@djchuang

.CHURCH domain name can be registered now

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in ,
[update 9/19/14] See this list of registrars and pricing for .CHURCH domain names for where you can register .CHURCH domain names now

September 10th, 2014 at 9:00am PDT (16:00 UTC) will mark the start of a 7-day period called the Early Access Program (EAP) that allows anyone in the world to register a domain name ending with a .CHURCH extension on a first-come first-serve basis. The premiums are the highest on the first day, and then the premium becomes lower on the following days, and so does the opportunity to get the domain you might want.

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I found 3 registrars that have EAP registration for .CHURCH domain names (there may be more out there, but they don’t make ’em easy to find) and the corresponding minimum EAP premium fees (as published on their website):

101domain.com — day 1 @ $11990 / day 2 @ $2990 / day 3 @ $1199 / day 4 @ $650 / day 5 @ $169 / day 6 @ $149 / day 7 @ $129 || annual @ $29.99

godaddy.com — day 1 @ $12539.99 / day 2 @ $3164.99 / day 3 @ $1239.99 / day 4 @ 689.99 / day 5-7 @ $189.99 || annual @ $39.99

name.com — day 1 @ $12500 / day 2 @ $3000 / day 3 @ $1200 / day 4 @ 650 / day 5-7 @ $175 || annual @ $34.99

// [update] complete list of registrars selling domain names operated by Donuts //

To get priority access for registering the .CHURCH domain name you want, you would pay a pretty premium. And, I’ve overheard that these premium fees are in addition to the annual registration fee for the domain name, but I haven’t been able to find this clearly and simply stated online. Also note, some .CHURCH domain names may come at a premium annually, being translated, not all available domain names will have the same annual registration fee.

Be sure to read the fine print for caveats and disclaimers (these new gTLDs are not easy to explain in a tweet or a bullet point; be careful to not oversimplify when explaining to the decision makers why these are important and the accompanying caveats. Add a comment and we can have an open discussion about .CHURCH here.) According to the Donuts registry’s EAP info page:

“The EAP helps registrants immediately secure the domain names they’ve always wanted… Donuts domains are available on a buy-it-now basis, you can start using your domain immediately after purchase. There’s no need to wait before incorporating it into your marketing and promotional materials and campaigns…”

What if you don’t want to pay a premium? The free-for-all for the general public to register .CHURCH domain names at the normal annual registration fee starts at 9:00am PDT on September 17, 2014. To learn more about .CHURCH domain names, I’ve previously blogged and/or talked about them at:

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This post is part of a blog series tagged gTLD. Also see How to get the new gTLD domain names you want + When will more new gTLD websites go live? + How can I get a .CHURCH domain name? + 6 ways to choose a meaningful domain name with a new gTLD

Comments

19 responses to “.CHURCH domain name can be registered now”

  1. Steve Perky (@StevePerky) Avatar
    Steve Perky (@StevePerky)

    DJ, thanks for staying on top of this process for us and keeping us informed. I appreciate all you do to advance to advance the work of Christ and His church through Social Media and technology.

  2. tonjacTonja Avatar
    tonjacTonja

    Network Solutions has the two URLs I’d want available for EAP today for just under $200. This doesn’t seem to correspond to the prices listed above. What am I missing?

    1. djchuang Avatar
      djchuang

      Hi Tonja, I went over to NetworkSolutions.com and tried a test .CHURCH domain, and it looks like they’re not fully supporting the EAP for “buy it now” instant registration. The 3 I’ve listed above are offering it, but not all registrars providing general registration (or pre-paid-registration) for .CHURCH domains have EAP.

      1. tonjacTonja Avatar
        tonjacTonja

        I was just coming back to update that I figured that out. Sorry for the trouble, but thanks for the reply!

  3. Brendan Avatar
    Brendan

    1and1 tells me: “Attention! For legal reasons, this domain name can not be requested.” According to Godaddy support, it doesn’t look like anyone has our domain yet, but they may be holding the name back from pre-release. This is pretty annoying.

    1. djchuang Avatar
      djchuang

      The new gTLD program has been a learning process for all involved. The caveat about some domain names not being available would look like a message along the lines of “For legal reasons, this domain name can not be requested.” or something like “This name is reserved by the Registry in accordance with ICANN Policy.”

      What this message is likely to be referring to 1 of 2 things (and there may be other reasons too, albeit unknown): is [1] ICANN prohibited strings that would never be available, [2] the “name collision” and “controlled interruption” period, and 30K+ second-level domains are on this temporarily-blocked list for at least 90 days after 18 August 2014 — see detailed information at http://icann.org/namecollision

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