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Frequently Asked Questions
This document is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this document, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research - KISR assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
This Document is subdivided into 5 Sections: B) Registration C) Fees D) Renewal E) Cancelation / Modification / Transfer
a.2 What domain names are available to be registered in the state of Kuwait? a.3 What characters are allowed for domain names, and how many? a.4 What kind of Domain Names can I register? a.5 How do I register a domain name? a.6 Can I reserve a domain name? a.7 Do I have to renew my expired domains in order to register new ones under .kw? a.8 How many local main ISPs is KISR contracted with, and who are they? a.9 Which local main ISP is most suitable? a.10 Must Technical and/or Administrative contacts be local in Kuwait? a.11 Who is in-charge of registration? Is it KISR or Local Main ISPs in Kuwait? a.12 How long has KISR been in-charge of KW-TLD? a.13 How did KISR become in-charge of KW-TLD? And what is KISR’s role? a.14 Can I register or renew a domain name for more than two years?
b.1 How can I tell if my domain name has been registered? b.2 Can I register a domain for one year? b.3 How long does it take to process my application for new registration of a domain name? b.4 I have just registered a Domain Name. Is it my property? b.6 Is local presence in Kuwait required for us to register a domain name under .kw? b.7 If I have mydomain.org why can’t I get mydomain.org.kw? b.8 Can I register a domain under .kw and point it to my already existing site out side Kuwait? b.9 How many domains can one applicant obtain? b.10 Can an individual without a commercial certificate obtain a domain under .kw? b.11 Is registration restricted to Kuwaiti individuals? b.12 The local main ISP has requested the wrong domain name, Can I still correct it? b.13 Why can't I register jobs.com.kw? b.14 My company name is "K. W. Co." I want to register kw.com.kw? b.15 My company name "Target Group Co." why can't I register target.com.kw?
c.1 How much does a registrant transfer cost? c.2 How much does it cost to change my local main ISP? c.3 Why is there a renewal fee? c.4 How much does it cost to renew my domain name? c.5 How much does it cost to register my domain name? c.6 Is there a discount if more that say 10 domains are registered?
d.1 How can I renew my domain name? d.2 Can I tell when my domain name will expire? d.3 What does the expiry date mean? d.4 Can I renew a domain name for a period of one year? d.5 How soon should I renew my domain name?
E) Cancelation / Modification / Transfer e.1 Can I take my Domain Name with me when I move to another ISP? e.2 How can I change primary and/or secondary name servers for my domain name? e.3 How do I cancel my domain name? e.4 How do I transfer my domain name to someone else (another holder)? e.5 I have sent you a request to modify my domain NS record, still no change? e.6 Can you show me how I can check my DNS servers for my domain?
Computers connected to the Internet have unique numerical addresses so that electronic information is delivered to the right place. The domain name system (DNS) translates the numerical addresses of computers into more user-friendly names. The resulting domain names are easier to remember and help people to find information on the Internet. Domain names are used to identify particular web pages. For example, in the web site address "http://www.kisr.edu.kw" the domain name is “kisr.edu.kw”. Domain names are also used in e-mail addresses, for example, ymesfer@kisr.edu.kw, that enable people to send and receive electronic messages. What domain names are available to be registered in the State of Kuwait? In order to check what domain names are available to be registered you can use our Web search facility – http://www.kw - which enables an enquirer to find out whether a domain name is available for registration and, if not, the organization or person to whom it is registered, and when that registration was made and expires. The search facility data is updated daily. Please note: * The web search facility can only search for domain name registrations ending in com.kw, net.kw, .org.kw, .edu.kw, and .gov.kw . * You must not enter the full domain name, but only the first word of domain name - for instance, to search for the availability of domain name “kisr.edu.kw” – one would only enter “kisr” then select “edu.kw”. Do not put ‘www.’ in front of the name Your local main ISP can also help check the availability of a domain name. What characters are allowed for domain names, and how many? Alpha-numberic characters a-z, 0-9 and a hyphen/dash "-"., where first and last character shouldn't be a hyphen "-". Spaces and special characters (such as !$% and so on) are never permitted. Maximum number of characters allowed is 63 characters. Please note that if you are interested in a particular domain and it turned out that it is already registered, adding a hyphen "-" or even "Co" to it will not be accepted. For example, if one is interested in a domain name "qualitynet.com.kw", which is already registered, requesting domain name "quality-net.com.kw" or "qualitynetco.com.kw" will be rejected. Therefore, all permutations of an existing domain is not allowed. What kind of Domain Names can I register? Under Kuwait Top Level Domain .KW, there is a limited number of Second Level Domains, which divide the name space into categories such as com.kw, net.kw - commercial entities, edu.kw - academic/research entities, and so on. Users can register third Level Domain (3LD) under one of those categories. Some of the Second Level Domains (SLD's) are limited by nature (such as org.kw, edu.kw & gov.kw. The complete list of Second Level Domains is: · edu.kw Academic & Research Institutions · com.kw Commercial Entities & Individuals · net.kw Commercial Entities & Individuals · org.kw Non-Profit Organizations · gov.kw Government Entities How do I register a domain name? Check Registration Guidelines, then contact your selected local main ISP for all registration issues. No. Domain names are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to check whether a specific domain name is available to register you can use the web search facility at http://www.kw How can I tell if my domain name has been registered? The web search facility at http://www.kw is a mechanism that lets anyone view a register database entry. Enter your domain name and the facility will respond with information about your domain name. Can I take my Domain Name with me when I move to another ISP? Absolutely. If the Domain Name is allocated to your name, then you are free to move from one ISP to another along with your Domain Name (in order to do so choose “modify” on the registration form, fill it and simply send it to the new local main ISP. How much does a transfer cost? There is no cost as long as the domain is not expired. To check for expiry, use the web search facility at http://www.kw. How much does it cost to change my Local Main ISP? There is no cost as long as the domain is not expired. To check for expiry, use the web search facility at http://www.kw a. To remove "deadwood" from the *.kw database. Many people / companies request Domain Names and then abandon the initial motivation, go out of business, etc. A renewal process will uncover those "dead" and/or outdated names and will allow them to be returned to the pool of available Domain Names. b. Maintaining a Domain Name system for Kuwait Top Level Domain, costs. There are expenses involved in the ongoing maintenance of DNS and databases. How much does it cost to renew my domain name? Domain name renewal costs 40 Kuwaiti Dinar (almost $120 US) per domain per two years. How much does it cost to register my domain name? Domain name registration costs 40 Kuwaiti Dinar (almost $120 US) per domain per two years. Can I register a domain for one year? No, registration period is two years. How long does it take to process my application for new registration of a domain name? When all documents are in place, most local main ISPs in Kuwait take a maximum of 72 hours to process a new registration application. Out of the 72 hours, KISR takes a maximum of 24 to perform the actual registration. Is there a discount if more than say 10 domains are registered ? No. How can I change primary and/or secondary name servers for my domain name? Fill the registration form selecting "Modify" and contact your local main ISP. Please include all name servers and not just the modified ones. If domain name is expired, one must renew first. To check expiry date of a domain, go to the online web search facility http://www.kw. How can I renew my domain name? Fill the registration form, select “Renew”, then contact your local main ISP. If you need to modify the name servers, you need to fill another registration form, selecting “Modify”. Renewal period is also two years. How do I cancel my domain name? If you decide that you no longer want your domain name, you should request to cancel it so that your local main ISP does not contact you when the two-year registration period lapses. Canceling the domain name also means that we can cancel your registration and another user can register it. To do so, fill the registration form and select “Delete” and print your request on a letter head with signature. Then contact your local main ISP. You will not be refunded for any remaining period, unless registration/renewal is within the last 30 calendar days. Also the delete request should be issued by YOUR local main ISP. Requests to 'Delete" from other ISPs for the same domain is not accepted. How do I transfer my domain name to someone else (another holder)? If you want to transfer your domain name to another person or organization, the following should be done: For Current Holder: * Print your request on your business letter head with signature same as original when domain was first registered For New Holder: * Fill registration form, select transfer, and include information for the New Holder The rest is similar to New domain registration. Can I tell when my domain name will expire? All domain name registrations ending in .kw last for two years from the date of registration. You can check by using the online web search facility http://www.kw What does the expiry date mean? The expiry date shows when your domain name is next due for renewal. If you would like to renew your domain name then you need to contact your local main ISP to arrange this. Do I have to renew my expired domains in order to register new ones under .kw? Yes you do. I have just registered a Domain Name. Is it my property? Legally speaking, Domain Names are not considered as property. The registration of a Domain Name is a service, given by the Domain Name registry. This service gives the registered holder permission to use the registered name on the Internet for a specified period of time. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research - KISR does not offer direct registration to the public. We accept registration requests only from local main ISP companies whom we have contracted with, as per certification from Ministry of Communications - MOC. How many local main ISPs is KISR contracted with, and who are they? There are four local main ISPs the Kuwait contacted with KISR right now. They are: a. Quality Net Co. b. Gulfnet International Co. - Zajil / KEMS c. Fast Telecommunications Co. d. Gulfnet Kuwait Computer Co. For more information, visit local main ISPs for contact names and numbers. Is local presence in Kuwait required for us to register a domain name under .kw? Yes, local presence is a must. Which local main ISP is most suitable? We cannot choose for you. There are currently four local main ISPs in Kuwait. Must Technical and/or Administrative contacts be local in Kuwait? No, only applicant. If I have “mydomain.org” why can’t I get “mydomain.org.kw” ? Domain Registration procedures/rules/laws differ from one country to another. There is no one rule that applies for all. For example “.org.kw” is for non-profit organizations in Kuwait, and having a similar domain in some other Top Level Domain does not imply that you are entitled to that same domain under .kw Top Level Domain. Can I register a domain under .kw and point it to my already existing site out side Kuwait? Yes you can. How many domains can one applicant obtain? Unlimited Can an individual without a commercial certificate obtain a domain under .kw? Yes, individuals are entitled to .com.kw & .net.kw, same as commercial companies. Is registration restricted to Kuwaiti individuals? No. Non-Kuwaiti individuals can apply. We do ask for a letter head from the Employer stating that they do not object to the registration of the specific domain by the specific individual. Who is in-charge of registration, Is it KISR or Local Main ISPs in Kuwait? KISR is in-charge of registration, but through local main ISPs in Kuwait. Actual registration/modification/renewal/deletion/transfer is done by KISR and KISR only. How long has KISR been in-charge of KW-TLD? Since early 1999, April 14th 1999 to be exact. How did KISR become in-charge of KW-TLD? And what is KISR’s role? KISR was commissioned by Ministry Of Communications to undertake the responsibility of establishing, managing and operating Kuwait Top Level Domain System. Can I register or renew a domain name for more than two years? No, Domain names are registered or renewed for a period of two years only. Can I renew a domain name for a period of one year? No, Domain names are renewed for a period of two years only. How soon should I renew my domain name? Domain name should be renewed within six months prior to expiration date, but not more. For example, if a domain expires after seven months or more, then renewal operation will not be accepted. The local main ISP has requested the wrong domain name, Can I still correct it? Domain names can be corrected with-in 30 calendar days from date of registration; check http://www.kw for actual registration date. If so, then please contact your ISP, inform them of the situation and request a re-correction of the domain name, by only filling the registration form, select operation "New" with the correct domain name. ISP must send KISR an email explaining the situation and request a re-correction. If more that 30 days, then re-correction cannot be made, and you need to request for a "delete" operation and a "new" registration from scratch of the new domain name. Please bare in mind, that KISR will not refund any amount for the deleted domain name, in this case. Why can't I register jobs.com.kw? A third level domain name of Kuwait Top Level Domain may not be identical to any existing Generic Top Level Domain Name in the Global Internet. Names like "com, org, mobi, mil, jobs, ...etc" are Generic TLDs. I have sent you a request to modify my domain NS record, still no change? We do not accept any accept any request to modify a domain unless it originates from a contracted local main ISP. Please contact your ISP. You can find out by searching your domain through http://www.kw. Can you show me how I can check my DNS servers for my domain? One can use "nslookup" utility available at the command. For example, if I want to see DNS servers for domain name "kisr.edu.kw": C:\> nslookup
My company name is "K. W. Co." I want to register kw.com.kw? The phrase "kw" is identical to Kuwait Top Level Domain ".kw", therefore we cannot register it as a domain name, as per "Rules of Registration" document http://www.kw/rules.asp paragraph 3.2.e.1.2. Furthermore, all permutations like "k-w" is still not allowed cause they are simply "Confusingly Similar" to original name. My company name "Target Group Co." why can't I register target.com.kw? The word "target" is a Registered Trade Mark, and just because it is part of the company name does not give you any right to register it as a domain name, unless one shows proof of Trade Mark ownership. If a domain is available for registration, it would simply mean that "It is not registered". Being available does not give any right for anyone to register. Please refer to "Rules of Registration" document on http://www.kw/rules.asp .
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