Registering an IE Domain as an Individual

There are a lot of myths and “old wives tales” surrounding the registration of IE domains. A lot of them may have held some truth in the past, however the current reality is very different.

One of the more popular myths is that you must be an Irish company to register an IE domain.
That is simply not true.
You do not have to be an Irish company to register an IE domain.
A sole trader, artist, author, politician, public figure or private citizen can register domains, however it is not like in the .com namespace, which may explain where some of the confusion arises.
Like many ccTLDs (country code domains) there are certain restrictions and rules that must be adhered to.
If you read the rules and naming policy you can see that there is space for individuals and groups to get their own Irish domain.
The IE registration authority (IEDR) allow a discretionary application, which means literally that – at the registry’s discretion.
Some people seem to have issues with this concept, but it’s not that hard to grasp and you only have to go through the process once.
Basically the rules allow an individual to register an IE domain for personal use. If the chosen name can be justified and is clearly not intended for business use, then the registry may, at its discretion, award the domain.
If, however, you wish to register your own full name, or part thereof, you will run into some problems.
Under the current policies you may register your personal name only under certain circumstances, which cover artists, musicians, politicians, persons trading with their name (this would also cover journalists) and other public figures.
If you intend on using your IE domain for trading of any kind then you should be registered with the CRO and be in possession of a registered business name.
The process involved in registering a business name is neither complex, expensive nor time-consuming.
If you wish to trade as anything other than your given name, then you must have a registered business name.
You may think that all this talk of “discretion” and similar terminology is terribly complicated.
You may wish to draw parallels with other registries.
You may even wish to point to the automatic nature of .com registration.
By all means, you are, after all entitled to your opinion, however whining about a small bit of bureaucracy is not going to help you register your chosen domain name.
NB:Information provided here is based on my own experience with the IE registration process and policies. It is not a replacement for them and any decisions regarding the registration of an IE domain ultimately rests with the IEDR