IE Domain Registry (IEDR) that administers Ireland’s country-code domain .IE reported “policy liberalisation”. Previously, in order to register a domain in .IE individuals and legal entities had not only to confirm their connection to Ireland but also to present proof that they had a right to register a corresponding name. Such practice was a serious protection against cybersquatting; however, it considerably limited the growth of the national domain.
According to the new rules, registrants still have to prove their connection to Ireland, but the second condition has been eliminated. From now on, anyone who is Irish by birth, lives there or has a business in Ireland can register any domain name in .IE with no limitations. In addition, IEDR introduces a new Fastpass registration process: citizens and organizations that already have registered domains in .IE can register new domains with no checks at all! This is based on the fact that their relation to Ireland has already been proven. IEDR expects that the new rules will be a serious incentive for the growth of the ccTLD. However, the registry points out that things are not so bad at .IE: 2017 broke a record, on average 108 new domain names were registered in the domain daily.
