Domain registration terms

1. About these terms

1. 1.1

   These terms apply to domain names you register, renew or transfer in through NewHost. They are service-specific terms under our Terms of Service and take precedence over them for domains.

2. 1.2

   We are a reseller: we register domains through an accredited registrar partner, Domains.co.za, which submits them to the registry that runs each extension. Your domain is therefore also subject to the rules of that registry and, for generic extensions such as .com, to the policies of ICANN.

"Registrant"

the person or organisation named as the holder of a domain in the registry's records. The registrant is the owner of the domain.

"Registry"

the organisation that manages an extension, such as the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) for .co.za, .org.za, .net.za and .web.za, and the registries of other extensions.

"Registrar"

the accredited company that submits registrations to the registry; for domains bought through us this is our registrar partner.

"EPP or auth code"

the transfer key some registries use to authorise a transfer to another registrar.

2. You own your domain

1. 2.1

   You are the registrant of every domain you register through us, and the domain is yours. We do not register domains in our own name on your behalf and we claim no ownership of them.

2. 2.2

   When you register a domain you give the registrant details (name, organisation, address, e-mail and telephone number). They must be accurate and complete, and you must keep them up to date in the dashboard. Registries can suspend or cancel a domain whose details are false, and the registrant details decide who controls the domain in a dispute.

3. 2.3

   If you register a domain for someone else (for example a client of yours), enter their details as the registrant. You confirm that you have their authority to do so.

4. 2.4

   Anyone with access to your NewHost account who may manage domains can change nameservers, lock or unlock a domain and reveal its transfer code. Choose team roles accordingly.

3. Registering a domain

1. 3.1

   Domains are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. A search showing a domain as available is not a guarantee: the registration only succeeds when the registry accepts it. If it fails after you paid, we credit the amount to your wallet or refund it.

2. 3.2

   You are responsible for choosing a name that you are entitled to use. Do not register a name that infringes someone else's trade mark or other rights, or that is abusive or offensive.

3. 3.3

   Registrations are normally for one year at a time. Registration, renewal and transfer fees are shown before you order and are passed on to the registry when submitted, so they are not refundable once submitted (see Cancellations and Refunds).

4. 3.4

   Registries publish some registrant details in their public WHOIS or RDAP services according to their own rules. We do not currently offer a WHOIS privacy service.

4. Renewals and expiry

1. 4.1

   Auto-renew is on by default. About 30 days before a domain expires we raise a renewal invoice for one more year. If wallet auto-pay is on and your balance covers it, it is paid automatically; otherwise you pay the invoice. We send reminders 7 days and 1 day before the invoice is due.

2. 4.2

   You can turn auto-renew off for a domain in the dashboard. It then stays registered until its expiry date and is not renewed.

3. 4.3

   Renewing on time is your responsibility. We renew a domain at the registry only once its renewal invoice is paid. If it is not paid before the expiry date, the domain expires: the website and e-mail that use it stop working, and the registry's grace, redemption and deletion rules apply. Restoring an expired domain may cost an extra registry fee, and after the registry deletes it, anyone may register it.

4. 4.4

   The dashboard shows each domain's expiry date and warns you about domains that expire within 30 days.

5. Transfers in and out

1. 5.1

   Transfers in: you can transfer a domain to us from another registrar by placing a transfer order. Generic domains need the EPP code from the current registrar. A transfer usually adds a year to the registration, and it completes only when the registry and the current registrar allow it.

2. 5.2

   Transfers out: you may move your domain to another registrar or reseller at any time. In the dashboard you can unlock the domain and show its EPP code, or have the code e-mailed to the registrant. For .za domains, which do not use EPP codes, the new registrar starts the transfer under ZACR's procedure and the registrant confirms it.

3. 5.3

   We do not hold domains back to collect payment: you can transfer a domain away even if you owe us money, although the amount stays payable. Registry rules may block a transfer shortly after a registration or transfer, or while a domain is locked by the registry or in dispute.

4. 5.4

   A change of registrant (transferring ownership to another person) must be made through the registrant details, and some registries ask the current registrant to confirm it.

6. Nameservers and DNS

1. 6.1

   You choose the nameservers for your domain. If you use ours, we host its DNS records while the domain or a related NewHost service is active. If you point the domain to another provider, its DNS is managed there and we are not responsible for it.

7. Domain disputes

1. 7.1

   Disputes about who is entitled to a .za domain (for example a claim that it is an abusive or offending registration) are decided under the Alternate Dispute Resolution Regulations made under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002, through an accredited dispute resolution provider. Disputes about generic domains are decided under ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) or the registry's own policy.

2. 7.2

   By registering a domain you agree to take part in those procedures if a dispute is lodged, and that we, our registrar partner and the registry may implement the decision (for example by transferring or cancelling the domain).

3. 7.3

   We are not a party to disputes between a registrant and a third party and cannot decide them. We act on decisions of the dispute resolution provider, a court, or the registry. Content on a website that uses the domain is dealt with under our take-down procedure.

8. Suspension by the registry or by us

1. 8.1

   A registry may suspend, lock, transfer or cancel a domain under its rules, for example for false registrant details, abuse, non-payment or a dispute decision. We have no control over such actions.

2. 8.2

   We may lock a domain or ask the registry to suspend it where the law requires, where it is used for clearly unlawful purposes such as phishing or malware (see our Acceptable Use Policy), or on the order of a court or dispute resolution provider. Where possible we tell you first.

9. Help with domains

1. 9.1

   For help with a domain, a transfer or the registrant details, contact use our contact form or open a support ticket from the dashboard.