New Fee Structure

A number of respondents have expressed concerns on the possible increase in their costs in order to protect double the number of domain names (their current 3LD name and the new corresponding 2LD name). As already indicated by NIC(Malta) the aim of this new policy is definitely not to increase its revenue. In order to address these concerns, NIC(Malta) will be

1. waiving the one-time set-up charges and the annual registration fees of paired domain names for the whole duration of the Preferential Registration Period from 1 December 2017 till 30 November 2020. This means that if an entity registers its corresponding 2LD name during this period and retains also its existing 3LD name, it would continue to pay exactly the same amount for the whole duration of the Preferential Registration Period. Similarly, if an entity registers a new 2LD name during the Preferential Registration Period, it would have the option of also registering the corresponding 3LD name (if this is available) for free for the whole duration of this period.




2. reducing the annual registration fees by 50% for all domain names after the Cut-off date, i.e. as from 1 December 2020.

Table 1 shows the new fee structure when registering a new domain name. New domains are registered for an initial period of one year. The fee for the first year is composed of a one-time set-up charge of €10 and an annual registration fee that depends on the type of domain name that is being registered, as shown in Table 1. All fees are shown inclusive of 18% VAT¹.

Existing domain names can be renewed for one-year or two-year periods. Table 2 shows the new fee structure for renewing a domain name for one-year or for two-year periods. All fees are shown inclusive of 18% VAT¹.

Typical Example Scenarios

In the following examples, it is being assumed that the relevant entities are choosing to renew domain names on a yearly basis and are not taking advantage of better pricing when renewing domains for a 2-year period.

Scenario 1a

A company which has had the domain myname.com.mt² registered for a number of years and which has preferential rights to register myname.mt during the Preferential Registration Period (i.e. between 1 December 2017 and 30 November 2020), proceeds to register the domain myname.mt some time during this period.

Scenario 1b

Same as scenario 1a but the company decides not to take up registration of the corresponding 2LD name myname.mt during the Preferential Registration Period.

Scenario 2a

An entity which has had the domain name myname.org.mt³ registered for a number of years and which has preferential rights to register myname.mt during the Preferential Registration Period (i.e. between 1 December 2017 and 30 November 2020), proceeds to register the domain myname.mt some time during this period.

Scenario 2b

Same as scenario 2a but the entity decides not to take up registration of the corresponding 2LD name myname.mt during the Preferential Registration Period.

Scenario 3a

A company which is registering for the first time the domain name myname.mt during the Preferential Registration Period and takes the opportunity to also register the corresponding 3LD name myname.com.mt at the same time.

Scenario 3b

Same as scenario 3a but the company decides not to register the corresponding 3LD name and only registers myname.mt during the Preferential Registration Period.

Notes:

1. 18% Value Added Tax (VAT) is added to invoices issued to Billing Agents established in Malta. Invoices issued to Billing Agents established in other EU Member States who do not provide NIC(Malta) with their VAT Number will have the rate applicable in their country. VAT is not otherwise added to invoices issued by NIC(Malta).

2. The same would apply if the domain name was myname.net.mt.

3. The same would apply if the domain name was myname.edu.mt.