Support > FAQ
.Pro Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is a .Pro domain name?
- Why do I need a .Pro domain name?
- Who can register a .Pro domain name?
- What information will be required from me to register a .Pro domain?
- How will the Registry review the eligibility of registrants in the .Pro domain?
- Is this a real-time registration?
Second-Level .Pro Domains:
- What are the new .Pro registration rules?
- Will I be eligible to register second-level .Pro domains (eg. mydomain.pro) under the new registration rules?
- Can a .Pro registrant be a professional organization instead of an individual professional?
- Is .Pro available in my country?
- How much does second-level .Pro cost?
- What is the process for registering a .Pro domain?
- I received a notification from the Registry that my professional eligibility information did not pass their test. What do I need to do?
- Will I need to do anything else after I register and submit my professional information?
- I reserved my .Pro domain during the Domain Reservation Phase. Now what?
- Will my professional credentials be subject to review?
- What is the minimum character restriction for second-level .pro domains?
Third-Level .Pro Domains:
- How does a third-level .pro domain work?
- Who can register a third-level .Pro domain name?
- Where is the registration eligibility criteria specified?
- What are the basic eligibility criteria for third-level .Pro domains?
- Can a third-level .Pro registrant be a professional organization rather than an individual?
- Will eligibility be reviewed again after registration?
- What is the Verification Process?
- What personal and professional information will a registrant have to provide to the Registry to successfully complete the authentication and verification process known as the "AV Check"?
- What is the minimum character restriction for third-level .pro domains?
- Why do I need a third-level .Pro domain name?
A .Pro domain name is the first and only restricted top-level domain exclusively for professionals. It is a domain indicating professionalism and credibility, and includes authentication and verification. Second-level .Pro domains are now available to all professionals, regardless of industry, country or organization. Any business can register a second-level .Pro domain. As long as you have a business license, you are likely to be eligible to register a .Pro domain. For more information on eligibility, please click here.
Third-level .Pro domains are also available with profession-specific domain names (.eng.Pro, .med.Pro, .law.Pro or .cpa.Pro). An example of a third level domain is mydomain.eng.Pro. For more info on third-level domains, please click here.
Why do I need a .Pro domain name?
Trust in the business world is difficult to establish. A .Pro domain gives additional credibility and confidence to your business as only registrants that are in good standing with their licensing entity are permitted to register a .Pro domain.
Since .Pro was formally restricted to a limited number of professions, there are still thousands of .Pro domains available for immediate registration. If you already own your name as a .com or .net, make sure you lock in the .Pro version before someone else gets it. Once it’s registered, it becomes extremely difficult to get it.
Who can register a .Pro domain name?
All licensed professionals are able to register second-level domains. Professionals in certain fields and specific countries are able to register third-level domains.
For second-level domains (eg. mydomain.pro), click here.
For third-level domains (eg. mydomain.law.pro), click here.
What information will be required from me to register a .Pro domain?
All applicants will need to submit personal and professional information in order to be eligible for a .Pro domain, including:
• Name
• Date of Birth or Date of Registration
• Profession
• Jurisdictional Country
• Licensing Authority
• License Number
• Link to Licensing Authority's Web site
How will the Registry review the eligibility of registrants in the .Pro domain?
What distinguishes the .Pro TLD from other domain extensions is its unique registration requirements. RegistryPro will require that registrants self-certify that they are professionals who meet the requirements of their profession and jurisdiction and provide license and identity information which can be independently cross-referenced through a review process administered at the RegistryPro website .
Is this a real-time registration?
No, to ensure a high level of security, .Pro registrations are multi-stage to provide assurance that the registrant is who they represent themselves to be.
For more information:
Second-level domains (eg. mydomains.pro)
Third-level domains (eg. mydomains.law.pro)
Second-Level .Pro Domains:
What are the new .Pro registration rules?
Previously, second-level .Pro domains could only be registered by professionals in the accounting, engineering, medical or legal fields who were licensed in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom or Germany. Registrants also had to own two third-level domains in different fields to be eligible to register a second-level domain.
On September 8, 2008, the Registry will remove all of these restrictions to allow all professionals and professional entities, who self-certify that they meet the eligibility requirements, to register second-level .Pro domains.
There are no requirement changes to third-level domains.
Will I be eligible to register second-level .Pro domains (eg. mydomain.Pro) under the new registration rules?
All professionals and professional entities who self-certify that they meet the eligibility requirements are able to register .Pro domains. If you own a business license, you are likely to qualify! You can register if you:
• Are a person or entity who provides professional services; and
• You have been admitted to or licensed by a government certification body, or jurisdictional licensing entity recognized by a governmental body; and
• That body or licensing entity requires that its members be licensed or admitted to provide services; and
• You are in good standing.
To determine if your business is eligible to qualify, the general idea is as follows. As long as the organization provides the service associated with its registration identification, and meets all eligibility requirements outlined in the domain registration agreement, the organization is eligible to register a second-level .Pro domain. For example, a customer's business license states that they retail running shoes will be eligible if they use the .Pro domain to sell shoes.
Can a .Pro registrant be a professional organization instead of an individual professional?
A .Pro registrant may either be an individual professional or a professional organization. When the registrant is an organization, the organization can use its registration identification (e.g. business license) as its professional eligibility contact information. As long as the organization provides the service associated with its registration identification, and meets all eligibility requirements outlined in the registration agreement, the organization is eligible to register a second-level .Pro domain. For example, if a customer's business license states that they retail running shoes, the customer’s business will be eligible to register if they use the .Pro domain to sell shoes.
Is .Pro available in my country?
Yes! .Pro registrations are available internationally.
How much does second-level .Pro cost?
To help you get started with a .Pro domain, we’ve drastically lowered our prices! For a limited time only, we are offering .Pro domains at 60% off for only $19.95 for the first year of registrations, renewals and transfers! Subsequent years can be purchased for 30% off at $35.00/year. Register your .Pro today to take advantage of the promotional price. Regular prices for registrations, renewals and transfers are $49.95/year.
What is the process for registering a .Pro domain?
2) You will be sent an email from the Registry requesting for your professional eligibility information. The domain will not resolve until you submit your professional information. You must complete this step within 44 days; otherwise you risk losing your domain.
3) Once your professional eligibility information is received, the domain will resolve.
I received a notification from the Registry that my professional eligibility information did not pass their test. What do I need to do?
Second-level .Pro domains are subject to random verifications checks for professional eligibility. If your information did not pass, please resubmit your professional information as per the email’s instructions.
Will I need to do anything else after I register and submit my professional information?
Other than renewing your domain when it is close to expiring, registrants are required to agree to the Terms of Use (TOU) annually and to re-verify professional eligibility. Since your professional eligibility information is valid for one year, you will be required to reconfirm that you meet eligibility requirements and agree to the TOU on an annual basis. You will be notified through email at the end of each year to do so.
I reserved my .Pro domain during the Domain Reservation Phase. Now what?
In August 2008, you had the exclusive opportunity to reserve your .Pro domain before the Registry officially opened up the registration period on September 8th, 2008. On September 8th, the registry reset your registration date for September 8th, allowing you to gain extra registration time. Around that time, you were also sent an email from the registry requesting for your professional information. Once the information was received by the Registry, your domain resolved.
You can now renew your domains for up to 10 years, and transfers can be initiated 60 days after September 8th. You can change your name servers at any time and also add a web hosting plan.
Will my professional credentials be subject to review?
Yes, the Registry will monitor new and renewed .Pro domains to ensure compliance with all terms and conditions of their agreements. You may be required to provide additional information to the Registry in order to activate or retain your domain.
What is the minimum character restriction for second-level .pro domains?
All second-level .Pro domains must be a minimum of 4 characters long. The maximum character length is 63 characters.
Third-Level .Pro Domains
How does a third-level .pro domain work?
A .Pro domain name is issued by professionals who self-certify that they meet the eligibility requirements and pass a verification process. They are issued a digital certificate which can be downloaded to their computer for use in digitally signing and encrypting email communications. A professional-level digital certificate provides the following levels of digital trust:
Authentication - provides proof of a digital identity
Confidentiality - maintains privacy and confidentiality of content
Integrity - ensures the content has not been changed or altered
Non-repudiation - provides proof that the communication was sent
Who can register a third-level .Pro domain name?
At this time, only members of the engineering, medical, legal and accounting professions are eligible to register third-level .Pro domains.
The .Pro professional eligibility requirements are intended to restrict domain name registrations within the .Pro top-level domain to persons and organizations that are licensed or otherwise credentialed by the appropriate government agencies or organizations to provide professional services to the public in the legal, medical and accounting fields.
Eligible registrants may register one or more of four major profession-specific domains:
Profession |
TLD |
Engineers |
.eng.pro |
| Attorneys | .law.pro .jur.pro .bar.pro |
Accountants |
.cpa.pro .aca.pro |
Physicians |
.med.pro |
In the future, additional variations of these domains will be available to take into account local, professional and linguistic differences in the various regions in which .Pro domain names are offered.
Where is the registration eligibility criteria specified?
The .Pro eligibility criteria are established in the Registry's Agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). RegistryPro, the operator of the .Pro top-level domain will establish registry policy in consultation with an Advisory Board made up of representatives of professional organizations. It is the responsibility of registrants to provide truthful and accurate information about their professional status when registering for a .Pro domain name.
What are the basic eligibility criteria?
To be in compliance with the professional eligibility requirements, a registrant must be either:
• An individual who is currently licensed as (i) an engineer, (ii) a Certified Public Accountant, (iii) a physician (including a medical doctor), or (iv) an attorney at law, who is currently licensed to practice in any of the following supported jurisdictions:
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany;
or,
• An organization that provides engineering, accounting, legal or medical professional services, and has an employee who satisfies one of the above criteria and registers on behalf of such entity or organization.
Examples of such organizations include: engineering consultation firms, accounting firms, hospitals, legal publishers, medical supply companies, or law departments of large companies.
Registrants outside the supported jurisdictions are eligible for Defensive Name Registrations. Additional jurisdictions will be added shortly. All .Pro domain name registrants must remain in compliance with the professional eligibility requirements at all times during their registration.
Can a third-level .Pro registrant be a professional organization rather than an individual?
A third-level.Pro registrant may either be an individual professional or a professional organization. When the registrant is an organization, there must be a .qualifying professional. who meets the normal eligibility standards for an individual registrant. This individual must certify that they are an employee of the registrant organization and that the organization provides services related to the individual's profession.
Will eligibility be reviewed again after registration?
Eligibility for will be periodically re-verified, at a minimum annually, at the time of a registrants' digital certificate annual renewal.
To implement the .Pro Professional Eligibility Requirements, RegistryPro will:
1. Require that each Registrar certify that as a condition to registration of a .Pro domain name, that the professional eligibility of each registrant is verified.
2. Require that each registrar's agreement with registrants include terms and conditions relating specifically to .Pro domains (for example, regarding professional eligibility and the requirement that the registrant remain in good standing in his/her profession throughout the term of their domain name registration). Examples of such terms and conditions can be found in the DomainPeople Registration Agreement .
What is the Verification Process?
Registrars shall enforce the Professional Eligibility Requirements and must verify the personal identity of each registrant as a condition of registration. To satisfy the registration requirements, Registrars may:
(i) contract with RegistryPro for individual identity and professional verification services,
(ii) conduct personal identity and professional eligibility verification manually, or
(iii) contract with other third-parties for automated verification services.
What personal and professional information will a registrant have to provide to the Registry to successfully complete the authentication and verification process known as the "AV Check"?
Professional Eligibility: All registrants of resolving .pro domain names must demonstrate that they meet the professional eligibility requirements of the .pro registry. Eligibility is demonstrated by presenting a set of personal authentication and professional verification (A/V) data. The accuracy of the A/V data must be verified, and it must be confirmed that the individual indicated by the A/V data is aware of and authorized the initiation of the check. This person must be given the power to approve or veto any actions, such as completion of the registration of a domain name that may be taken as a result of a successful check.
A .pro registrant may either be an individual professional or a professional organization. When the registrant is an organization, there must be a qualifying professional who meets the normal eligibility standards for an individual registrant. This individual must certify that they are an employee of the registrant organization and that the organization provides services directly related to the individual's profession.
Please refer to the RegistryPro Web site for a complete description of professional eligibility for the .pro restricted gTLD.
The following A/V data must be provided to the Registry for the subject of the A/V check:
• First Name
• Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Profession Type
• Country of Jurisdiction
• License Number
• Licensing Authority
The Registry will email the customer directly with the results of the A/V check and will include instructions on how to obtain an email or Web site digital certificate to use with the domain name.
Please Note: As authenticating and validating a potential .Pro registrant is a costly process, the cost of a .Pro third-level registration includes a non-refundable A/V service provided by RegistryPro. The Registry will process the information that is submitted through the online A/V interface and if the check fails, an additional A/V request must be submitted by DomainPeople at a cost of $100 USD.
What is the minimum character restriction for third-level .pro domains?
All third-level .pro domains must be a minimum of 4 characters long, and may not be more than 63 characters in length. Third-level domains with hyphens in the third and fourth character positions (eg. bbq-.pro) will not be accepted.
Why do I need a third-level .Pro domain name?
Professionals who have a heightened security and privacy obligation benefit from the easy-to-implement and use .Pro domain name and professional-level certificate. Professionals, especially those in the legal or accounting fields, have an obligation to keep client records, communications and personal information secure and private. With third-level .Pro domains, emails can be digitally signed and encrypted to ensure privacy.
