Introduction to some Ivory Coast facts:
Cote d’Ivoire is located in West Africa and its bordering countries include Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. The speaking language is French, being the French colony, but it became independent around 1960’s and this country is ruled by the president. It’s composed of 19 regions, and the capital city is Yamoussoukro.
This country is inhabited by 6.7 million people, and civil war is almost always present. The primary religions there are Islam and Christianity, along with some native ones. Their primary income comes from coffee and cacao beans, so we can say that they live off their land, mostly producing cocoa beans, and they are well known for it because they export third of all cocoa beans in the world.
Today, human right organizations are struggling to stop a civil war, exposing child labor slavery and their treatment to enemy war prisoners.
A .ci domain name is extensions are made for Ivory Coast Islands, and a very good way to promote your businesses in this region, if you want a part of the profit that flows around that part of the world. This domain name extension is made for Côte d’Ivoire better known as Ivory Islands, it’s settled on the East coast of Africa, and their native language is Français. It’s not a big country, but they have their domain name since 1995.
Being that small country, except over ocean trade, they don’t have much to rely on, but buying their domain name can push your business in that part of the world, because, not every country in its region can have their domain name. This country used to be made of several smaller regions, and around 1800, they united into one slightly larger country, now known for the cocoa beans, and they produce about 33 % of all cocoa beans in the world.
The bigger trade than cocoa was ivory, by which this country got its name, almost died out around the beginning of the 19th century. Trade of ivory if is forbidden for many reasons, one and the most important of them is almost wiping out elephants from this part of the world. We must not forget that the ivory, being very expensive, was used to make piano keys, billiard balls, and other rare objects, but since the trading got forbidden, they become more expensive.
Nowadays, if you do want to help this country have some use for your business, not to mention the benefits of promoting your business, the best way is to by their domain name, be present on their marketplace, and ensure your part of gaining benefits, it’s one of best things you can do.
So, like always, let’s start with some FAQs, like what is .ci?
The .CI web name is a ccTLD, and internet code for Ivory Coast. These domain names are very popular in this part of the world because it’s not that easy getting a domain name for any country, so almost all of its neighbors use .ci domain names to promote their presence on the local, and the world trading place.
Who can register .CI domain name?
Anyone in the world can register a .ci domain name, to create his personal or professional web page, a blog, or even online portal to promote his business and by doing that, demonstrate the connection to this region. The .ci web name can be registered by any organization or individuals.
Is there a local presence needed to register a .CI domain name?
No, you don’t need to be there or have any connection to this country, to be able to buy a .ci domain name, so anyone in the world can register a .ci domain name without limitations.
Why should I choose to buy .CI domain name?
First of all, Ivory Coast is one of many French-speaking countries in Africa, and the language itself is 4th used on Internet, so if you have a french website, and you want to promote yourself, or better yet, your business .ci domain name is one of the best solutions to be heard in this part of the world. Website with this extension is one of better ways to promote any business, it can help you reach your targeted audience more easy than you expected, and with it, give your company better, more professional look on the web, where everything counts.
When targeting local buyers, by buying a .ci domain name, you demonstrate proof of your commitment to the local customers, who will rather buy anything that has a local domain name, boosting their economy, and promoting your business along the way. Add to it that you can get great domain name by combining words to end with a .ci, your Hack domain name can be great and have meaning also.
What kind of characters can be used when buying .CI domain name, and how long it can be?
When choosing a .ci domain name, always have in mind few things:
When registering a .ci domain name you must use English alphabet and all the letters from a to z, and all the numbers from 0 to 9, with help of hyphen ( – ) and combining those, you can create a great name that ends with .CI. Every domain must start or end with letter or number, and a .ci domain names cannot start nor end with a hyphen.
You can not use symbols like: ‘ + . , | ! ” £ $ % & / ( ) = ? ^ * ç ° § ; : _ > ] [ @ , and let’s not forget about letters that can not be used when choosing your domain name, and those are: à, é, ò, í , etc…
As length goes, you can choose your domain name with as little as 3 characters, and prolong it to up to 63 characters, which is usual, when it comes to length of your domain name.
What is the registration term allowed for .CI domain names?
Minimum is 1 ( one ) year, but you can register a .ci domain name up to 10 ( ten ) years, and that’s a maximum when buying a .ci domain name.
How long does it take to register new .CI domain name?
Upon request, when you submit all information needed for registration, it can take up to 2 days until you become an owner of your new a .ci domain name.
What about Domain Dispute and Policy?
Domain names with a.ci extensions are assigned on a ”First come – First serve” basics. Disputes over using domain names are resolved between parties concerned, the role with only NIC.CI registrations.
Is there other extensions available except for just .CI?
Of course, they have : .ci, .com.ci, .co.ci, .org.ci and a .net.ci domain names.
It must be mentioned, unlike some other Registry’s, if you choose to buy a .ci domain name, no one can guarantee that someone else won’t buy .com.ci or .co.ci, so, you do not need a trademark, but you can protect your business by buying an additional a .co.ci domain name.
In that case, you don’t want someone else misrepresenting your business.
Trying to stay ahead of a good idea is a lot of work, and a bit more cleverness.
If you have a big company, maybe the best domain for you would be a .com.ci , and additional .ci domain name, but that is just a humble suggestion.
More FAQs
What are all procedures and How can I shorten them?
When talking about registration, including third level domain names, there are no restrictions. It is open to everyone who wants to register .CI domain name. If your domain name is available, there are no restrictions, and if you don’t live, or are based in Ivory Coast, you can still register your domain name there.
Renewal of .CI domain name?
If you want to renew your .ci domain name, you can do it by purchasing your domain name up to 10 years. But this one is tricky if you want to renew your .CI domain name, after your date of expiry, you must renew it before or at latest, the date you registered it. After that date passes, your domain will be in lock status for next 7 days, and that is still period when you can renew your domain name. After the 7th day passes, your domain name will be definitely deleted from Registry.
What if I want to change the Registrar?
In this case, you’ll have to obtain authorization code with your current registrar. As soon as the transfer is initiated if the authorization code is valid and if the domain status is unlocked, the transfer will be completed within one hour.
Once the transfer is finished, the domain’s expiration date is extended for another additional 1 year.
What are the additional services that I can count on if I decide to buy .CI domain name?
Sometimes, it may depend on Registrar, but some of them are as basic as complete online management of your domain, DNS management, redirection of domain and subdomains and, of course, redirection of email address, etc…
What about changing of ownership, or transferring my domain name?
To be able to transfer .ci domain name you’ll have to assure that both email addresses are active, from current and address of the new owner.
Both of them get an email with authorization key in them, and with those email from the previous owner accepts the transfer, and the new one confirms that he will be the new owner of the domain in question.
We must mention that this email has an expiration date, which is in the case of a .ci domain names 7 ( seven ) days. After that period, you’ll have to start the procedure all over again or get an answer that one of the two parties have decided to cancel the transfer.
What is hosting, and where is the best place to buy it for my new .ci domain name?
To put it bluntly, hosting is an empty space on server that you need to buy, or better say rent, in order to put all the things you want to say, sell, buy, etc… everything that you want your site to have on it, hosting is the place which keeps that information safe. It goes without saying that domain name without hosting has no meaning, it is just a name for something you want to promote. Hosting is usually being renewed at the same time you renew your domain name, but it’s not always the case. Sometimes you first secure your domain name, and then, when you are ready to build on it, you buy hosting package, and from there you make your own website, or in most cases, you find someone to do it for you.
From smaller spaces for blogs and similar pages on the web, you’ll need smaller hosting package, to big company hosting packages, where you can store a lot of information, ordering and selling online, counting visitors, placing big pictures and similar stuff, all that information have to be stored somewhere, and if not sure how much of storage space you’ll need to build on, you can start off with smaller package, and at any moment you can buy additional space.
It would be best for you to buy hosting space with the same Registrar where you want to buy your domain name, because it’s easier for you, and for those who are beginners in building sites, you’ll need your Technical Support, and they can help you with more ease if everything you have is in one place.
Do I need a Trademark to register new .CI domain name?
In short – no, you do not have to have a trademark, but, because that matter is not regulated by law, you should secure another domain name if possible, just in case no one can steal your idea.
Keep in mind that, even if you buy only one domain name, you won’t get it if it matches any known brand domain name, and Ivory Coast Registry will see to it that anyone who tries it will not get a domain name that larger business already bought.
Can I Backorder .CI domain name?
You can backorder any .CI domain name you want, except the time frame for expiration, is much shorter. There is no exceptional fee for Backordering, but also, no guarantee that domain will end up with you.
Can I hide my registration information?
No, at this time, you can not hide your information? But to start with, you don’t need to leave much information, to begin with, when registering .ci domain name. So, there is no need to worry, you need a valid email address, and one more additional info, so you may actually don’t need to hide it.
Are there requirements, documents, and information needed to register a .ci domain name?
When talking about registration, including third level domain names, there are no restrictions. It is open to everyone who wants to register a .ci domain name. If your domain is available, there are no restrictions, and if you don’t live, or are based in Ivory Coast, you can still register your domain name here. If your domain relates to a brand or trademarked domain, you should provide authorization letter requesting the domain on company letterhead and a copy of the trademark document.
What is the registration term allowed for a .CI domain names?
Minimum is 1 ( one ) year, but you can register a .ci domain name up to 10 ( ten ) years, and that’s a maximum when buying a .CI domain name.
How long does it take to register my new .CI domain name?
Main Registry for .CI domain names gave themselves up to 30 days to register a domain name, however, it’s not always the case to wait that long to get it. We can be almost sure that, if you didn’t break any of major rules, a .CI domain name can be yours in less than few minutes.
So, upon request, when you submit all information needed for registration, it can take up to 2 days until you become an owner of your new .CI domain name.
What are the characters and their length when registering a .CI domain name?
When registering a .ci the domain name you must use English alphabet and all the letters from a to z, and all the numbers from 0 to 9, with help of hyphen ( – ) and combining those, you can create a great name that ends with .CI. Every domain must start or end with letter or number, and a .ci domain names cannot start nor end with a hyphen.
You can not use symbols like: ‘ + . , | ! ” £ $ % & / ( ) = ? ^ * ç ° § ; : _ > ] [ @ , and let’s not forget about letters that can not be used when choosing your domain name, and those are: à, é, ò, í , etc…
As length goes, you can choose your domain name with as little as 3 characters, and prolong it to up to 63 characters, which is usual, when it comes to length of your domain name.
Is there a trustee service when it comes to the .CI domain names?
Trustee service is still unavailable for this extension.
Can I hide my registration information? ( meaning of Private WHOIS )?
This one is also a ‘no’, but beside your email address and your name or company name, you won’t need much more info to register this extension, so and WHOIS database will have not much about you in the first place.
Do I have any grace period, after the expiration of my .CI domain name?
If you want to renew yours .ci domain name, you can do it by purchasing your domain name up to 10 years. But this one is tricky if you want to renew your .ci domain name, after your date of expiry, you must renew it before or at latest, the date you registered it. After that date passes, your domain will be in lock status for next 7 days, and that is still period when you can renew your domain name. After the 7th day passes, your domain name will be definitely deleted from Registry.
Which registry manages .CI domain names?
NIC.CI manages all of the .ci domain names.
Is Trademark 'must have' to register a .CI domain name?
In short – no, you do not have to have a trademark, but, because that matter is not regulated by law, you should secure another domain name if possible, just in case no one can steal your idea, and make a new brand out of it.
