Expired .ZW Domains

What is .ZW domain?

A Zimbabwe domain (or Zimbabwe TLD) is a domain name extension or top-level domain (TLD) used in the Domain Name System of the Internet for Zimbabwe.

It is operated by TelOne, the state-owned telecommunications company, and has established itself as the de facto internet registry as an alternative to dot.com (commercial) domains.

It is currently administered by the University of Science and Technology in Harare.

Zimbabwe joined the global Internet community as a member of Internationalized domain name (IDN) country code top-level domain (ccTLD).

The Zimbabwe domain was created in November 1997 with the intent of being used by companies with a connection to the country, as well as for international bodies wanting their websites to be accessible from within Zimbabwe.

What are the registration restrictions for a .zw domain name?

.zw domain names are available to any individual or organization that is connected in some way with Zimbabwe, whether by being a citizen of the country, doing business there, or having some cultural affiliation.

Individuals must have the applicant's full name and company name registered on an approved Zimbabwean identification card.

Applicants who do not have this ID will need to present a notarized copy of their passport.

For corporate entities, the signed company registration document filed with the Registrar of Companies is required.

The technical contact must also supply his/her personal identification or any other proof that can establish his or her connection to Zimbabwe, such as copies of tax returns, bank statements, and utility bills.

The application requires the full name of at least one person or organization that is responsible for the domain, along with the address of either the registration applicant's place of residence or business in Zimbabwe, as well as their email address.

This individual will also need to provide an alternative email address and phone number.

What are the common second-level .zw domains?

Common second-level domains are generally the names of institutions connected with Zimbabwe that have begun to use this domain.

As there is no prohibition on anyone using any .zw domain name, these are not strictly second-level .zw domains in the sense described at second-level domain.

These second-level domains are generally written in lower case.

What are the eligibility criteria to register a .zw domain name?

To be eligible for a .zw web address, the individual or organization must be:

- Connected with Zimbabwe;

- A citizen of Zimbabwe;

- An international body wanting to have a web address accessible by people in Zimbabwe.

What is the procedure to register a .zw domain name?

For registering the .zw domain one must complete and submit the application form along with:

The .zw domain name must be:

- At least 3 characters long;

- Allowed character combinations are those from the ISO basic Latin alphabet and digits.

In addition, it must not begin or end with a hyphen.

It may contain letters in other scripts provided they are encoded according to the appropriate standard.

The domain cannot be:

- The name of an individual person (living or dead);

- A word that is offensive;

- The name of a particular company, service, or product;

- Any general punctuation mark.

A .zw web address must:

- Not be used to impersonate any other individual, organization, or entity;

- Be used primarily for bona fide non-commercial purposes;

- Not contain obscene language.