail must be yours. If you already have a domain in someone else's name, sort it out now, while the relationship is good.
In short: checklist
- The domain is in your name or your company's, not your developer's.
- The holder e-mail is an address you actually read, preferably not one on that same domain.
- Your data (name, CUI, address) is accurate and you have validated it on rotld.ro.
- You know the expiry date and have a reminder in your calendar.
- You've chosen a registration period that suits you (1–10 years).
You can register a domain directly from our domain registration page, and if you already have a .ro with another registrar, see how a domain transfer works. Questions? Write to us at [email protected].
