# .ae domain registration in the UAE: who can register .ae, .co.ae and .امارات, and how

> UAE domain names are run by the .ae Domain Administration (.aeDA), part of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), and you register them through one of its accredited registrars, never directly with the registry. The rules depend on the extension. A plain .ae is an unrestricted name: any applicant can register it, and the .ae Domain Name Policy says applicants are "not required to provide any documentary evidence." A .co.ae is restricted to commercial entities with a UAE trade licence, including free zone companies, or an applicant for or holder of a UAE trademark, and the name must match or be closely connected to that company, trade name or mark. Restricted names can only be registered through registrars based in the UAE. Licences run for one to five years, names are allocated first come, first served, and a lapsed .ae stops resolving on its expiry date. This guide covers each extension, the steps, renewal and expiry, transfers, disputes and what a .ae does for search.

- Canonical: https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/ae-domain-registration
- Arabic version: https://www.ogblabs.com/ar/guides/ae-domain-registration
- Author: OGB Labs (https://www.ogblabs.com)
- Published: 2026-10-14
- Updated: 2026-10-14

## Who runs .ae, and where you actually register

The registry for .ae and the Arabic .امارات is the [.aeDA](https://tdra.gov.ae/en/aeda), which sits inside TDRA. Its FAQ is explicit about the division of labour: the registry maintains the database and "does not deal directly with registrants"; accredited registrars issue licences and have direct registry access; and resellers are appointed by registrars, are not accredited by the .aeDA, and must process registrations through a registrar.

The [accredited registrars page](https://tdra.gov.ae/en/aeda/accredited-registrars) listed 28 registrars when we checked in October 2026. They include UAE companies such as du, Etisalat, AEserver, BUZINESSWARE, Gate Hills, Host Arabia, Abu-Ghazaleh and Domgate, and international registrars such as 101domain, MarkMonitor, Com Laude, Name.com, Dynadot and Openprovider. If you buy through a hosting company or agency, it is a reseller, and its registrar should be on that list.

One detail decides which registrar you can use. Section 5.2.8 of the [.ae Domain Name Policy](https://tdra.gov.ae/-/media/aeda/Policies/ae-policies/English/Domain_Name_Policy-EN.ashx) says restricted names, such as .co.ae, "can only be Registered through Accredited Registrars based in the UAE." A plain .ae is available through all accredited registrars.

## A .ae is a licence, not property

Section 4.1 of the policy states that "there are no proprietary rights in the Domain Name System": the registrant holds an exclusive licence to use the name for a set period, on the terms of the application, the licence, the registrant agreement and the .aeDA's policies. Section 4.3 allocates names "on a 'first come, first served basis'" among applicants who meet the eligibility rules.

Holding a licence does not give you trademark rights either. Section 8.1 puts the burden on the registrant to make sure the name does not violate anyone else's intellectual property, defame anyone or break UAE law, and section 7 lets the .aeDA revoke a licence obtained with false or incomplete information or used in breach of UAE law, naming the cybercrime law among others.

## Which extension you can register

The .aeDA splits names into an unrestricted zone, which today is only names directly under .ae, and restricted zones under reserved second-level labels. The table summarises sections 10 to 16 of the policy.

**UAE domain extensions and who may register them**

| Extension | Who may register, per the .ae Domain Name Policy |
| --- | --- |
| .ae | Unrestricted. Any applicant; "not required to provide any documentary evidence," subject to the general rules and the Registrant Warranties Policy. |
| .امارات | The Arabic-script ccTLD, run under the separate dotEmarat policy. Its unrestricted zone "may be Registered by any Applicant." |
| .co.ae | "Commercial entities trading in the UAE": a valid UAE trade licence, a free zone licence, or an application for or registration of a UAE trademark. |
| .net.ae | IT service providers: a UAE or free zone trade licence for IT services, or a UAE trademark for an IT service or product. |
| .org.ae | UAE not-for-profit organisations, such as sporting, charitable, cultural and diplomatic bodies, with a certificate of registration. |
| .sch.ae / .ac.ae | Schools, with Ministry of Education registration, and academic institutions licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. |
| .gov.ae / .mil.ae | UAE government entities and military authorities, with an authorising letter, for official business only. |

## .ae or .co.ae: which one a company should pick

For most companies the short answer is .ae. It is open to any applicant, needs no documents, is sold by every accredited registrar, and reads cleanly in marketing. That openness is also its weakness: anyone can register brand.ae, including a competitor or a squatter, so register yours as soon as the brand is decided.

A .co.ae is harder to get and therefore harder to take. Section 11 requires a UAE trade licence, a free zone licence or a UAE trademark application or registration, and the name must be "an exact match to," an acronym or abbreviation of, or "closely connected to" a company in which the registrant holds at least 50% or which it controls, or that company's trading name or trademark. Section 8.4 applies the same connection test to every restricted name.

Our working practice is to register both, serve the site on one and redirect the other permanently. If you also sell in Oman or Saudi Arabia, the same pattern applies to [.om domain registration](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/om-domain-registration) and [.sa domain registration](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/sa-domain-registration), each with its own eligibility rules.

## Rules for the name itself

- Between 2 and 63 characters.
- English letters a to z, numbers 0 to 9 and hyphens only, for .ae names; Arabic names go under .امارات.
- It must begin and end with a letter or number, and may not have a hyphen in both the third and fourth positions or contain a space.
- Names on the .aeDA's Reserved Names List cannot be licensed without the authorisation that policy requires.
- There is no limit on how many unrestricted .ae names one registrant can hold, but each application must meet the eligibility rules.

## How to register a .ae domain, step by step

1. Check availability with the TDRA [WHOIS lookup](https://tdra.gov.ae/en/aeda/pages/whoislookup) or the registrar's search.
2. Pick an accredited registrar, or a reseller that works through one. For .co.ae and other restricted names, it must be a registrar based in the UAE.
3. Apply in your company's own name, with a company email address you control, not an agency's or an employee's personal inbox.
4. For .co.ae, have the trade licence or free zone licence ready, or the UAE trademark application or certificate if the name is a brand rather than the company name. A plain .ae needs no documents, but you still warrant that you meet the policy.
5. Choose a licence term of one, two, three, four or five years and pay the registrar.
6. Store the domain password, also called the authorisation code, that the .aeDA requires registrants to be issued at registration. You need it to move registrars later.
7. Point DNS at your hosting, add the email records, and test the site with and without www over HTTPS. The .aeDA FAQ notes that zone files are propagated daily, so new names usually resolve quickly.

## What a .ae costs

The .aeDA does not publish a registrant price. Its FAQ says registrars pay the .aeDA to become and remain accredited, pay a wholesale fee for each domain, and set their own prices, and that a registrar bundling a domain with other services must state the domain's cost clearly. Compare quotes for the same term and ask what renewal costs, not only the first year.

If you make a typing mistake, act fast. The [Domain Name Renewal, Expiry and Deletion Policy](https://tdra.gov.ae/-/media/aeda/Policies/General-Policies/General-Policies-English/AEDAPOL012v11DomainNameRenewalExipryandDeletion.ashx) has a three-calendar-day grace period in which a registration or renewal can be cancelled and the registry fee refunded to the registrar, intended for "the correction of typographic errors." Whether the registrar passes that refund on to you is set by its own terms.

## Renewal and expiry: why a lapsed .ae goes dark immediately

You can renew at any time for one to five years, as long as the total licence period does not exceed five years and 90 days from the date of renewal. Registrars may offer auto-renewal only with your explicit consent, and must let you cancel it free if the domain has not yet been renewed.

Expiry is unforgiving for .ae, .co.ae, .net.ae, .org.ae and .امارات. On the expiry date the name goes on expired hold and its DNS records are removed, so the website and email stop working that day. Renewal is the only action allowed. Thirty days after DNS removal the registry stops accepting renewals, and from day 31 the name is eligible to be purged and registered by someone else. Put the renewal date in the company calendar and keep a card on file with the registrar.

## Transfers, ownership and disputes

- Moving registrars is free. The [change of registrar policy](https://tdra.gov.ae/-/media/aeda/Policies/General-Policies/General-Policies-English/AEDAPOL010v10DomainNameTransferChangeofRegistrar.ashx) says neither registrar may charge a transfer fee, that you keep the remaining licence period, and that the old registrar "shall not delay or prevent" the transfer. You give the new registrar a written request with the domain password, confirm its confirmation message, and the transfer proceeds two calendar days after it is initiated.
- If you do not know the password, the FAQ says a recovery service sends it to the registered email address. That is one more reason for the registrant email to be a company address.
- Changing the registrant, for example from an agency to your company, is a separate process with its own policy, the Domain Name Transfer – Change of Registrant policy on the [.aeDA policies page](https://tdra.gov.ae/en/aeda/ae-policies). Register in the company's name from day one and you avoid it. Our checklist for [choosing a web development company](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/choose-web-development-company-oman) covers ownership of the domain, hosting and code.
- Disputes go through the UAE Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, with the [WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center](https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/) as provider. A complainant must show the name is identical or confusingly similar to its mark, that the registrant has no rights or legitimate interests in it, and that it was registered or is used in bad faith. Remedies are limited to cancelling the name or transferring it to the complainant.

## Arabic .امارات domains

The .aeDA also runs .امارات, under its own dotEmarat Domain Name Policy. Because several Arabic letters look alike or have variant forms, the policy uses variants: the .aeDA automatically activates certain equivalent spellings when you register, you can ask your registrar to activate others, and no more than five active variants are allowed. Variants share the primary name's record, must not be managed separately in DNS, and cannot be sold or leased on their own.

An Arabic domain is a useful addition for Arabic-first consumer and government-facing brands, usually redirecting to the main site. It does not replace a Latin .ae that customers can type on any keyboard. For Arabic pages themselves, see our [Arabic website RTL checklist](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/arabic-website-rtl-checklist).

## Does a .ae domain help you rank in the UAE?

Google's documentation on [multi-regional sites](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/international/managing-multi-regional-sites) says country-code domains "provide a strong signal to both users and search engines" that a site is intended for that country, and that a country-code domain can only target one country. A .ae or .co.ae is that signal for the UAE.

It is not a ranking boost on its own. Local addresses and phone numbers, dirham prices, English and Arabic pages, hreflang, links from UAE sites and a Google Business Profile all count, and a .com with those signals can rank in Dubai. If one site serves several Gulf countries, a .com with country folders is often simpler than a .ae, a .om and a .sa. Our guide to [SEO for Google and AI search](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/seo-oman-google-ai-search) covers the signals that carry across Gulf markets.

## How OGB Labs helps

OGB Labs builds websites, ecommerce stores and apps for UAE companies, with a team in Dubai. We register the .ae and .co.ae through an accredited registrar in your company's name, set up DNS, email and HTTPS, and build bilingual sites that give Google the rest of the country signals. See our [UAE page](https://www.ogblabs.com/locations/uae) or contact us with the name you want and your trade licence.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who can register a .ae domain?

Any applicant. A plain .ae is in the unrestricted zone, and the .ae Domain Name Policy says applicants are not required to provide documentary evidence, though they warrant that they meet the policy and must not infringe anyone's rights.

### What is the difference between .ae and .co.ae?

.ae is open to anyone. .co.ae is restricted to commercial entities with a UAE or free zone trade licence, or an applicant for or holder of a UAE trademark, and the name must match or be closely connected to that company, trade name or mark.

### Can a foreign company register a .ae domain?

Yes, a plain .ae has no local presence or document requirement. A .co.ae needs a UAE trade licence, a free zone licence or a UAE trademark application or registration, and must be registered through a registrar based in the UAE.

### Where do I register a .ae domain?

Through a registrar accredited by the .aeDA, which is part of TDRA, or a reseller that works through one. The registry does not deal with registrants directly.

### How long can I register a .ae domain for?

One to five years. Renewals can be made at any time as long as the total licence period does not exceed five years and 90 days from the date of renewal.

### What happens if my .ae domain expires?

On the expiry date the name is put on hold and its DNS records are removed, so the site and email stop working. You can still renew for 30 days; after that renewals are refused and the name becomes eligible to be purged.

### How much does a .ae domain cost?

The .aeDA does not publish a registrant price. It charges registrars a wholesale fee per domain, and each registrar sets its own price, so compare quotes for the same term, including renewal.

### Is it free to transfer a .ae domain to another registrar?

Yes. Under the .aeDA's change of registrar policy neither registrar may charge a transfer fee, you keep the remaining licence period, and the transfer proceeds two calendar days after it is initiated with your domain password.

### Does a .ae domain help SEO in the UAE?

Google treats country-code domains as a strong signal that a site targets that country, but it is not a ranking boost by itself. Local content, addresses, dirham prices, Arabic pages and local links matter too.

## Related

- [Websites](https://www.ogblabs.com/services/websites): Company websites and web platforms designed around your brand, built to rank and to turn visitors into customers.
- [Ecommerce](https://www.ogblabs.com/services/ecommerce): Stores built to sell: storefronts that feel like your brand, a checkout people finish and inventory that stays in sync.
- [How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI: a guide for Omani companies](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/get-cited-by-chatgpt-perplexity-google-ai): What ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini and Google AI Mode actually read before they recommend a company, which crawlers to allow, what to publish, and what to skip.
- [How to measure AI search traffic in Google Analytics 4 and Search Console: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews and AI Mode](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/measure-ai-search-traffic-ga4-search-console): GA4's new AI Assistant channel, custom channel groups for ChatGPT and Perplexity referrals, and Search Console's Generative AI report for AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- [VAT registration in Saudi Arabia for online stores and apps: thresholds, foreign sellers, marketplaces and penalties](https://www.ogblabs.com/guides/saudi-vat-registration-online-sellers): When a Saudi or foreign online store, app or SaaS must register for VAT with ZATCA: SAR 375,000 and 187,500 thresholds, marketplace rules, deadlines and fines.

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