Everything You Need to Know About .SI Domains

Thinking about buying a .SI domain? Before you start registering or buying names, there are a few things you should know.

What country is it? What does it cost to renew? Can you sell it and transfer it to a buyer? And if someone files a dispute, do the same rules apply as .COM?

That last question is important. The answer is no.

First things first. What is .SI?

Sorry, Uncle Donald, it does not mean Super Intelligence, just like AI does not mean Artificial Intelligence in the domain extension world. SI is the Country Code for Slovenia. AI is the Country Code for Anguilla. 

Source: IANA registry information

Do you have to live in Slovenia?

No. .SI is open to registrants worldwide with no local presence requirement. You do not need to move to Slovenia or open an office there to register one.

IS Slovenia a stable government? 

You might laugh about this, and think to yourself, “What are you talking about, Jeff?” A Country Code Top Level Domain is run and managed by that country. What peopl do not realize is when a country is not stable, there might not be people actually working in the offices keeping these extensions going or they can change the registration requirements at a drop of a hat. Yes, Slovenia is stable! 

Source: Registration eligibility

What does it cost?

I looked around, and it ranges between 12-20 dollars a year. 

What about renewals?

You can renew a .SI domain for one to five years. A .COM you can renew up to 10 years.  I looked around I do not see premium renewals/registrations so I believe it is the same for all domains. 

Expiration: 

If you let the domain expire, it is deactivated that day. Your email and your website will stop working.  You then have a 30-day quarantine period to renew it. After that, it is deleted and becomes available again.

This is very different from COM, which allows the domain to expire and provides a grace period of up to 45 days. When the grace period ends, there is a separate 30-day redemption period, during which the registrant will incur a fee, but can still get it back. When that ends, the domain is auctioned off, or becomes available again for registration. 

My advice…Renew your.SI domain to the max. Add an additional 100 dollars in account funds as an insurance policy. That will give you roughly 10 years. 

Can you sell and transfer it?

Yes, you can sell .SI domains…Yes there are domain extensions that cannot be sold…AD is one of them. But moving a domain to another registrar and changing its owner are two different things.

Changing registrars is very similar to .COM. Generate an authorization code through the current registrar and give it to the receiving registrar. To change ownership, the registrar needs confirmation from both the current holder and the new holder. It says…I am not sure what that means. 

The registry does not charge an extra year to transfer the domain from one registrar to another like .COM does. You can transfer it for free. When you get the domain in your new account you will not have an additional year added to your registration like .COM does. 

The registry also states there is NOT a 60-day restriction when transferring a domain from one registrar to another and leaves it up to the registrar's discretion. What that means is a registrar that receives a SI domain from a transfer in CAN can lock the domain for 60 days based on their own rules, but no one at the registry is requiring it like.COM. 

I dug a bit deeper into the terms of service of Namecheap and Porkbun…Their terms came back as inconclusive… Namecheap: SI page says “RegistrarLock Supported: NO,”

PorkBun: “Domains must remain with Porkbun for 60 days,” citing ICANN rules. I found no .SI-specific clarification or exception.

Registry Lock?

.COM has this as well. You ask your participating registrar to LOCK the domain at the REGISTRY. If someone hacks into your registRAR account they cannot transfer the domain out of it. The registrar has to request that the Registry allows the transfer. 

.SI offers this for around 20 euros. 

.COM is around 50 bucks. 

No UDRPs; they use ARDS

.SI uses a local dispute system called ARDS.

Under.SI's rules, a complainant must establish a qualifying conflicting right, show that the holder has no legitimate interest, and show that the domain was registered OR is being used in bad faith. Which sounds very similar to UDRP to me. 

.SI claims can also involve company names, personal names, and other rights recognized under Slovenian law, beyond trademarks. A successful complaint can result in transfer or deletion.

What does a dispute cost?

The published fee for one arbiter covering one to five domains is €700. The rules also provide a 50% fee refund when a complaint is upheld.

The proceedings are in Slovenian. Certified translations may be required. If you are budgeting for a dispute, the filing fee is not necessarily your only expense. 

Source: ARDS rules and fees

Do not ignore verification emails

The registrar must verify a functioning email address or phone number when you register and each time you renew.

Unresolved verification failures can lead to deactivation or deletion. Keep your information current and respond to legitimate requests.

One more privacy detail: the registry's policy says an individual holder's contact email is public, although their other personal details generally are not. Do not assume GDPR means every detail is hidden.

Source: Verification and publication policy

Wonky rules? 

Some CCTLDs have presence requirements, usage requirements, and much more.SI registrant agreement does not have much that leaves me scratching my head; however, there are some parts of it that could end up being left to interpretation, which then leads to frivolous lawsuits/ARDS cases…The outcomes could be an opinionated/moral decision rather than a black-and-white legal one: 

1. Section 8.1.4: The name itself must not violate law, public order, or morals….Whose morals? If it breaks morals, but not the law, do we have a problem? (Section 8)
2. Section 8.1.3: Registration must be in good faith and respect other people’s rights…What? 
3. The registry distinguishes the domain name from website content. Its guidance explains that a lawful domain can host unlawful content, or an unlawful name can point to otherwise harmless content. The registry says it is not the general judge of website content; courts and hosting providers have separate roles. (https://www.register.si/en/columns/how-can-registry-si-help-prevent-abuse-of-si-domain-names/)