Anyone with a real connection to Ireland can register a .ie domain through one of the registry’s accredited registrars, usually within a few hours on a weekday. You’ll pay between €2.99 and €6 for the first year. Two registrars show a price of about €46 beside that offer, so check the renewal price, not the headline.
You also need one document that proves your Irish connection. And the domain must be registered in your name, not your web designer’s.
The registry’s own site said on 31 October 2026 that its registration systems would be down until about 14:00 on 16 November for an upgrade. If you’re reading before then, you can still plan and gather your documents.
What is a .ie domain?
.ie is Ireland’s country domain. The IE Domain Registry runs it and describes it as “the official ‘country code Top Level Domain’ (ccTLD) for the island of Ireland and the preferred online address for businesses in Ireland”.
The registry doesn’t sell domains to you directly. It sets the rules, and accredited registrars sell and manage them.
That split matters when something goes wrong. The registry decides who’s eligible and handles disputes. The registrar takes your payment, runs your renewals and gives you the control panel.
Who can register a .ie domain?
Anyone with what the registry calls a “real and substantive connection to the island of Ireland”. That means the whole island, not just the Republic. Residency anywhere in the 32 counties counts, and so does a Northern Ireland company.
You prove it with one document, and the registry checks every application. Which document depends on who you are.
| You are | Any one of these will do |
|---|---|
| A company | A CRO or business registration number, an Irish VAT number, a Revenue tax clearance certificate, an Irish or EU trademark number, or HMRC correspondence |
| A sole trader | The same list as a company. If you have none of them, separate evidence of your Irish connection and of your business |
| An individual | An Irish passport, an Irish or UK driving licence or an Irish or Northern Irish bank statement showing an address on the island, a college ID, a Public Services Card, or Revenue correspondence showing your PPS number |
| A charity | A CHY number from Revenue or an NIC number from the Northern Ireland Charity Commission |
Irish companies with an active CRO number get an express route. Pick the company application type, enter the number and type the company name correctly. You can also photograph your document and send it from your phone.
A business based abroad can still qualify if it sells to customers on the island of Ireland and can prove it, for example with sales invoices.
An individual who lives outside the island and doesn’t hold citizenship there can’t register a .ie at all, according to the registry.
How do you register a .ie domain, step by step?
- Check the name is free. Search it on any registrar’s site, or on the registry’s own search.
- Choose an accredited registrar. The registry publishes the list on its website and grades registrars by how many domains they manage.
- Fill in the application as the real owner, with your own name or company name and your own email address.
- Send your proof of Irish connection. One document, as in the table above.
- Pay. The registry says an application is usually processed within three hours, Monday to Friday, and the domain goes live at the next zone update, which happens every odd hour.
- Point it at your website and email. Your registrar’s control panel, or your host, tells you which nameservers to use. The registry asks for at least two.
If the document is missing or wrong, the application stays on the registry’s system for 27 days and nobody else can apply for that name meanwhile. A typo doesn’t mean starting again.
How much does a .ie domain cost?
The headline price is an offer for the first year. Two registrars’ own pages on 31 October 2026 show the gap.
| Registrar | First-year offer | The higher price shown beside it |
|---|---|---|
| Register365 | €2.99 | €45.99 |
| Hosting Ireland | €3.95 | €46.95 |
| LetsHost | €3.49 listed as its 2026 price | Not shown on the page |
| Blacknight | From €5.99 for one year | Not shown on the page |
Register365 and Hosting Ireland quote their prices before VAT. Offers come with conditions. Register365’s covers three .ie names per account. Check what the domain renews at before you pay.
Say €2.99 becomes €45.99 in year two and stays there. Three years then cost €94.97, an average of about €32 a year.
You hold the right to use the domain for as long as it stays registered, so a low first price is no reason to pick a registrar you wouldn’t trust with your email. You can renew for up to ten years at a time, which removes one thing to forget.
How do you choose a registrar?
Ask five questions before you pick one.
- Is it on the registry’s accredited list?
- What will the renewal cost, ex VAT?
- Does it charge anything to transfer out?
- Can you switch on two-step login for the account?
- Will the domain be registered in your name?
The last question matters most.
If your web designer or host registers the domain in their own name, it stays with them when you part ways. The registry defines the registrant as the person who holds “the right to use that domain name for as long as it is registered”. Make sure that’s you.
If you pay for a website to be built, put the domain in your name from day one. Choosing a web designer covers the other questions to ask.
How do you choose a .ie name?
Keep it short. Say it aloud to someone. If they ask how to spell it, change it.
A .ie name can use letters, numbers and hyphens, and can be one character or up to 63 long. Fada vowels work. A hyphen can’t be the first or last character. Skip hyphens and numbers if you can. They get misheard on the phone.
Some names are reserved or blocked. The registry publishes a list that it calls “non-exhaustive”, and some blocked names aren’t published for security reasons. If a name you’d expect to be free is refused, that may be why.
Check any trademark that looks like your name too. Disputes go through the registry’s dispute resolution policy, and its alternative dispute process is the easier, cheaper route for bad-faith registrations.
.ie or .com?
If you trade in Ireland, take the .ie. Grab the .com as well if it’s cheap and free.
Whether .ie helps rankings is a separate question, answered in does a .ie domain help SEO. For this decision, the practical point is that customers see .ie and read it as Irish.
What happens when it’s time to renew, transfer or let it expire?
Every .ie domain renews automatically for a year on its renewal date. If you stop paying, the domain doesn’t vanish on the day. The registry says it completely expires 80 days after the renewal date if nobody renews it, with a 30-day redemption period and five days pending delete along the way.
That’s a safety net, not a plan. Set a reminder.
To move a domain to another registrar, ask your current one for the authorisation code, usually called the authcode. The registry doesn’t charge for the code. The new registrar charges a transfer fee, and the transfer renews the domain for one more year.
If you’re an individual, your name stays out of WHOIS. The registry says individual owners aren’t listed, following GDPR. An organisation that registers a name is listed with its registration date.
What should you do after you register?
Three things, in this order.
- Set up email on the domain. Your host or email provider gives you the records to add in the control panel.
- Point the domain at your website and turn on HTTPS. Ask your host to do both. If you’re still choosing a host, see our hosting and maintenance plans.
- Redirect any other names you own to the main one, so customers who type the .com still land in the right place.
Questions people ask about .ie domains
Can anyone register a .ie domain?
Anyone with a real connection to the island of Ireland can, and has to prove it with a document. People who live outside the island and aren’t citizens there can’t register one.
How much does a .ie domain cost?
On 31 October 2026 registrars’ own pages showed €2.99 to €5.99 for the first year. Two of them showed a higher price of about €46 beside the offer, so check the renewal price before you pay. Those two quote before VAT.
How long does it take to register a .ie domain?
The registry says applications are usually processed within three hours, Monday to Friday. The domain then goes live at the next odd-hour zone update.
Can a sole trader register a .ie domain?
Yes. A sole trader can use a business registration number, a VAT number, a Revenue tax clearance certificate or a trademark number. If you have none of them, you can supply other evidence of your Irish connection and of your business.
Can a Northern Ireland business register a .ie domain?
Yes. The connection test is the island of Ireland. The registry lists Northern Irish bank statements, HMRC correspondence and Northern Ireland Charity Commission numbers as proof.
Is a .ie domain free for charities?
Through some registrars, yes. The registry says some of its accredited registrars waive registration and renewal fees for registered charities, and a charity needs a CHY or NIC number to qualify.
Can you transfer a .ie domain to another registrar?
Yes. Ask for the authcode, give it to the new registrar and pay its transfer fee, which also renews the domain for a year.
