How French .fr domain names work
In a previous article we explained how generic domain names work; in this one, we turn our attention to French domain names.
We will explain how to manage a .fr domain name, how a French domain transfer works, and what to do if the domain name has not been renewed.
French domain names are managed by AFNIC (Association française pour le nommage Internet en coopération), a private non-profit organisation appointed by the French State to manage domain names under the .fr, .re , .pm, .tf , .wf and .yt extensions.
HaiSoft is an AFNIC-accredited registrar.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is a combination of characters forming a unique name that matches the business or service offered by the website.
Domain names are associated with an extension (e.g. .fr, .com).
Extensions
Reminder: a domain name's extension is the part that comes after the "dot". Take a look at our article on domain name extensions.
The domain name extensions managed by AFNIC are abbreviations of French territories:
- The .fr extension stands for mainland France and Corsica
- The .re extension stands for Réunion Island
- The .pm extension stands for Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- The .tf extension stands for French Southern and Antarctic Lands
- The .wf extension stands for Wallis and Futuna
- The .yt extension stands for Mayotte
Choosing the right extension
Reminder: choosing your domain name's extension matters, as it reflects your brand image and your target audience.
People register .fr domain names to protect their brand, to have a presence in France and for search engine visibility.
For example, a French company should register its chosen domain name under the national extension of its target country before considering other domain names under other extensions.
Registration
To register a domain name, you need to choose a registrar such as HaiSoft.
A .fr domain name can contain 1 to 63 characters. The domain name becomes active within 24 hours of the registration request.
The chosen domain name must not infringe the rights of other people, companies or institutions: it must not be liable to be confused with a domain name that has already been assigned, a person's surname or a trademark.
The chosen domain name must not be the name of a town or city, as this is reserved for its local council. Domain names under .gouv.fr cannot be registered, as they are reserved for French government bodies.
Since 6 December 2011, AFNIC no longer allows domain names to be registered under the ".tm.fr", ".asso.fr", ".asso.re", ".com.fr", ".com.re", ".nom.fr" and ".presse.fr" namespaces.
Registration costs €11.99 excl. VAT per year, or is free if you have taken out one of our shared hosting plans.
Domain name owner
The domain name owner must be specified during the registration process. To complete the registration, we need the contact's surname, first name, company, address, e-mail and phone number.
WHOIS information for the domain name is anonymised for individuals and visible for companies and associations.
Changing the domain name owner: TRADE
A change of owner can be requested at any time.
The change of holder is requested when the domain name is transferred or renewed, to avoid additional charges. For .fr domain names, this is called a TRADE.
A change of holder re-registers the domain name for one year.
When a Trade is requested, two confirmation e-mails are sent: one to the current holder and one to the future holder. Both e-mails must be validated for the transfer and change of owner to go ahead.
Transfer
Transferring a domain name means changing registrar. The transfer procedure for .fr domain names is simple.
All you need is the transfer code provided by your current registrar, which you pass on to your new hosting provider so that the transfer request can be initiated. The domain name is then transferred within 8 working days if the current registrar does not respond, or immediately if the outgoing registrar approves the request.
If the registrar objects to the transfer, it is granted an additional, non-renewable period of 22 days.
Renewal and reactivation
Reminder: it is essential to manage your domain name carefully and protect it so that you do not lose it.
The domain name must be renewed on its renewal date for you to keep ownership of it. We take care of the renewal and will let you know if it could not be carried out.
If the domain name has not been renewed on its anniversary date, you have 30 days after its expiry date to renew it. Reactivating the domain name costs €5 excl. VAT.
If the domain name is still not renewed, you lose your exclusive right to use it and the domain name is deleted.
The domain name then returns to the public domain, where anyone can register it again. Domains that were successful are often snapped up immediately by bots, making them impossible to recover.
If you would like to register a domain name, feel free to place an order on our website or by support ticket: register a domain. We remain at your disposal for any questions on this subject.
