About .re domain
.re is a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) delegated to Réunion, a French overseas territory. The domain has been active since April 1997 and is administered by AFNIC (Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération), the same registry that manages .fr and several other French overseas ccTLDs. Registrations are made directly at the second level, and historically also at the third level beneath subdomains such as .asso.re, .nom.re, and .com.re — though new registrations under those subdomains have been closed since December 2011. The extension has gained notable traction beyond its geographic origin due to its versatility as a short, meaningful suffix in domain hacks and branded registrations.
Who can register .re domain
Since December 6, 2011, .re registrations are open to any individual, company, or organization based in a European Union member state, as well as residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Registrants are no longer required to be based in France or its overseas territories specifically. There are no trademark-based prerequisites for standard registrations, making it broadly accessible to eligible European registrants. Entities outside these geographic boundaries are generally not eligible to register .re domains directly.
How to register .re domain
Search for your desired .re domain name using a registrar that supports this extension. Because .re is available through a number of major international registrars as well as most European domain registrars, you have several options to compare before committing.
Compare registrar offerings on price, renewal rates, and included features such as WHOIS privacy. Introductory pricing can differ significantly from renewal pricing, so check both before completing your purchase.
Complete the checkout process, providing accurate registrant contact details. Be aware that registrars may require you to confirm your eligibility — that is, that you are based in an EU member state or one of the other qualifying countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland).
After registration, verify your contact details are correct and configure your DNS settings to point the domain to your hosting or service. Keeping your registrant information accurate is important, as AFNIC's naming policy requires WHOIS data to reflect the actual registrant.
Typical uses of .re domain
.re is used by a wide range of registrants who value its brevity and its natural fit as a suffix in creative domain constructions. Real estate professionals and property-related businesses worldwide have adopted it to form memorable domain names incorporating place names, company names, or property-related terms. It also appears in domain hacks — where the extension completes a word or phrase, such as adventu.re or nearfutu.re — making it popular with startups, creative agencies, and personal brands seeking short, distinctive web addresses. Insurance and reinsurance companies have also found it a natural fit, and it sees use among those in reverse engineering communities.
Tips for registering .re domain
- Two-character domain names are permitted under .re only if at least one character is a number (e.g., m7.re or 42.re are allowed, but purely alphabetic two-character combinations like fi.re are not).
- New registrations under the legacy subdomains (.asso.re, .nom.re, .com.re) are no longer accepted; existing holders of those domains may only renew, not transfer or create new ones.
- WHOIS privacy availability varies by registrar — check whether your chosen registrar offers it for .re before completing your purchase, as not all providers include it by default.
- Renewal pricing can differ from introductory registration pricing; confirm the renewal rate at your registrar before registering to avoid unexpected cost increases.
- AFNIC's naming policy governs .re and requires registrant information to be accurate and up to date; non-compliant registrations may be subject to cancellation or dispute proceedings.