New Policy to Register Second Level Domain Names under .mt effective from 01 Dec 2017

Objectives of New Domain Name Registration Policy

NIC(Malta) is implementing changes in its domain name registration policy in the .mt namespace, which is the top-level country domain for Malta. The new policy will make it possible to register Internet domain names at the second level, directly to the left of .mt. The new policy will become effective as from 1 December 2017. For example, from this date, it will become possible to register myname.mt. Registrations of third level domain names, such as for example myname.com.mt, will remain possible.

The following are the main reasons for adopting the new policy:

• More choice – Through the new policy NIC(Malta) will be offering more choice to existing and future registrants in the .mt namespace.

• Simpler, shorter names – Domain names under .mt will no longer necessarily require an additional three-letter second level domain name, resulting in shorter and snappier names. The focus of the domain name can be on the registrant’s preferred branding.

• Avoids inappropriate labelling – Some domain names do not quite fit within the existing hierarchical structure which categorises a domain name by commercial (.com.mt), non-profit (.org.mt), internet related service provider (.net.mt), educational (.edu.mt) and governmental (.gov.mt) organisation type. Thus, for example, individuals may register their personal domain names without any hindrance.

• Follows similar changes in the wider Internet – Other countries have adopted similar changes to their policies, such as for example in the United Kingdom (.uk) and New Zealand (.nz). In addition, IANA has recently introduced a large number of generic top-level domain names which are bound to increase in the future. Therefore, this new policy has been implemented in order for the .mt domain to remain relevant in the evolving Internet.

Outcome of Public Consultation

The new policy has been approved by NIC(Malta) following a public consultation exercise last year. The feedback received from the public, industry players and interested parties showed that there is widespread agreement to introducing second level domain name registration under .mt. A report summarizing the outcome of the public consultation may be downloaded from https://www.nic.org.mt/2LD/publicreport.pdf.

Changes in Proposed Policy following Public Consultation

Following the outcome of the public consultation exercise, NIC(Malta) has approved the new policy that allows registration of domain names directly at the second level under .mt. Taking into consideration the received feedback, the Domain Name Registration Policy and the corresponding Terms and Conditions have been slightly amended compared to the respective documents published during the public consultation. The changes introduced are highlighted at https://www.nic.org.mt/2LD/changes-and-recommendations. The approved new Domain Name Registration Policy and Terms and Conditions with tracked changes compared to the consultation documents may be viewed respectively at https://www.nic.org.mt/2LD/approved-policy and https://www.nic.org.mt/2LD/approved-terms.

FAQ on New Policy

An FAQ dealing with the changes in the Domain Name Registration Policy can be found at https://www.nic.org.mt/2LD/faq. This should be your first port of call in case of queries regarding the new policy.

New Fee Structure

As previously announced, with the introduction of the new Policy (effective 1 December 2017), NIC(Malta) is also introducing a new fee structure for domain name registration. Further details may be found at https://www.nic.org.mt/2LD/fee-structure.