.FR Domain Extension

Rules and conditions for registering a .FR domain

The .FR domain is subject to strict rules defined by the official registry, AFNIC. These rules are designed to ensure the reliability, legitimacy, and legal compliance of domain names registered under the .FR extension.

Geographic eligibility requirements

The following are eligible to register or renew a .FR domain:

• Individuals residing in:
  • a member state of the European Union
  • or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland
• Legal entities (companies, associations, organizations) that have:
  • their registered office
  • or their principal place of business
  • in one of the territories listed above.

Both the registrant (owner) and the administrative contact (admin) must meet this geographic eligibility requirement.

If either contact does not have a valid local address in these territories, a trustee service may be used—but it must cover both contacts simultaneously (it is not possible to cover only one of the two).

Contact requirements (WHOIS)

For a .FR domain, the following contact rules apply:

• Technical contact
  • must not be the same as the registrant (owner)
  • must be an organization (P-handle with the organization field completed)
  • cannot be masked or anonymized in the WHOIS
• Registrant (owner) and administrative contact (admin)
  • must be reachable
  • must provide a valid email address and a valid phone number
  • must keep their information accurate and up to date for the entire lifetime of the domain

Authorized countries for registration (.FR and other AFNIC TLDs)

Registrants from the following countries and territories are permitted:

• AT (Austria)
• AX (Åland Islands)
• BE (Belgium)
• BG (Bulgaria)
• CH (Switzerland)
• CY (Cyprus)
• CZ (Czech Republic)
• DE (Germany)
• DK (Denmark)
• EE (Estonia)
• ES (Spain)
• FI (Finland)
• FR (France)
• GF (French Guiana)
• GP (Guadeloupe)
• GR (Greece)
• HU (Hungary)
• IE (Ireland)
• IS (Iceland)
• IT (Italy)
• LI (Liechtenstein)
• LT (Lithuania)
• LU (Luxembourg)
• LV (Latvia)
• MQ (Martinique)
• MT (Malta)
• NC (New Caledonia)
• NL (Netherlands)
• NO (Norway)
• PF (French Polynesia)
• PL (Poland)
• PM (Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
• PT (Portugal)
• RE (Réunion)
• RO (Romania)
• SE (Sweden)
• SI (Slovenia)
• SK (Slovakia)
• TF (French Southern and Antarctic Lands)
• WF (Wallis and Futuna)
• YT (Mayotte)

Mandatory technical configuration

Before a .FR domain can be successfully registered, certain technical requirements must be met:

• Name servers must be properly configured before domain creation
• The registry does not use nameserver objects
• Only glue records are supported
• Any change requires a ModifyDomain command
• A simple ModifyNameserver command is not sufficient

Third-level extensions not available

The following third-level domains have not been available for registration since December 6, 2012:

• .com.fr
• .asso.fr
• .tm.fr

⚠️ It is also not possible to change the registrant of an existing domain under these extensions.

Reserved domain names

Some domain names are reserved by the registry for specific uses or protected entities (institutions, organizations, protected individuals).

👉 The official list of reserved names is published by AFNIC and may change over time.

Prohibited terms

It is strictly forbidden to register a domain name containing, in particular:

• abusive terms
• racist or discriminatory terms
• obscene or immoral terms
• terms related to crimes or criminal offences
• terms explicitly reserved by the registry

Reserved terms subject to conditions

Some terms may only be registered under specific conditions, depending on the identity or rights of the applicant, including:

• technical terms related to the Internet
• names of regulated professions
• terms related to government operations
• names of countries signatory to the Paris Convention
• names of international organizations
• names of French municipalities (base form – INSEE list)
• the name of the French Republic, its institutions, or public services
• names of local authorities or intermunicipal structures
• the name of a person holding public office when associated with their function

Exceptions exist, notably:

• for certain trademarks registered before January 1, 2004
• for certain associations defending a protected designation of origin

Registration of these terms may be subject to specific conditions defined in the registry’s procedural manual.

Trustee service limitations

.FR domains using a trustee service cannot use SSL certificates associated with the domain name.

Administrative deletion by the registry

AFNIC reserves the right to delete a domain name that does not comply with naming rules or eligibility criteria, following verification.

In such cases:

• the domain is temporarily transferred under the registrar
  AFNIC – Internal Operations
• the deletion is final
• no redemption period applies
• the outgoing registrar cannot restore the domain

The deletion is immediate and carried out in two internal technical steps by the registry.