Domains

WHAT IS A DOMAIN?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CZ.NIC ASSOCIATION AND A REGISTRAR?

CZ.NIC Association manages all domains that are registered in .CZ. It takes care that the entire system of domain registrations works as it should work. A domain holder does not usually come into contact with it because everything from the beginning to the end is solved with his registrar. A registrar is authorized to perform domain registration on the basis of the concluded contract with CZ.NIC. Always pay attention to who you work with including the selection of your registrar. If you are not satisfied you can always choose another registrar.

The registration of a domain name can also be carried out by an intermediary between the domain holder (you) and the registrar, such as a web hosting company or an IT professional who creates web presentations for their clients (the content of the website linked to the registered domain name).

CAN I CHECK OUT OTHER DOMAINS WITH CZ.NIC THAN .CZ?

WHAT ARE CONTACTS AND IDENTIFIERS AND WHAT DO I NEED THEM FOR?

WHAT IS A PASSWORD FOR TRANSFER (AUTHINFO) AND WHERE CAN I GET IT?

The password for the transfer (you may also come across the term "AuthInfo") is a password used to confirm the transfer of an object (domain, contact, set of nameservers, set of keys) from one registrar to another. If you decide to transfer the domain name (contact, NSSET or KEYSET) to another registrar, you must enter this password for the transfer to take place.

You can get the transfer password in the following ways:

Via the current registrar.
Via the new target registrar.
By filling in the form.
If the contact is registered with MojeID, it is possible to set AuthInfo in the Domain Browser.

You always request AuthInfo for the relevant object for which you subsequently change the designated registrar. If you have a domain password, you only transfer the domain to the new registrar, but the contact, NSSET and KEYSET remain with the existing registrar. All domains, NSSETs and KEYSETs linked to this contact can be transferred only with the password for the contact.

The validity of the transfer password (AuthInfo) is 14 days. Validity period is specified in the Rules of Technical Communication.

If you have an out-of-date e-mail address listed for your contact in the central registry, it is advisable to first change it through the designated registrar so that the domain can be managed in the future. If this change is not possible, or the registrar requires an authorization password from you to change the e-mail address (some registrars use AuthInfo as authorization of an authorized person also for changes to contact data), it is possible to send the password to another e-mail address. In such a case, it is necessary to fill out the form and select sending to "custom e-mail". Subsequently, it is necessary to verify the application in one of the following ways:

Via an officially verified signature
Via data box
Via electronic signature (the list of trusted certification authorities for communication with CS OTE can be found hhere).

WHAT IS THE DOMAIN BROWSER?

WHAT IS A DOMAIN AUCTION?

HOW TO REGISTER .CZ DOMAIN?

First, choose the domain name you want to register. The domain name can only contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and a hyphen (-), which cannot appear at the beginning or the end of the name. The length of the domain name cannot exceed 63 characters. Then, verify whether the chosen domain name is available using the WHOIS registry search.

If, after searching for the domain name in WHOIS, a record appears with the status "Enlisted to an auction," it means that the domain was registered, but its holder didn't renew the registration, and the domain is now ready to be auctioned in Domain auctions.

In the domain registration system, it is not possible to directly register a domain name with the CZ.NIC association. Instead, you must choose a so-called registrar. This is an entity that has access to the registry and manages domain names for users. Individual registrars offer different services and pricing for domain registration. Choose your registrar from the registrar list, from where you can directly access their registration systems.

To register a domain name, you must first register a "contact," which contains information about the person who will be listed in the registry as the domain's holder. Registering a contact creates a "contact identifier," which is the name of the contact and is usually automatically generated by the registrar. You can also use a MojeID account as the contact, where your username will be the contact identifier. You can register any number of domains under one contact (identifier).

The registrar you choose will also assist with the registration of a nameserver set (NSSET) and a key set (KEYSET), if necessary.

A domain can be registered for at least one year and up to ten years. Naturally, you can always extend its registration for another period through your registrar.

The domain will typically be registered to you immediately after you pay the registrar. You can verify the domain registration again using the WHOIS.

WITH WHOM DO I ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WHEN REGISTERING A DOMAIN NAME?

WHAT SHOULD ONE BE AWARE OF WHEN REGISTERING?

1. Your domain name must be correct and free of typos – the name of the already registered domain name can not be "fixed". In that case it is necessary to register a new domain.

2. The name of your domain and the way you use it does not harm anyone - if you want to offer your perfect homemade lemonade definitely do not sell it under a name myperfecthomemadekofola.cz (my-perfect-homemade-kofola.cz). Before registering try to consult your dream name with the list of company registers or the registration of trademarks. If someone feels affected by your registered domain (or by its content) all his claims will go after you.

3. Unless you have your dream domain name registered definitely do not boast anywhere with its name (the only exception is the Patent Office or the Registration Court when you go to register the trademark or to establish a company of the same name)! Domains are registered in the order in which the registration requests were delivered through the registrars. If someone overtakes you then you have to deal with a very difficult situation with an uncertain outcome.

4. Continually keep an eye on the fact that you have your domain data current – name or your company name, e-mail and postal address. Only then you can rely that you get the information relating to your domain in time (such as its expiration date is approaching or changes are made). Also keep in mind that in extreme cases incorrect data may be the reason to cancel the registration of a domain.

WHAT IS A PRICE OF A DOMAIN NAME?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME WITH DIACRITICS?

HOW TO RENEW A DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION?

You can renew your domain name registration through your sponsoring registrar. If you're unsure who your registrar is, look up your domain in the registry and check the sponsoring registrar field.

A domain name can be renewed at any time, including during the protection period.

The expiration date is the date until which the domain name has been paid for by the holder. But the domain is not going to be cancelled on that day it has just entered the protective period. It takes 60 calendar days: the domain is fully functional for 30 days, then it is put out of the zone and on the 61st day it is definitelly cancelled. It is no longer possible to extend the validity of the domain on the 61st day. You can find “to cancel” in the domain statement.

If the registration of a domain is not renewed by its holder, the domain is deleted after the protection period and placed into auctions. You can find more information about domain auctions here.

HOW TO CHANGE DOMAIN (CONTACT) DETAILS?

Always contact your registrar regarding change requests. If you're unsure who your registrar is, look up your domain in the registry (if you want to change personal and contact details, click the link in the Holder row and check the Sponsoring registrar field).

Remember that unless you see the updated information in the registry, the change has not been completed - in this case, contact your registrar again.

A required form of request confirmation (authorization) thus verification that the request for change actually gives the authorized person depends exactly on your registrar. It can be a confirmation by e-mail that is given by the holder, an electronic signature, a notarized signature, or authinfo. A method for verifying the change request can be one of the criteria by which you choose your registrar.

A domain holder or the one whom the respective registered contact belongs can make any changes in a domain or contact. But there are also a few entries within a domain that may be changed by someone else. Be sure and rather see appendix 2 of Registration Rules. There is a clear and understandable table. In case of doubt send us an e-mail or call us.

If your contact is registered through the MojeID service, you can edit your details directly in your account immediately after logging in.

HOW TO CHANGE THE SPONSORING REGISTRAR?

Contact your chosen new registrar who will arrange everything. It is necessary to disclose the password for transfer (authinfo) to the new registrar to accomplish a succesful change,

When transferring a domain, it is advisable to transfer all objects associated with the domain to the new registrar. The reason is that when you register a domain, you must first register a contact (an identifier where the contact details of the holder are listed). You can then registrar any number of domains to that contact. These two registrations (contact and domain) are treated as two objects from the registry's point of view. When transferring both objects to another registrar, it is advisable to generate an authinfo for the holder's contact and with it you can transfer not only the contact but also all domains registered to this contact to the new registrar.

In case you change your domain registrar then the period for which the domain is prepaid does not change.

CAN I PROTECT MY DOMAIN FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED CHANGE?

MUST THE DOMAIN HOLDER'S DETAILS BE DISPLAYED IN THE REGISTRY (WHOIS)?

The data in the public part of the register is used to identify domain name holders to others. All personal information is automatically hidden, except for the name of the organization, the name of the individual and the postal address. It is also possible to hide the postal address information if the contact is registered to a natural person (the Organization field is not filled in) and at the same time is managed via the MOJEID service and the contact is connected to public administration services. Therefore, only the information about the name or organization will always remain visible. This is due to the protection of the rights of you as the holder of the domain name and other persons, including consumers, ensuring safety on the Internet and also confidence in the content published on it. There is therefore a wide range of people who have a legitimate interest in the availability of the Whois database and the correctness of the data contained in it and the possibility to obtain data on domain name contacts without unnecessary costs and delays.

Please note, however, that we may disclose even hidden data in accordance with the obligations imposed by law – to courts, including an arbitrator, the police, tax authorities and others. We will also provide them to those who request it - but they must prove their identity, as well as state and document the purpose for which they need the data. CZ.NIC is not obliged to comply with such a request (if it comes to the conclusion that it is against good morals, the applicant does not provide the purpose, etc.).

If you would like your data to be publicly displayed in the Whois database, you can edit the settings in the Domain browser or contact your registrar.

THE DOMAIN HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ZONE (CONTENT UNAVAILABLE). CAN I REQUEST FOR A TEMPORARY INCLUSION OF DOMAIN TO THE ZONE?

WHAT IS A NAMESERVER SET (NSSET) AND WHO MANAGES IT FOR ME?

It is a structure where nameserver sets and relevant contacts of technical administrators of name servers are listed. Such a set is as a whole assigned to a domain name. The same nameserver set can be assigned to other domains. This allows simplifying the administration of nameservers.

A name server, also known as DNS (short for Domain Name System), translates domain names (e.g., mydomain.cz) into numerical addresses, or IP addresses, that computers use to communicate on the internet. Thanks to this, users can easily access any website.

You can learn more about domains and DNS on our website.

If you're unsure who manages the technical aspects of your nameserver set, you can find out on our website. Enter your domain name into the form to see which entity is listed as the Technical Contact or Sponsoring registrar in the Name Server Set section. By clicking on one of the listed entities, you will be redirected to a page with more details and a contact address where you can direct your inquiries.

TECHNICAL CHECKS OF NAMESERVER SETS

To ensure the proper technical configuration of domains and their availability on the internet, we automatically test nameserver sets in Central register . This service runs DNS record and domain delegation checks on all domains linked to the tested nameserver set using the Zonemaster service.

Zonemaster is a tool developed by the domain registries of France and Sweden (AFNIC and The Swedish Internet Foundation). For each domain, the service performs a series of tests, each of which results in a severity level:

critical - the message means a very serious error
error - the message means a problem that is very likely (or possibly certain) to negatively affect the function of the zone being tested, but not so severe that the entire zone becomes unresolvable
warning - the message means something that will under some circumstances be a problem, but that is unlikely to be noticed by a casual user
notice - the message means something that should be known by the zone's administrator but that need not necessarily be a problem at all.
info - the message is something that may be of interest to the zone's administrator but that definitely does not indicate a problem

Details about the tests performed can be found in the documentation.

Our technical checks process the test results based on severity, assigning the highest detected severity level to the tested nameserver set. Subsequently, an email summarizing the test results is sent to the technical administrators of the respective nameserver set. The sending of this email is governed by the configured reporting level, which can be adjusted via the nameserver set’s registrar. The reporting levels are as follows:

0 - reporting completely disabled
1 - reporting only for "critical" results
2 - reporting for "critical" and "error" results (default setting)
3 - reporting for "critical," "error," and "warning" results
4 - reporting for "critical," "error," "warning," and "notice" results

Technical checks are initiated:

when a new nameserver set is created
regularly, once per month

If you received an email titled "Výsledek technické kontroly sady nameserverů / Results of technical check on the NS", review the detailed results for each domain listed at the end of the email. Based on this information, check the status and configuration of DNS/name servers or contact your technical administrator for the nameserver set.

For more information about name server sets, see - What is a nameserver set and who manages it for me?

I RECEIVED E-MAIL "RESULT OF TECHNICAL CHECK ON THE NS SET"

If you have received this email, it means that we have conducted a quality check of the domain delegation for which you are the holder or technical administrator. We aim to highlight any issues that could disrupt the functionality of the domain or cause its unavailability.

a. I don't understand what I am supposed to do?

Thanks to the technical checks of the nameserver set, it is possible to prevent issues that may disrupt the functionality of the domain or its availability on the internet. Please contact your technical administrator or the person responsible for managing your domains. Simply forward this email to them. The technical administrator will then check the DNS and nameserver settings and correct them if necessary. If you are unsure who your technical administrator for the nameserver set is, you can find out on our website. Enter your domain name in the form and check which entity is listed under the "Name server Set" section as the "Technical Contact" or "Sponsoring registrar"

b. I am not the technical administrator of the domain, yet I received this email

When registering a domain, it is possible to assign any existing nameserver to the domain or designate any person as the technical administrator. The configuration and management of the nameservers are, of course, the responsibility of the nameserver operator, but nothing prevents the domain holder from assigning any nameserver or any technical administrator to the domain. Try contacting the domain holder or registrar directly and request a correction. You can find this information directly in the registry.

c. I don't understand the errors you found / I don't see any discrepancies in the domain settings

You will find all critical errors in the test results. Links to the test results for each domain are provided at the end of the email. By clicking on them, you can see a list of all severities. Each error also includes a description of the issue. For technical checks, we use the external service Zonemaster. If you believe the error evaluation is incorrect, you can contact the authors of the Zonemaster service (www.zonemaster.nic.cz/faq).

d. I don't know where to check or change the nameserver settings

It is usually possible through the technical administrator or the registrar of the name server set. It could also be your web hosting provider or the person managing your domain. If you're unsure, try searching your domain name in the registry. In the "Name server set" section, you'll find individual "Name server" entries, which often include the name of your provider. For example, if the name server is listed as ns1.nasweb.cz 217.31.206.129 217.31.206.130, your provider might be the company Nasweb.

e. Can I run the domain test again?

We perform technical checks automatically once a month using the Zonemaster service, which also has a public web interface where you can test your domain name independently of the regular checks.

f. I don't want to receive emails about technical checks

Your name server set registrar should allow you to change the notification settings for technical checks. The option name in the registrar's system interface may vary – you might encounter terms like "reporting level settings," "test scope," "report level," etc. If you need assistance, contact your registrar.

WHAT IS DNSSEC?

WHEN CHANGING THE NAME SERVER SET, IS IT NECESSARY TO TURN OFF DNSSEC?

WHAT IS A KEY SET?

WHAT IS AUTOMATED KEY MANAGEMENT (AKM)?

AKM is a service for managing key sets of domains (Automated Keyset Management) that have DNSSEC security enabled (protection against domain name spoofing). These keys need to be changed periodically to avoid cracking them. AKM is a system that ensures an automated process between your domain's technical administrator and the .CZ domain registry, in which we exchange the information necessary to operate DNSSEC on your domain. The process is set up a way so that the domain holder does not have to deal with anything.

You can check the current security status of your domain on our website, where you will also find a list of CDNSKEY record scans. Adding a domain to the Automated Key Management System means no changes for domain holders or end users. Both the domain and website work the same way as before, with no changes to billing or contact information.

If you want to prevent your domain from being added to the automated key management system (AKM), contact the technical contact of your name server set administrator and request them to stop publishing the CDNSKEY record for your domain. (In WHOIS, enter your domain name in the form and check which entity is listed in the Name server set section as the Technical contact or the Sponsoring registrar).

AUTOMATED KEY MANAGEMENT AND CDNSKEY

If the Automatic Key Management (AKM) system detects a valid CDNSKEY record for your domain (at the request of the nameserver set administrator), the record will be monitored for the following seven days. Your website and domain will function as usual during this period.

If there is no change to the CDNSKEY record during the seven-day monitoring period, the domain will be added to AKM, and the keys required for DNSSEC operation will be automatically updated regularly. However, nothing will change for you, as the domain holder, or for the end users of your website.

If your nameserver set administrator issues a new valid CDNSKEY record, the Automatic Key Management (AKM) system will detect it for your domain, automatically update it, and set the new CDNSKEY record.

If the AKM system detects an error in the issued CDNSKEY record or a misconfiguration of the name server set during the seven-day monitoring period, the monitoring period will be interrupted. However, the system will continue to monitor the records, and the verification process will always restart from the beginning.

You can find a detailed overview of the CDNSKEY record scanning process on our website under the "Results of DNSSEC automatic management scans" link for your domain.

As of December 2024, the AKM system no longer considers increased domain security through change blocking in the domain registry (where the domain status indicates "Update forbidden") and will still accept CDNSKEY records even with this security in place.

If you want your domain to be included in the Automatic Key Management system, ask your name server set administrator to publish a CDNSKEY record. Details about DNSSEC can be found at www.nic.cz/dnssec.

If you're unsure who manages the technical aspects of your nameserver set, you can find out on our website. Enter your domain name into the form to see which entity is listed as the Technical Contact or Sponsoring registrar in the Name Server Set section.

HOW TO EXCLUDE A DOMAIN FROM THE AUTOMATED KEY MANAGEMET (AKM)?

HOW DO YOU WORK WITH MY PERSONAL DATA

The handling of your personal data is a subject to legal protection and the CZ.NIC Association acts in full compliance with legal regulations. For domain name registration, respectively contact name registration, only a minimum of data is required - name, e-mail and postal address and of course the identifier. If you are interested in details, see Appendix 1 of the Rules of Registration. Obviously, we will not provide your data to anyone else, but the people we have to provide it by law - such as the police, the courts, the tax authorities, etc. - are the exception. For a complete overview of the processing of your personal data by CZ.NIC, see the Privacy Policy. The security and protection of your data is very important to us, and even that is why we hold the ISMS certification (ISO/IEC 27001).
In order to be able to comply with the requirements of data protection legislation, but also to keep you informed of what is happening or going on to happen with your domain name in time, it is necessary that you keep your data up to date. If you find any discrepancy with the actual status, contact your registrar as soon as possible.

CAN I GET HISTORICAL DATA ABOUT A DOMAIN?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO PLEDGE A DOMAIN NAME?

WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR RESOLVING DISPUTES BETWEEN A DOMAIN HOLDER AND ANOTHER PERSON?

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CZ.NIC IN THE CONTEXT OF DISPUTES CONCERNING DOMAINS?

CZ.NIC does not resolve any disputes – it is a private entity and can not decide whether someone has broken the right of someone else or not. However, as a statutory duty it provides necessary cooperation to courts, police, finance, trade offices, notaries, liquidators, executors and other authorities. The cooperation is mostly in a form of providing information about the holder of a domain or domains that he has now or had in the past. However, it must always be a specific person or a specific domain and the information is provided specifically for the purposes of the proceedings.

Based on the decisions of such authorities such as courts in most cases, CZ.NIC carries out in particular:

blocking a domain (a domain holder can not transfer such a domain to someone else or to cancel it)
putting a domain out of DNS (a domain does not work)
changing a domain holder
cancelling registration of a domain.

What exactly CZ.NIC can or can not do is available here. To block a domain in case of a dispute may be done at the request of the prosecuter; however, such a blocking can not last longer than four months and can not be repeated in less than a year.

Frequently asked questions

HOW TO CHANGE DOMAIN (CONTACT) DETAILS?

WHAT ARE CONTACTS AND IDENTIFIERS AND WHAT DO I NEED THEM FOR?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CZ.NIC ASSOCIATION AND REGISTRAR?

HOW TO RENEW A DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION?

Other frequently asked questions

WHAT IS A DOMAIN?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CZ.NIC ASSOCIATION AND A REGISTRAR?

CAN I CHECK OUT OTHER DOMAINS WITH CZ.NIC THAN .CZ?

WHAT ARE CONTACTS AND IDENTIFIERS AND WHAT DO I NEED THEM FOR?

WHAT IS A PASSWORD FOR TRANSFER (AUTHINFO) AND WHERE CAN I GET IT?

WHAT IS THE DOMAIN BROWSER?

WHAT IS A DOMAIN AUCTION?

HOW TO REGISTER .CZ DOMAIN?

WITH WHOM DO I ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WHEN REGISTERING A DOMAIN NAME?

WHAT SHOULD ONE BE AWARE OF WHEN REGISTERING?

WHAT IS A PRICE OF A DOMAIN NAME?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO REGISTER A DOMAIN NAME WITH DIACRITICS?

HOW TO RENEW A DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION?

HOW TO CHANGE DOMAIN (CONTACT) DETAILS?

HOW TO CHANGE THE SPONSORING REGISTRAR?

CAN I PROTECT MY DOMAIN FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED CHANGE?

MUST THE DOMAIN HOLDER'S DETAILS BE DISPLAYED IN THE REGISTRY (WHOIS)?

THE DOMAIN HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ZONE (CONTENT UNAVAILABLE). CAN I REQUEST FOR A TEMPORARY INCLUSION OF DOMAIN TO THE ZONE?

WHAT IS A NAMESERVER SET (NSSET) AND WHO MANAGES IT FOR ME?

TECHNICAL CHECKS OF NAMESERVER SETS

I RECEIVED E-MAIL "RESULT OF TECHNICAL CHECK ON THE NS SET"

WHAT IS DNSSEC?

WHEN CHANGING THE NAME SERVER SET, IS IT NECESSARY TO TURN OFF DNSSEC?

WHAT IS A KEY SET?

WHAT IS AUTOMATED KEY MANAGEMENT (AKM)?

AUTOMATED KEY MANAGEMENT AND CDNSKEY

HOW TO EXCLUDE A DOMAIN FROM THE AUTOMATED KEY MANAGEMET (AKM)?

HOW DO YOU WORK WITH MY PERSONAL DATA

CAN I GET HISTORICAL DATA ABOUT A DOMAIN?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO PLEDGE A DOMAIN NAME?

WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR RESOLVING DISPUTES BETWEEN A DOMAIN HOLDER AND ANOTHER PERSON?

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CZ.NIC IN THE CONTEXT OF DISPUTES CONCERNING DOMAINS?

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RULES FOR REGISTERING DOMAIN NAMES?