.rw terms and conditions

.rw terms and conditions

Acceptable .rw domain names and policy

NIC is the delegated authority for registering domain names in the .rw top-level domains. The domain name space is served on a first in first out basis. NIC has a rather liberal policy about domain name.

The domains are registered just under the top level domain code. There is no domain like domain.co.rw like in some other countries. Please note that any domain not registered directly under ..rw should note that their domains will be deleted if they have not been approved by NIC. We urge any domain owner to apply immediately for transfer of these domains immediately under ..rw

Read the pricing page for registration fees, and for possible free domains for local citizens.

The foreign entities are not obliged to keep a DNS or an administrative contact in the country. Except those qualified by NIC as restricted or undesirable, any domain name may be assigned to these entities.

A restricted domain is one of these : any country code, gov net edu ac com co int mil gouv or any other name related to government or public company use. Contact domain@nic.rw if you want to create such a domain. Note however that it will be assigned only if sponsored by an official authority. We also discourage generic names such as bank nom art ... or a geographic notion as it also misleads people.

An undesirable name is defined as being vulgar, misleading people or inappropriate. It is also applicable for domain registration of wellknown brands/trademarks registered by third parties without the consent of the owner of the brands/trademark. The domain will be deleted immediately at the owner's request.

The domain name must have a minimum of three characters. Applications for one or two characters domain may be considered, with a possible surcharge if this domain is considered as Premium, with prior arrangment with domain@nic.rw

There is no notion of property as far as a domain name is concerned. It is rather to be seen as a sub-delegation, and the sub-delegated entity is supposed to manage it in compliance with the RFC's and with the usual rules applicable to such a sub-delegation. Reselling of the domain is a matter that NIC does not handle. It is an agreement between the seller and the buyer, and we only provide tools for changing admin/tech contact whois..

NIC will do its best so that second-level domains are run in a fair way. NIC may delete a domain name without compensation, should the domain be run in an inappropriate manner or be restricted or undesirable.

The invoicing is per e-mail only. NIC sends yearly invoices to the billing contact e-mail address at the anniversary date of the domain creation. There is no reminder sent afterwards. It is your responsability to maintain the record accurate and your mail server open so that the e-mailed invoice reaches the right person. Note that our e-mails are in HTML formats and can include forms. An unpaid domain is deleted after two weeks and made available for new sub-delegation. Any payment without clear communication will be held in a separate account and domain will not be created/renewed. NIC will not try to trace back the payment origin, and without proper identification from the payer, this amount will stay unassigned to any domain. The deletion of the domain will take place at its expiry date and NIC wont be liable for any refund. It is the registrant's responsibility to notify NIC about the assignment of the payment, and once this payment has been reassigned, domain will be restored until its next renewal date. During the time the domain is deleted, NIC owes no compensation. The domain can be made available to the public. . Being in breach with this policy gives NIC the possibility to jeopardize all other domains that the user registered. NIC has the right to rectify any information in the whois database that he finds incorrect, irrelevant or misleading. NIC can also delete or suspend any domain that the registrant does not keep according to our policy, without compensation. Whois must be kept accurate and your mail server must be configured so that our mails are not classified as spam.


You agree that our entire liability, and your exclusive remedy, with respect to any provided NIC service(s) and/or for any breach and assigns is solely limited to the amount of 50 Euros. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages; if it is the case, you are not allowed to use the NIC services. Should you use our services however without informing us about this, the service will be deemed to have been rendered in our country.

As rendered service for domain creation, NIC installs the requested domain in the database of the DNS server 213.193.157.30 and the NS records will be pointed to the DNS servers you specify on the form. This is the only service rendered. It does not include a sale of the domain name as there is no notion of property on a domain. Future changes of pointers are free of charge (max 3 per year). NIC will do its best effort to keep this pointer, the delegation and the DNS running, but shall by no means bear any responsibility for any disruption of service as it may occur from time to time on the internet or disruption of delegation. For each DNS server you specify as authoritative, you must have a DNS server up and running which is compliant with current RFC's and which is responding to domain name requests for your domain. We can delete a domain that does not resolve properly on your servers.

Resellers are normally not eligible for rebates.

By using a registration form or using a domain, the user agrees to comply with all the present and future policies of NIC. Litigation will only be solved through a legal procedure in a tribunal of our country. No foreign court has jurisdiction. Arbitral solution may however be accepted at NIC sole discretion via an established Intellectual Property Arbitrator, but the preferred default procedure is through a tribunal of our country, and should NIC decide to send the matter through a tribunal of our country, there will be no alternative.