Frequently Asked Questions

The NearlyFreeSpeech.NET FAQ (*)

Domain Registration (*)

How do I change the name servers of a domain registered here?

What are the steps involved in an inbound domain transfer?

I let my domain expire a while ago. Now I'm trying to renew it and I get "renewal failed." Why?

I have a domain with a proxy privacy registration service. Can I transfer it to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

I want to transfer a domain to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET. Will my site/DNS/email go down if I do?

What happens to my domain's name server settings during a transfer?

Can I add or remove RespectMyPrivacy on a domain I already registered here or transferred?

Is NearlyFreeSpeech.NET an ICANN-accredited registrar?

Will you remind me before my domain expires?

If I still have time left on my existing domain registration with another registrar, can I keep that time if I transfer the domain to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

Why is my domain transfer taking so long?

What happens to my domain after it expires?

Why is the domain I transferred to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET not pointing to my site?

Why am I still paying for RespectMyPrivacy service on my expired domain?

Can I create child name servers (glue records) within my domain?

What's the maximum number of years for which I can register a domain name?

What does the error "The name server modification failed." mean?

What is whois verification?

How I do I get the transfer code for a domain registered here?

Will you be adding additional top-level domains to register?

Where are the actions for editing my registered domain?

Do I need to put valid contact information on my domain registration?

What happens if my domain transfer fails?

Can you send the domain transfer approval to a different email address?

I have a bunch of domains to register/renew/transfer. Can you help?

How do I renew my domain name?

How long does it take to transfer a domain away from NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

How do I transfer a domain registration away from NearlyFreeSpeech?

What top-level domains do you support for registration?

When should I renew my domain name?

How do I get rid of a registered domain I no longer want?

Why does domain registration have different Terms of Service than NearlyFreeSpeech.NET hosting?

Why did my domain transfer fail?

I renewed my expired domain. Why is it still parked?

Why does my domain registrar show as "external?"

What are the steps of a domain registration?

I deposited funds for my domain registration renewal but it hasn't been renewed. What's wrong?

What does the error "the contact information you entered was not accepted by the registry" mean?

I don't want to keep my domain. How do I stop receiving emails that it's going to expire?

When is RespectMyPrivacy enabled during domain registration?

Why doesn't the domain name I just renewed show up in the renewal monitor?

Why do I get "Invalid URL" when I click the email link to approve or cancel a domain transfer or verify a domain contact?

Does NearlyFreeSpeech allow managing DNSSEC (DS) records?

How do I update the public WHOIS contacts for a domain registered here?

What are ccTLDs, and why don't you support registering them?

ccTLDs are the two-letter TLDs assigned to individual countries based on their ISO country code, like .us, .uk or .de. All two-letter TLDs are ccTLDs, even though some (like .me and .ai) are marketed otherwise.

We are very hesitant to allow adding ccTLDs for countries other than the United States. Doing so raises concerns about giving those countries political, economic, or legal leverage over us or our members. Most ccTLD operators are part of or run on behalf of the country's government. They typically include things in their registrar agreement like "Paragraph 1219: You will follow all of our country's laws." and "Paragraph 2751: The ccTLD operator reserves the right to terminate this agreement at any time for any reason." That's a problem.

For example, suppose that we offered registrations in Atlantis's ccTLD and accumulated a few thousand domains. And maybe the Atlantis government decides they don't like a site we host that criticizes their land subsidence policies. Next thing we know, they're threatening to seize all those domains unless we cut somebody off, and claiming that we agreed to follow their laws on such matters.

While that may sound farfetched, we have had conflicts with foreign governments over member sites, and they don't play nice. Handing significant leverage to people who may not have our members' best interests at heart doesn't seem like a good idea.

Many ccTLD's also have weird, special requirements and procedures that would require a lot of extra work for us to support. (Looking right at you, .uk, and your IPS tags!) That may not sound like a big deal, but "extra work" for us translates directly to "extra cost" for you. Some ccTLDs even have complex legal requirements that the registrar, the name servers, or the registrant be physically present in that country that would be difficult or impossible for us to meet, even if all the other issues didn't exist.

How does manual registration of domains work for subscription members?