No. Every .at domain is assigned a unique domain holder handle (user name at nic.at customer login)

Yes, you can administrate your domain directly at nic.at. If the domain hasn't already been registered via nic.at directly, but was registered via an Internet service provider, the domain must be transferred to nic.at first. Thereafter, you can administrate your domain(s) in the customer login area at any time.

However, nic.at does not offer any technical services, such as name server, e-mail, hosting, etc. If you do not meet the necessary technical requirements yourself, we suggest that you have your domain administrated by one of our .at partners (registrars). Our .at partner .at-Partnerfinder offers you a good overview of all .at partners and the option of finding a suitable partner, in line with your domain-specific requirements.

You can learn more about our login area in this video.

Yes, you can administrate your domain directly at nic.at. If the domain hasn't already been registered via nic.at directly, but was registered via an Internet service provider/Registrar, the domain must be transferred to nic.at first. Thereafter, you can administrate your domain(s) in the customer login area at any time.

However, nic.at does not offer any technical services, such as name server, e-mail, hosting, etc. If you do not meet the necessary technical requirements yourself, we suggest that you have your domain administrated by one of our .at partners (registrars). Our .at-Partnerfinder offers you a good overview of all .at partners and the option of finding a suitable partner, in line with your domain-specific requirements.

You can learn more about our login area in this video.

Generally speaking, the Internet service provider cannot represent the domain holder. This holds true with the exception of domain registration, during which the Internet service provider concludes a contract with nic.at on behalf of his customer. Any other data changes to the .at domain must be agreed to by the contractual partner, i.e. the domain holder.

If you wish to amend a Security Lock domain, send a request to the Security Lock e-mail address and you will receive a link by e-mail. By clicking on the link, you will be forwarded directly to the nic.at website where you can view, confirm and reject the amendment. If the domain is in the administration of your registrar / provider, contact them to cancel your domain.

The Security Lock will be deactivated automatically by cancellation of the domain or change of domain holder. Of course it is also possible to cancel just the Security Lock, you can do this directly via your "customer login area" this has no repercussions for the functionality of your domain. If you fail to pay the annual fee on time, the Security Lock will also be deactivated automatically.

If an Internet service provider removes a domain from his name servers, for example because a domain holder is untraceable or does not attend to his contractual duties, this procedure is referred to as "zone deletion". Removal renders the domain technically disabled.

 In the event of a zone deletion, nic.at contacts the domain holder in writing and gives him four weeks time to send new name server data. If the domain holder does not react within this period or is not reachable, the domain can be cancelled and becomes available again for registration. Payment of unpaid domain invoices will be demanded in any case.

Zone deletion is not a cancellation!

This process (as opposed to a regular cancellation) is time-consuming and expensive. If nic.at establishes that the domain holder originally intended to cancel the domain and that the Internet service provider requested a zone deletion instead of a regular cancellation, the Internet service provider can be charged with a handling fee.

What is required for a successful zone deletion?

In order for a zone deletion to be successful, the name server response for the affected domain must meet the following criteria:

• One of the following statuses is returned (Rcode):
  • NXDOMAIN
  • REFUSED
  • NOERROR with empty answer section
• The AA-flag for Authoritative Answer must not be set
• No SOA/NE records pointing to own servers

Please note that the confirmation of a zone deletion is preceded by a name server check. Depending on the number of configured name servers for the domain at issue, this process could take some time.

All the registered domain data can be viewed and changed in the nic.at customer login. No form is required for the change. As soon as the transaction (online application) has been sent, the new data is deposited. This also applies to the authinfo. We recommend changing the authinfo once a domain has been transferred. In addition, DNSSec records are entered/deleted promptly, i.e. without requiring a signed form.

The name server of a domain can also be changed via the nic.at customer login. The online application is generated by entering the new data and can be sent directly. If at least one name server remains unchanged, no signed form is required. Otherwise, the form is automatically generated and can be uploaded in the nic.at customer login.

The same domain holder handle is registered for all .at domains in the nic.at customer login. If a data change (e.g. address) is needed, changing the domain holder handle is sufficient to register the new data for all the domains. Changes to telephone number, fax number or the hidden status can be made without a form. Changes to postal and e-mail address require a form signed by the domain holder. If the name of the organisation, person or country (e.g. change to the company name, marriage, etc.) of a domain holder handle is to be changed, a new domain holder handle needs to be generated for technical reasons. The new domain holder handle is then automatically registered in all the domains of the nic.at customer login. The password remains unchanged.

• Data change form

If you want to become the invoice recipient of your customers' .at domains, you can generate a token in your nic.at customer login. Your customer can change the invoice recipient in their nic.at customer login using this token. This token can also be generated prior to registering an .at domain.

Creating a token in the customer login:
You will find this option in the nic.at customer login under "Billing". A separate "Token" tab is available there.

If you wish to cancel your domain, please contact your Internet service provider, because every supplier has different cancellation terms and there are often service packages connected to the domain. Please verify whether your Internet service provider has also cancelled the domain with nic.at. After cancellation is successful, you will receive a confirmation from nic.at by e-mail. If you do not receive this e-mail, please contact our customer service (service@nic.at) and we will verify whether your domain has been duly cancelled.

You can choose "immediately" or "at the end of the current service period" as cancellation date. From this time on, the domain is locked (cool-down period) and, thus, no longer technically functional. In the Whois database, the domain is marked "pending delete". After this technical lock (approx. eight weeks), the domain will be available for a new registration.

If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can perform a cancellation directly in the login area or download the form here. Note: The cancellation period always ends one day before the new service period begins. The service period is indicated on the invoice. Already issued invoices shall remain valid if cancellation is not on time and shall be claimed.

The correct procedure for cancellation is also explained in this video.

Prior to changing your Internet service provider you need a new Internet service provider to whom you wish to transfer your domain. If you do not have a suitable Internet service provider yet, you can find a list of our .at partners in the .at-Partnerfinder. Many Internet service providers offer the service to perform a change of Internet service provider on the customer's behalf. The following distinction is important when it comes to a change of Internet service provider.

Your domain is with an Internet service provider:

Contact your current Internet service provider and have him enter the "AuthInfo" code. The "AuthInfo" code is a unique digit/number combination that is valid as a confirmation code in the event of Internet service provider transfer. The domain holder can request the AuthInfo code from his Internet service provider at any time (often it can also be requested via customer portals).Once you have received the AuthInfo code, you communicate it to your new Internet service provider so that he can transfer your domain. After successful transfer, the Internet service provider should set a new AuthInfo code, because the old one will otherwise remain valid.
Note: Your current Internet service provider is required to provide you with the AuthInfo code, even if e.g. old invoices are still outstanding

In the event that your current Internet service provider refuses to provide you with the AuthInfo code, nic.at offers an alternative procedure in cooperation with your new Internet service provider: The new Internet service provider can request a confirmation token from nic.at which is sent to you by e-mail. This token is valid for 21 days and is bound to this specific Internet service provider. As soon as you pass on your token to your new Internet service provider, the latter can take over administration of the domain and perform the desired changes.

Your domain is being administrated at nic.at:

If you want to have your domain administrated by an Internet service provider/registrar and no longer at nic.at, you can find the required Authinfo in your login area. As soon as your new Internet service provider has the AuthInfo code, he can transfer the domain.

Please note that a transfer will automatically revoke a cancellation by expiration.

Your first contact is your Internet service provider or registrar. At www.at-partner.at you can find out if the registrar offers DNSSEC. If you possess the required DNSSEC technology for your nameservers yourself, just specify the DS-record of your domain in the login area.

With the WHOIS query, we provide - depending on the legal person - additional information on the domain holder, the technical contact person (tech-c) and technical data (nameserver, DNSSec information) of the delegated domain. Please note that nic.at does not publish the data of natural persons - no matter if they are the domain holder or technical contact person (tech-c) of a domain. Data of legal persons are published in the Whois database, although display of contact data such as telephone number, fax and e-mail address can be disabled.

The nic.at Whois database is a copyrighted database. Single domain queries are available to the Internet community free of charge until further notice. nic.at retains the exclusive right to copy, distribute, transmit or communicate the database or parts of the database to the public.

If the domain holder is a natural person whose data are not shown publicly, you may be eligable to apply for a motivated request. Natural persons’ domain data is only accessible to people who provide proof of identity and are able to prove a legitimate interest for finding out who the domain holder is. This includes law enforcement agencies, lawyers or people who contact nic.at following domain disputes and can prove that their rights have been infringed. If you are such a person, please use the following webform for your inquiry.

If you registered your domain via an Internet service provider, the right of rescission may be regulated differently. For more information, please contact your Internet service provider directly.

When a .at domain is registered via nic.at, it is promptly delegated - as a result, this part of the contract on the side of nic.at is fulfilled and there is no right of rescission with regard to the delegation. The delegation fee must be paid in any case. However, consumers (users in terms of the Consumer Protection Act) can rescind the contract without specifying reasons for doing so. The rescission period is 14 days from the day of contract conclusion. It is sufficient to send written notification before this period has lapsed. You can generate an appropriate form in the login area under the Rescission heading. 

In the event of timely rescission, we will refund the payment received for the current year's annual fee to the invoice recipient within 14 days of receiving notice of rescission. (Please note: The delegation fee must be paid in any case.) We will perform the transfer using the method of payment used for the order – unless explicitly agreed otherwise. No fee will be charged for the refund.

If you want to withdraw your cancellation, please contact your Internet service provider. If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can submit the withdrawal directly in the login area.

As soon as a domain has been cancelled, you will receive a confirmation from nic.at by e-mail. If the cancellation is not desired, answer the e-mail, stating that you wish to withdraw the cancellation. We will be happy to unlock your domain again for you.

If the e-mail is no longer available to you, please use our withdrawal of cancellation form. Send the completed and signed form to service@nic.at by e-mail.

If the domain holder is an organisation or an association, please also send us evidence of signing authority (company / association register report, stamp, etc.)

When a new legal entity (organisation or person) is to be registered for the domain(s), this constitutes a domain holder change. 

If the new domain holder already has a nic.at customer login, the domain can be transferred to this login. This transaction can be started in the login under "Domains". Once the domain holder has been successfully changed, the data of the new domain holder has been deposited. 

If the new domain holder does not yet have a nic.at customer login and the domain is to be administrated in the nic.at end user system, the transfer can be started under "Administration". In the course of the transaction, a customer login is created for the new domain holder and the domain can be assigned to this new domain holder once the change has been implemented. 

A signed form is required for the domain holder change.

The data of the invoice recipient can be changed in the nic.at customer login under the heading "Billing". All the .at domains billed via the respective invoice recipient (debtor) are affected by the change.

Concluding a registrar contract and administrating at least one .at domain are prerequisites for acceptance to the registrar system. On request, the nic.at registrar team (registrar@nic.at) will be happy to send you the contract documents and inform you about all the documents to be supplied.

Technical communication and order processing are carried out by EPP or the nic.at registrar web. The special registrar price will be granted immediately upon conclusion of the contract. Additionally, minimum monthly sales of EUR 180 shall be due.

During registration via www.nic.at and during a domain transfer via www.nic.at, a new customer login is created if the (new) domain holder does not yet have an account. Login creation is part of the registration and transfer process and needs to be completed in order to finalise the respective transaction. The domain transfer (change of domain holder) is started under "Administration".

Natural persons’ domain data is only accessible to people who provide proof of identity and are able to prove a legitimate interest for finding out who the domain holder is. This includes law enforcement agencies, lawyers or people who contact nic.at following domain disputes and can prove that their rights have been infringed. If you are such a person, please use the following webform for your inquiry. If the domain holder or contact is a legal person, relevant data can be found in the Whois database.

If your .at domain is administrated by an Internet service provider, then you will not receive invoices from nic.at, but only from your Internet service provider who will invoice you the domain fee including the service package you ordered.

You have received an invoice from nic.at?

Then your domain is either administrated directly with us and we therefore bill your service once a year or your Internet service provider has withdrawn from the contract as invoice recipient. This means that you will henceforth receive an invoice for the domain fee from nic.at. In this case, we recommend you to contact your Internet service provider and to transfer your domain back to your (or a different) Internet service provider, because nic.at does not offer any services, such as e-mail, web space, etc.

Usually you will receive nic.at invoices by e-mail. But at request, invoices can also be sent by post. If this is what you prefer, you can change the method of dispatch in the login area.

How can I pay nic.at invoices?

You can pay your outstanding invoices online using Paypal, credit card/ debit card or online banking. For the login, please use the data provided on your invoice (customer number, invoice or reminder number, due date of invoice or reminder) or your personal login data.

You are also welcome to pay your invoice by bank transfer. Our bank details are:

Bank details:
Bank Austria, Schubertring 14, A-1010 Vienna
Account no.: 660 497 942, Routing no.: 12000
BIC: BKAUATWW
IBAN: AT52 1200 0006 6049 7942
in the name of: nic.at GmbH

Important: Please indicate the domain name or the invoice number as intended purpose in your transfer so that we can allocate you payment correctly.

If the password is unknown or no password has been created before (automatic creation by nic.at), a new password can be configured (password recovery). After entry of the domain holder handle or an assigned domain, an e-mail is sent to the e-mail address registered for the domain holder. This e-mail provides a link via which a new password can be configured. This link is valid for 60 minutes.

The holder's e-mail address can be changed through the Account Recovery Process. After entry of the domain holder handle or an assigned domain and the NEW e-mail address, a form is generated and made available for download. Once the signed form has been uploaded and the application has been sent (submission of change application), it is processed by the nic.at service team. As soon as the change has been implemented, the link for the new password can be requested.

Actually, the user doesn’t notice anything when surfing the Internet. Domains with a DNSSEC signature can be recognized through additional information in the Whois: a DNSSEC entry with key information that includes the key, key tag, algorithm type and hash type. Additionally, users can check on www.dnsviz.net whether a domain has a DNSSEC signature or not. The entire chain of signatures from the root zone to the domain can be seen, including the visualization of any validation gaps.

In principle, the Internet knows only characters: 26 Roman letters, ten digits and the hyphen. Nonetheless, domain names may contain umlauts and special characters. For .at domains, 34 characters, defined in the character table - referred to as IDN (Internationalized Domain Name), are permitted.

So these can be processed around the world, all IDNs need to be transcoded into a character string containing only the permitted ASCII characters. This conversion is based on what is known as the "Punycode Specification" which generates an ACE String (ASCII Compatible Encoding). The newly converted character string (ACE) is provided with a 4-figure prefix "xn--" which indicates that the domain is an IDN. Between the prefix coding are the letters that do not require extra coding because they correspond to the ASCII code.

In order to ensure the uniqueness of the IDN, both IDN and Punycode are shown in the WHOIS database on the web and on the invoice.

 Examples for IDN and ACE:

The transfer of a domain from a registrar or from another nic.at customer login can be initiated from any account in the nic.at customer login (menu item: Domains), but requires confirmation with a form (domain holder change) signed by the domain holder. After implementation, the correct domain holder handle is registered automatically.

If the new domain holder does not yet have a nic.at customer login and the domain is to be administrated in the nic.at end user system, the transfer can be started under "Administration". In the course of the transaction, a customer login is created for the new domain holder and the domain can be assigned to this new domain holder once the change has been implemented.

By registering a .at domain (regardless of whether with an Internet service provider or directly with nic.at), you conclude a contract with nic.at and must also agree with the General Terms and Conditions of nic.at. This agreement is also binding for the domain holder if registration was carried out by an Internet service provider on his behalf. You can find more detailed information here.

To set up the Security Lock service, you have to log in to your "customer login area" and there you can select the desired .at domains and activate Security Lock.

Security Lock will be activated and billable immediately, and is valid for an indefinite time.

Find out more about this in the "contractual provisions for the Security Lock service".

Registration with an Internet service provider

As a rule, .at domains are registered with an Internet service provider, who will usually offer complete packages (services such as e-mail, web space, ...) incl. an annual domain fee at the Internet service provider's rates. In this case, nic.at will not bill you directly, but will instead bill the Internet service provider who is responsible for the domain on the cut-off date. (As the domain holder, you can inquire about your domain's cut-off date by e-mail to service@nic.at.)

Registration with nic.at

If you merely want to register a .at domain and require no additional services or if your .at domain has already been registered directly with nic.at, then the fee for delegation (registration) and for use during the first year is to be paid during the registration process. You will receive subsequent invoices annually 45 days before invoice due date. Please note that in order to be timely, your cancellation for the domain in question must be delivered to our office within one day of the cut-off date at latest, otherwise the already issued invoice will remain valid.

How much does a .at domain at nic.at cost?

New registration incl. 1st annual fee: EUR 68.00
Each succeeding year: EUR 34.00*

*excl. VAT, only exempt from VAT outside of the EU or upon notification of the VATIN.  

FYI: the VAT rates of the respective EU country have been in effect since 2015. As a result, in the EU, nic.at has been billing invoice recipients, who are also consumers, invoices with the tax rate applicable in the respective Member State since 1 January 2015. If the invoice recipient is outside of the EU, the invoice is issued without VAT. You can find an overview of the VAT rates in the EU here.

Electronic invoices

Since electronic nic.at invoices feature an "advanced digital signature", they are recognized in accordance with EU Directive 2001/115/EC and Ordinance of the Federal Minister of Finance of December 2003 (Federal Law Gazette II No. 583/2003) and are therefore also VAT deductible.

Log into the nic.at website using your access data at the "customer login area".  Choose the .at domain for which you want to change the e-mail address for Security Lock. Now click on "change" in the field of your selected domain and you will be redirected to the page "Change Security Lock". Here you will see your domain and the current confirmation e-mail address. Then enter the new e-mail address twice and click on submit. You will then receive an e-mail from us at the current confirmation e-mail address which you will need to use to confirm the change of e-mail address. As soon as you send this confirmation, the change of e-mail address for your selected Security Lock domain will be processed.

If the domain is in the administration of your registrar / provider, contact them to change your Security Lock e-mail address.

If an organization with own legal personality (e.g. OG, GmbH, associations, ...) is mentioned in the field "organization", this organization is the domain holder. Addional mentioned private individuals (in the field "personname") are soley a contact person and NOT the domain holder.

If there is no organisation with own legal personality mentioned (e.g. "personname: Max Mustermann" and "organization: Pension Mustermann") in the field "organization", the person according to "personname" is the domain holder.

Please contact your registrar/ISP in order to change the publication status of your data. If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can carry out data changes directly in the login area. Please change person type from "Private person" to "Organisation" in the menu under Holder data.

Please contact your registrar/ISP in order to change the publication status of your data. If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can carry out data changes directly in the login area. Please change person type from "Organisation" to "Private person" in the menu under Holder data.

Domain holders can at any time request their current Whois-data online - please use the following webform. Data of domain holders who are legal persons is published in the Whois database and can be checked there. If you wish to receive a current domain certificate for your domain, please use the following form and it will automatically be sent to your e-mail address.

If a domain hasn't been paid for despite several payment reminders from nic.at, the domain shall be locked and the open claim handed over to our debt collection agency. As a result, the invoice must be paid directly to the debt collection agency. Please contact our debt collection agency for more information:

KMS Inkasso GmbH
Wiener Straße 331a, 8051 Graz
Tel.: +43 316 32 37 72
Fax: +43 316 32 37 22-22
E-mail: office@kms-inkasso.at

No, there is no advantage for or positive discrimination of the party applying for a wait status when the domain becomes available again for registration. The .at domain will be made available again for registration according to the first-come first-served principle. 

We ask our customers to support us in continuously improving the security of our website and systems. If you have identified a possible vulnerability or something suspicious, please contact our ISM team immediately via e-mail.

From data theft to hacker attack to DoS attack, blackmail or deliberate data breaches: The manifestations of illegal activities on the Internet and the resulting damages are manifold. Typical examples for this are:

• Spam: The mass mailing of undesired e-mails. 
  (e.g. http://www.internet4jurists.at/e-mail/e-mail.htm)
• Phishing: The forging of websites or e-mails in order to make Internet users disclose their secret access data (e.g. bank data). (compare Wikipedia Phishing)
• Fraud: For example, when products ordered and paid online are not delivered.
• Credit card fraud: In this case, forged or stolen credit card data is used to cause the card holder financial harm. (compare Wikipedia credit card fraud)
• Identity theft: means that someone uses someone else's identity to gain advantage or obtain relevant data (e.g. credit card information, bank account details, ...). (compare Wikipedia identity theft) 
• Illegal pornography
• Identity theft or abuse (i.e. Wikipedia Identity theft)
• Utterance offences: such as slander or defamation of character

Domain name servers handle information relating to what IP address belongs to what domain name. Every time a site is selected on the Internet, a name server must return the corresponding IP address so that the browser can establish a direct connection to the site.

At registration of a domain, nic.at requires at least two properly configured name servers. (In the event that a name server fails, the domain can still be called up via the second name server.) The configuration is also verified upon any subsequent data changes. Errors in name server configuration can be a reason why domain applications are rejected. When a .at domain is registered, the Internet service provider usually takes care of all the necessary settings and configurations.

If an Internet service provider removes a domain from his name servers, for example because the domain holder is untraceable or does not attend to his contractual obligations, this procedure is referred to as ""zone deletion"". Removal renders the domain technically disabled. You can find more information about zone deletion here.

A natural person (= human being) becomes capable of entering into a binding contract as soon as he/she comes of full legal age. A legal person is an entity (e.g. a company) that bears rights and responsibilities itself and is represented by executive bodies - i.e. natural persons. Examples for legal persons are: GmbH, AG, associations, foundations, regional authorities, etc.

In the event of changes to the domain data, nic.at verifies whether the person authorized to represent the organisation has approved of the change. Only people who are of full legal age and capable of entering into binding contracts can register .at domains.

As nic.at registrar, you are authorised to perform certain data changes, without being required to submit a confirmation by the domain holder to nic.at directly - your requests can be processed automatically (and thus more quickly). You will be granted a special registrar price, provided special support by the registrar team as well as access to the registrar web and will be listed on the nic.at website in the .at-Partnerfinder as an official nic.at partner.

When you register a domain name under the .at top-level domain, you enter into a contract with nic.at. Our company name and contact information are as follows:

Company name: nic.at GmbH
Address: Jakob-Haringer-Straße 8/V, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Telephone: +43 662 46 69 -0 
E-mail: service@nic.at
Website: www.nic.at

By registering a .at domain (regardless of whether with an Internet service provider or directly with nic.at), you conclude a contract with nic.at. The registration contract is subject to nic.at's General Terms and Conditions and registration guidelines:

Download pdf General Terms and Conditions

Download pdf Registration Guidelines

Domains below ".ac.at" (academic) are reserved for universities and schools and can be registered at the Austrian Academic Computer Network ACOnet. ".gv.at" is for governmental use and can be registered via the Federal Chancellery Republic of Austria. Details can be found on the website of the City of Vienna.

In the event of legal disputes related to .at domains, a wait status can be requested. This status ensures that no change of domain holder can be performed for the duration of the dispute. 

Generally speaking, there is no arbitration procedure for .at domains. If the out-of-court settlement of .at domain disputes fails, the parties can go before the ordinary courts. 

As a general rule, it is important to keep one's eyes open on the Internet and not to trust everyone – just like in the offline world, where we are sceptical of people we don't know and we don't entrust anyone with our data (e.g. the pin code to our bank card) or with our money without a certain measure of security, just because they promise to, for instance, deliver us a product. 

If you still become the victim of a crime, you can always take recourse to the options available under the rule of law and file complaint with law enforcement agencies. Generally, however, it should be emphasised that the operator of websites or the sender of e-mails is accountable himself and must therefore accept responsibility for any possible infringements.

So what applies outside of the Internet naturally also applies to the "Internet World". The Internet is not a legal vacuum! 

Here are some examples of organisations that aim to create awareness with regard to illegal activities or contents on the Internet: www.internetombudsmann.at , www.saferinternet.at , www.cert.at , www.stopline.at 

Domain change via an Internet service provider:
Usually the domain is administrated by an Internet service provider who carries out the desired changes for your domain. It is crucial for domain modifications to always be confirmed by the domain holder personally. Internet service providers are not considered authorised representatives! (Exception: nic.at registrars)

Domain modification to a domain administrated at nic.at:
If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can carry out data changes directly in the login area. If the modification concerns more than 25 domains, you can also request bulk modification. However, this is only possible for changes from the same existing data to the same new data. (Exception: standardisation of invoice recipient. In this case, several invoice recipients can be merged into one.)

Duration of data modification:
As soon as all the necessary elements have been submitted successfully, the data modification will usually be completed within one to three workdays. We will inform you by e-mail about the status of the requested modification and about possible erroneous applications or missing documents. Modifications performed by nic.at registrars take effect immediately, because no additional confirmation is required at nic.at.

In general, .at domains can be registered by anyone, regardless of whether the registering party is a private individual, a company, association or organisation. The domain holder indicated must be either a natural person or an organisation (legal entity). An organisation must be specified with its full and valid legal form.

Since registration of a .at domain name is the conclusion of a contract with nic.at, private individuals must be of full legal age and capable of entering into binding contracts. The first and last name of domain holders who are natural persons must be entered into the name field. Umlauts cannot be used in domain holder data.

Organisations with their own legal personality (e.g. OG, GmbH, associations, etc.) must be specified in the organisation field - giving with their complete name and including any specification of legal form. If the name field (optional) also indicates a person, this person will merely be considered a contact person, but not a domain holder.

For organisations without their own legal personality, a natural person who is also the domain holder must be specified additionally in the name field. (Example:  The organisation is Boarding House Sample and the name field says Sam Sample. This means Sam Sample is the domain holder, provided that Boarding House Sample does not have its own legal personality.) 

At the domain holder's request, display of the following data can be disabled in the Whois database:

• Telephone number
• Fax number
• E-mail address

If you wish to enable or disable display of this data, a change of the personal data is necessary. You can carry out this change through your Internet service provider or, as nic.at customer, directly in the login area.

If all the data should be concealed from the public, you will need the services of a trustee (e.g. notary, lawyer, Internet service provider) to whom you transfer the domain by vehicle of a change of domain holder. We recommend that you regulate the trustee's activities relative to the domain in a contract (preferably in writing). Because the trustee will show up as the official domain holder on nic.at, authorised to make all decisions in its regard.

The wait status has no impact on the operation of the .at domain. It is not locked and data changes (change of domain holder excepted) can be carried out as usual. If a wait status was requested for your domain, we recommend that you verify your own legal claims to the domain. You are free to settle amicably with the applicant or to allow the case to go to court. The domain can be cancelled or transferred to the party applying for the wait status at any time. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the nic.at Legal Department (recht@nic.at).

There are two possible options for the duration of the wait status: Wait Status 1 is effective for one month and can be renewed by an additional month prior to expiry.Hence, the maximum possible duration is two months in all. Wait Status 2 remains effective for the entire duration of a legal dispute before the court or an arbitrator.

These details must be specified in the online application when adding a DNSSEC signature, and they are also shown as special Whois entries.
key = hash of the used Key Signing Key
key tag = identification number of the Key Signing Key
algorithm = used algorithm of the referenced key
hash type = used hash algorithm

If you do not request a wait status for the .at domain before you file a suit against the domain holder, there is a risk that the current domain holder will transfer the domain to someone else during the legal dispute. As a result, the legal action would become obsolete and would need to be filed against the new domain holder (who could, however, transfer the domain again, if no wait status is requested.)

If the gaining registrar/ISP supports DNSSEC, your domain remains signed. If he doesn’t support DNSSEC, the DS-records are automatically removed as soon as the domain is transferred to the new registrar/ISP. This means that your domain no longer has a DNSSEC signature. nic.at will inform you by e-mail if this is the case.

A change of the domain holder is the transfer of a domain to another natural or legal person. In case of an organisation, modifications of the legal form or company name are also regarded as a change of the holder. 

If the domain is managed by a registrar and the new domain holder wants to stay with this registrar, the registrar will perform the change of the domain holder.

If together with the change of domain holder the domain shall be transferred to a new registrar, the new registrar is the competent authority: With the AuthInfo he can take over the domain  and change the holder's data. The previous domain holder has to hand over the AuthInfo to the new domain holder so that he can forward it to the new registrar.

If you have a nic.at customer login please read here how to perform a change of holder.

After the registration of a .at domain, the domain holder can any time request a domain certificate here. In this way, the domain holder can easily confirm the success of the registration and verify accuracy the of the data. This nic.at service is free of charge. The data on the certificate is the domain holder data that has been deposited to our database. If the data on your certificate is wrong, you can have it changed via your Internet service provider or change it in the nic.at login area (if your domain is administrated with nic.at). The certificates can be requested through the Internet at any time and any number of times: request domain certificate

A domain name is a name under a top-level domain (TLD), such as name.at, that is globally unique throughout the Internet and that can be freely chosen in accordance with certain rules. In the case of TLDS, a distinction is made between generic top-level domains (gTLDs) such as .com, .org or .info and country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), such as .at and .de. A domain can be used, for instance, for web, e-mail or FTP services. You can also have a sub-level domain created belonging to your domain name, i.e. an additional name preceding the actual domain name, separated by a dot (e.g. "mein.name.at"). This service is made available to you by an Internet service provider. You can find an overview of all the .at partners in our .at-Partnerfinder. You can find more information on gTLDs and ccTLDS in the "Interesting facts" section under the heading "Legal/Domain Policy".

Your .at domain name is a name which is unique on the Internet worldwide and can be chosen freely under the .at top-level domain in accordance with the registration guidelines. A domain name can be used for web services, e-mail, FTP and other services.

The price per domain name is EUR 34.00 plus value-added tax (VAT) for delegation and the annual fee of EUR 34.00 plus VAT for the first year. The amount of VAT charged will depend on the country in which the invoice recipient is based. In Austria, the VAT rate is 20 %, meaning that a domain name costs EUR 81.60 in the first year and EUR 40.80 for each additional year; all tax rates can be found at www.nic.at/price . All fees are to be paid in advance upon initial registration (by bank debit authorization, credit card/debit card, EPS transfer or Paypal).

Special rates apply for collective billing starting from 50 domains (25 % off retail price) and for nic.at registrars.

The "AuthInfo" code is a unique digit/number combination that serves as a confirmation code in the event of an Internet service provider transfer. The domain holder can request the AuthInfo code from his Internet service provider at any time (often it can also be requested via customer portals).Once you have received the AuthInfo code, you communicate it to your new Internet service provider so that he can transfer your domain. After successful transfer, the Internet service provider should set a new AuthInfo code, because the old one will otherwise remain valid. Note: Your current Internet service provider is required to provide you with the AuthInfo code, even if e.g. old invoices are still outstanding.

In the event that your current Internet service provider refuses to provide you with the AuthInfo code, nic.at offers an alternative procedure in cooperation with your new Internet service provider: The new Internet service provider can send nic.at a request for a confirmation token which will be sent to you by e-mail. This token is valid for 21 days and is bound to this specific Internet service provider. Once you transmit your token to your new Internet service provider, the latter can take over administration of the domain automatically.

If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can find your AuthInfo code in the login area. 

A nic.at-Handle is a number code which refers to a specific person and his data. Instead of entering the person and data for each entry, it is sufficient to enter the corresponding number/handle. 
A nic.at-Handle consists of two to four letters, followed by numbers and –NICAT (e.g. SB10312596-NICAT). The initial letters are usually the initials of the person.

The Registrant-Handle is the owner-Handle of the respective domain name and is used as user name for the login area.

A token is a one-time character/number combination and serves as authorisation code for the change of an invoice recipient. The token can be used during registration or when changing domain data.

Internet Service Providers that conclude a special cooperation contract (registrar contract) with nic.at on domain administration are referred to as registrars. They are subject to a certain degree of quality control and may arrange for certain changes without submitting the domain holder's confirmation, but are also liable for errors. However, being a registrar is not a prerequisite for being able to register .at domains.

You can find an overview of all registrars in the .at-Partnerfinder.

Domain names under .at, co.at, and .or.at must contain at least one character and may be no more than 63 characters long.

A valid domain name may contain letters ("a-z"), numbers ("0-9"), hyphens ("-"), and IDN characters. The name must not start or end with a hyphen. Also, for technical reasons, a domain name must not contain two hyphens at the third and fourth position.

DNSSec (Domain Name Security Extensions) is a security extension for the Domain Name System and guarantees the authenticity and data integrity of DNS responses. Simply put: DNSSec ensures that you reach the domain in the Internet that you are aiming to reach and prevents the malicious corruption of DNS data (from entry of the domain to display of the website).

For questions relating to DNSSec offers, please contact your Internet service provider. You can also search specifically for a .at partner who offers DNSSec. Use our .at-Partnerfinder for this purpose.

If you possess the necessary DNSSec technology for your name servers yourself and if your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can carry out these settings (DS record) directly in the login area. 

nic.at and the registrar are both considered as data controllers for their data. The registrar is acting as a mere transmitter of domain data und thus can not be seen as a Data Processor as defined in the GDPR.

Country code domain extensions (ccTLDs) such as .at and .de have developed historically over time and are based largely on local conventions and legal situations. The .at domains are governed by the legally binding General Terms and Conditions and the registration guidelines of nic.at. Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) such as .com, ,net, .biz etc. are administrated by registries whose headquarters are located mainly in the USA and are governed by a different assignment system. As a result, there are differences between .at and generic domains, especially with regard to contractual relationships, domain periods, and cancellation terms.

Continuing obligation for .at domains

Since its inception, .at domain registration has been based on a continuing obligation system commonly in use in Austria, which is similar to telephone, electricity, and gas contracts. If, for instance, you register for telephone or electricity service, it will remain active until you cancel it yourself. Thus, you cannot lose your service just because you forget to renew it in time. (Exception: You don't pay your invoice.) In the USA, contracts are often limited, meaning .com, .net (or any other generic) domains expire automatically and must be renewed actively.

Active cancellation of the .at domain with fixed period of notice

The advantage of active cancellation is that the domain holder cannot lose his domain inadvertently. In addition, Austrians are used to cancelling contracts subject to a certain period of notice (e.g. mobile phone, insurance, flat, etc.) The one-day period of notice defined in the nic.at General Terms and Conditions was determined in accordance with the Austrian Consumer Protection Act.

Contractual relationships with .at domains

The registration of a .at domain establishes a contractual relationship between the domain holder and the registry nic.at - even if the domain is registered by an Internet service provider or registrar on behalf of the customer. As a result, domain modifications require the explicit written confirmation of the domain holder or the registrar is required to have such confirmation available.

In the case of generic TLDs such as .com, .net, .info, etc., there is NO contract between the domain holder and the registry, but rather between the registry and the registrar. Hence, the registrar has full authority over the domain and is not required to provide the registry with evidence of the holder's confirmations. Each of these systems has its advantages and disadvantages; but the fact remains that the contractual relationship and the written confirmation requirement are clearly regulated in the General Terms and Conditions of nic.at and cannot be circumvented.

nic.at is the only delegating body (registry) for .at domains in the world. We do not offer any technical services, which means that only the domain name can be registered at nic.at. nic.at does not offer any of the other services you may wish to arrange for a domain, such as e-mail, hosting, installation of the website and other services.

Internet service providers are responsible for providing these. An Internet service provider offers technical services, such as setting up e-mail addresses with your domain extension, name servers, web space, etc.  

There is number of Internet service providers with which nic.at has a special cooperation contract for domain administration. These Internet service providers are called registrars or .at partners. They are subject to a certain degree of quality control and can perform transactions automatically. This means that registrars are authorised to make certain changes without being required to submit the domain holder's confirmation, but are also liable for errors. However, being a registrar is not a prerequisite for being able to register .at domains.

Many Internet service providers are so-called resellers. Internet service providers who have a contract with one of our .at partners (registrars) and can therefore work via our partner's system are referred to as resellers. Resellers do not appear in the nic.at system or in the registrar display, instead, only the registrar with whom the reseller has concluded a contract appears. If there is confusion about the presentation of resellers and registrars in your contractual relationship, please contact your Internet service provider with whom you concluded your contract.

A short overview of the "Who is Who" of the domain world is also available on YouTube.

nic.at is the only delegating body (registry) for .at domains in the world. We do not offer any technical services, which means that only the domain name can be registered at nic.at. nic.at does not offer any of the other services you may wish to arrange for a domain, such as e-mail, hosting, installation of the website and other services.

Internet service providers are responsible for providing these. An Internet service provider offers technical services, such as setting up e-mail addresses with your domain extension, name servers, web space, etc.

 There is number of Internet service providers with which nic.at has a special cooperation contract for domain administration. These Internet service providers are called registrars or .at partners. They are subject to a certain degree of quality control and can perform transactions automatically. This means that registrars are authorised to make certain changes without being required to submit the domain holder's confirmation, but are also liable for errors. However, being a registrar is not a prerequisite for being able to register .at domains.

Many Internet service providers are so-called resellers. Internet service providers who have a contract with one of our .at partners (registrars) and can therefore work via our partner's system are referred to as resellers. Resellers do not appear in the nic.at system or in the registrar display, instead, only the registrar with whom the reseller has concluded a contract appears. If there is confusion about the presentation of resellers and registrars in your contractual relationship, please contact your Internet service provider with whom you concluded your contract.

With the nic.at customer login, nic.at offers all customers who have registered their domains directly at nic.at instead of with an Internet service provider/registrar the option of administering their domains via an account. Every .at domain is assigned a unique domain holder handle that doubles as user name for nic.at customer login. If you do not know this handle, you can also login using the domain name.

You can learn more about our login area in this video.

Security Lock is additional protection for your .at-domain. If the service is activated, any amendments to the domain must be explicitly authorised. This means that third parties - such as your provider/registrar - can still request changes, but these will only be implemented following your confirmation after you receive a link by e-mail. Invoices will be sent annually to the invoice recipient, who will be notified at the time of application.

The Security Lock service costs EUR 250.00 (excl. VAT) per year and .at domain. If the annual fee is not paid on time, the Security Lock will be deactivated automatically. Invoices will be sent annually to the invoice recipient specified at the time of application. If someone other than the domain holder is the invoice recipient, the invoice recipient indicated must pay the invoice. Just like for the domain fee, the domain holder is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the Security Lock is paid.

We particularly recommend Security Lock to domain holders whose business activities are based on unlimited accessibility on the web. The same applies to companies for whom problems with the domain could mean a loss of reputation or uncertainty for customers. With Security Lock you make your domain even more secure. 

The wait status is a ban on change of domain holder and can be requested in the event of legal disputes related to .at domains. This is to ensure, for the duration of the dispute, that the holder does not change and cannot evade responsibility by transferring the domain to someone else.

A wait status can be requested by anyone. However, the requesting party must be able to credibly demonstrate its legal claims to the domain, e.g. with a company or trademark register report.

If you wish to request a wait status for a .at domain, please contact the nic.at Legal Department by a signed letter, which can also be sent as e-mail attachment (recht@nic.at), explaining what domain is at issue and what your rights related to it are. Enclose certifications such as company or trademark register reports. If the claim is legally justified, Wait Status 1 will be activated and both applicant and domain holder will be informed in writing.

Wait Status 1 remains effective for the duration of one month and can be extended by another month prior to expiry.  Hence, the maximum possible duration is two months in all. Wait Status 2 remains effective for the entire duration of a legal dispute before the court or an arbitrator.

The registration contract is subject to nic.at's General Terms and Conditions and registration guidelines:

• General Terms and Conditions
• Registration Guidelines

From a legal standpoint, the domain contract is a mixed agreement (both an independent contract for work and a contract for services). The registration contract is a contract concluded for an indefinite period of time which can only be terminated by cancelling the domain registration. Therefore, the obligation to pay for the domain name does not lapse until the contract has been terminated. Domain holders are charged for domain names annually on the basis of the service period, which begins on the day of domain delegation and lasts one year.

The domain holder can cancel the domain registration at any time, effective immediately or at the end of the current service period. The cancellation notice must be submitted at the latest one day before the start of the new service period. Domain holders have no claim to reimbursement of any fees paid for services not used in their entirety, even in cases where the cancellation takes effect before the current service period has ended.

The fees are to be paid in advance. You can pay the fees by bank debit authorization, credit card/debit card, EPS transfer or Paypal. nic.at will send the invoice for domain registration within five working days. Subsequent annual fees will be due no later than the cutoff date defined for the domain name in question.

nic.at reserves the right not to restore the domain, in particular in the event of a domain holder's abusive use of nic.at (e.g. repeated non-payment) or if the domain was subject to a wait status (see Point 2 of the Terms and Conditions).

The domain holder has all rights and obligations relating to his .at domain. This means he holds the exclusive right of use and can dispose of the domain, i.e. use, rent out or transfer it to someone else, etc. Domain data may not be changed without his approval. But he is also under the obligation to pay the ongoing domain fees (himself or via an Internet service provider) and holds liable for the infringement of rights caused by his domain.

Complaints are to be directed to our Service Department (telephone: 43 662 469 -840; e-mail: service@nic.at). The Service Department is available from Monday to Friday (except on legal holidays in Austria) from 8 am to 6 pm CET.For consumers as defined in the Austrian Consumer Protection Act, the right of rescission for domain names under the .at top-level domain is stipulated as follows:
The domain name is delegated immediately upon receipt of the order. As a result, this part of the contract is fulfilled by nic.at immediately and the consumer does not have a right of rescission with regard to delegation. The delegation fee must be paid in any case.

With regard to the annual domain fee, however, consumers have the right to rescind the contract without specifying reasons for doing so within 14 days of concluding the contract. In order to rescind the contract, it is sufficient if the consumer sends the rescission notification before the end of this period. A sample rescission form is available here .
In such cases, nic.at will refund the payment received for the current year's annual domain fee within 14 days after receiving the notification of rescission. Unless explicitly agreed or specified otherwise, the refund will be transferred using the same means of payment used for the order. No fee will be charged for the refund.

In order to effect rescission within the specified period, it is sufficient if the consumer sends a notification exercising his/her right of rescission before the end of the fourteen-day period. Notifications of rescission are not subject to any specific formal requirements. In order to exercise their right of rescission, consumers must notify nic.at of the rescission by sending an unequivocal declaration in writing (e.g. by post or e-mail). A sample rescission form is available here.

There can be different technical reasons for the rejection of a domain application such as missing information or invalid characters. The most frequent source of error is an incorrect name server configuration. In order to register a domain, nic.at requires at least two correctly configured name servers at registration. If you have any questions related to your name server configuration, please contact your Internet service provider.

There are things you can check if you think an invoice for your domain is suspicious, to verify whether it is a genuine or fraudulent invoice. Unfortunately, there will always be fake invoices in circulation. You can check whether fake invoices are currently being circulated here: https://www.nic.at/en/news/all

• Is it a foreign IBAN? If so, is my provider based abroad or do I know that it is based in Austria/Germany?
• Name of the sender: Are you unsure what your registrar is called and cannot confirm the name? Here (https://www.nic.at/en/my-at-domain/domain-search/whois) you can find details of the registrar of your domain. If you obtained your domain directly from nic.at, the data field of the registrar is empty.
• Attention: It is possible that your domain is not administered by a registrar, but by a reseller. A reseller is not displayed in the Whois database as a registrar, since resellers function only through the registrars' own systems. If you have any questions, please contact the registrar directly. The registrar will know whether the domain is directly in their system or in the system of a reseller.
• IBAN of the registrar: Via the Whois query (https://www.nic.at/en/my-at-domain/domain-search/whois) you can find details of the registrar, and also a link to their data including their homepage. You can either check the IBAN on the registrar's homepage or contact them directly and ask for it.

If you still have concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time by e-mail (service@nic.at) or by telephone (0662 4669 841).

During roll-out of the login system for nic.at end users, an account was automatically created for every domain holder handle and the relevant domain was assigned. For the first login, a password needs to be configured.

In addition, a customer login is created for the relevant domain holder on receipt of a withdraw (registrar's withdrawal from billing). For the first login, a password needs to be configured.

Each nic.at customer login is linked to a handle. If no domain is assigned to a handle, the handle and the associated customer login will be deleted after 30 days. If you need a new nic.at customer login, you can create it here.

When a .at domain is technically locked, that means it is no longer technically functional. This means that the website, e-mail and other Internet services related to this domain no longer work and can no longer be accessed. Deleted domains are listed as available for registration.

nic.at locks or deletes .at domains either on customer request (in the event of cancellation by the domain holder) or for the following possible reasons (see also General Terms and Conditions, Point 3.8. Revocation of the Delegation):

1. Persisting technical problems with this domain despite admonition of the domain holder (e.g. name servers not operational)
2. Non-payment of fees
3. Insufficient information on the domain holder (see also General Terms and Conditions, Point 1.3.)
4. A legally effective ruling by a court of law or instruction from a competent authority

The technical lock remains in place for approx. eight weeks. During this time, the current domain holder still appears in the WHOIS query and the .at domain is marked "pending delete". After expiry of the lock, the domain is deleted and then becomes available again for registration in accordance with the "first-come first-served" principle. Whether or not a domain is available can be determined by WHOIS query on the nic.at website.

As a rule, .at domains are registered by an Internet service provider, because he can also provide the customer with technical services and additional services (such as e-mail, web space, etc.) that nic.at doesn't offer. If you do not have a suitable Internet service provider yet, you can find an overview of all the official .at partners in our .at-Partnerfinder. 

If you merely want to register the domain and require no additional services, you can register your preferred .at domain directly via nic.at. In this event, you will require at least two correctly configured name servers at registration, because nic.at does not offer technical services. Ordinarily, new registrations are completed in a matter of minutes. If the application is technically correct, you should be able to use your domain on the same day. If the application was incorrect, the applicant will be informed by e-mail.

You can find more information on our prices here. Prices for the registration of .at domains via a .at partner cannot be provided due to individual pricing of Internet service providers.

You can find helpful tips and tricks for registering your domain under the heading "Interesting facts/Statistics and Studies".

Check whether the domain you want is available or has already been registered using the following link: Domain search.

With the WHOIS query, we provide - depending on the legal person - additional information on the domain holder, the technical contact person (tech-c) and technical data (nameserver, DNSSec information) of the delegated domain. Please note that nic.at does not publish the data of natural persons - no matter if they are the domain holder or technical contact person (tech-c) of a domain. Data of legal persons are published in the Whois database, although display of contact data such as telephone number, fax and e-mail address can be disabled.

With our Domainfinder, have also developed a domain suggestion tool, which helps you with the domain search.

With the WHOIS query, we provide - depending on the legal person - additional information on the domain holder, the technical contact person (tech-c) and technical data (nameserver, DNSSec information) of the delegated domain. Please note that nic.at does not publish the data of natural persons - no matter if they are the domain holder or technical contact person (tech-c) of a domain. Data of legal persons are published in the Whois database, although display of contact data such as telephone number, fax and e-mail address can be disabled.

Please note that nic.at does not publish data of natural persons - no matter if domain holder or technical contact person (tech-c) of a domain. Data of legal persons are published in the Whois database, whereas display of contact data like telephone number, fax and e-mail address can be disabled.

If the domain holder is a natural person whose data are not shown publicly, you may be eligable to apply for a motivated request. Natural persons’ domain data is only accessible to people who provide proof of identity and are able to prove a legitimate interest for finding out who the domain holder is. This includes law enforcement agencies, lawyers or people who contact nic.at following domain disputes and can prove that their rights have been infringed. If you are such a person, please use the following webform for your inquiry.

Send us an e-mail to service@nic.at with the holder data to which your domains are registered. After performance of a domain query, we will send an overview of your domains back to you by e-mail. If your domains are administrated at nic.at (and not via an Internet service provider), you can find your domains in the login area, if they are assigned to the same registrant-handle.

Please note that even a small deviation in the spelling of the domain holder data can change the result and cause the domain query to fail.

In a DNSSEC Policy & Practice Statement each registry defines how they handle DNSSEC issues, which safety measures are relevant for the key administration, how transactions are logged, and which algorithms and time limits are to be applied. The nic.at DNSSEC policy is available as a PDF-document here.

All information specifying how much of your data is recorded at nic.at, for which purpose, on which legal basis and how to claim your data protection rights can be found in our privacy policy.

The following bodies are in charge of contractual disputes between consumers and nic.at:

• Internet Ombudsmann
• Schlichtung für Verbrauchergeschäfte 

Taking part in alternative dispute resolution is a voluntary action - for the consumer as well as for nic.at.

nic.at does not publish the data of natural persons - no matter if they are the domain holder or technical contact person (tech-c) of a domain. Data of legal persons are published in the Whois database, although display of contact data such as telephone number, fax and e-mail address can be disabled. If a natural person wants their data to be published in the Whois a change of personal data will be necessary. You can carry out this change through your Internet service provider or, as a nic.at customer, directly in the login area. Details can be found in our Whois Policy our Terms and Registration Guidelines as well as our Privacy Policy.

The invoice recipient has no rights to the domain. The fee for delegation and for use during the first year are to be paid to nic.at during the registration process. Fees are charged per service period (= 1 year). The final payment reminder will always be sent to the domain holder, thus informing the domain holder of non-payment (by the invoice recipient).

Usually, domains are registered and invoiced via an Internet service provider. If the domain is administrated by an Internet service provider, the Internet service provider will always be the recipient of invoices relating to the domain. But other people can also be specified as invoice recipient. In this case, please contact your Internet service provider directly. If you registered your .at domain at nic.at, you as domain holder can change the invoice recipient in the login area at any time.

Usually a domain is registered and administrated by an Internet service provider. Therefore the Internet service provider is also your contact partner for questions and issues and, if applicable, for additionally required services relating to your domain.

If your domain is administrated at nic.at, you can carry out transactions and adjust settings in the login area yourself. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service, available to you during the following service hours:

Monday to Friday 8 am - 6 pm (CET).

There are legal regulations that govern who may represent an organisation externally: e.g. the Managing Director of a limited liability company, the Managing Board of a corporation or the chairman of an association. Whenever a domain modification is requested, nic.at verifies whether the organisation's authorised signatory has agreed to such modification. An Internet service provider is not authorised to sign for the domain holder.

nic.at is the registry for domains ending in .at, .or.at, and .co.at. We ensure that every .at domain is registered only once worldwide. The contractual relationship between the domain holder and nic.at refers exclusively to the .at domain. nic.at does not offer any additional services, such as web space or name services, therefore it has no influence on the contents of a website. Additionally nic.at is not responsible for e-mails or URLs. These services are usually offered by an Internet service provider with whom the domain holder can conclude an additional agreement. nic.at GmbH was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Salzburg, Austria. You can find more information under the headings "History" and "Our mission".

We also introduce ourselves in this short video.

The registrant is the owner of a domain name. In addition to the domain holder, there is at least one technical contact (tech-c) registered. The tech-c does not have any rights or obligations, they are the responsibility of the registrant (domain holder).

When a domain is administrated by a registrar, the administrative workload on the part of nic.at is substantially reduced, as the registrar takes care of administration directly. The registrar is obliged, for example, to check all customer applications independently and thereby ensure that all contractual obligations are complied with. Then, the registrar processes the applications directly via a technical interface without additional control by nic.at. As a rule, all customer support is likewise provided by the registrar. Moreover, registrars receive a collective invoice from nic.at, considerably reducing the workload for nic.at, as no individual invoices need to be issued to the domain holder

In the event of illegal activities in the Internet and illegal content, a distinction needs to be made between the website and the domain. As the issuing agency/registry of .at domains, nic.at does not offer any technical or content services, such as web space or name services, and therefore has no influence on the contents of a website. As a rule, these services are offered by an Internet service provider with whom the domain holder concludes an additional contract. Hence, the operator of websites or the sender of e-mails is independently accountable and must therefore accept responsibility for any possible legal infringements.

Here is an overview of the possible reasons why nic.at does not simply cancel a .at domain:

The contractual relationship between the domain holder and nic.at relates exclusively to the domain. It includes no further additional technical services that can be used in the context of illegal activities (e.g. e-mail, URLs, content of the webpage, etc.)

The domain name itself is not an infringement (e.g. trademark law, ...)

The illegal act is constituted by the website content only and is not related to the domain.

Often there are illegal contents in the Internet under links with 5, 6, and even 7 sub levels that are not in the contractual scope of nic.at (e.g. http://www.ich.bin.eine.betrügerische-webseite.at).

nic.at is not a court, or authority, or similar, that would be in a position to judge whether a website is being used for illegal activities or to infringe on third-party rights. It is also important to exclude any form of censorship.

Experience shows that websites are often hacked to use sub-pages for illegal activities. As a result, nic.at would need to assess a situation that does not correspond to its area of operations.

It is especially important that nic.at is by no means authorised to take the place of the executive authority or a court.

In order to verify that the invoice is actually from nic.at, please check the following:

• IBAN: Does the IBAN on the invoice match the IBAN in our company information?
• Sender e-mail address: Electronic invoices will be sent via the e-mail address rechnung@nic.at.

If you still have concerns, please contact us at rechnung@nic.at or 0662 4669 -841.

You will receive a nic.at invoice because you are the owner of a .at domain name and therefore have a contract with nic.at as the registry. We charge for the custody of the domain name. If you have never received an invoice from nic.at before, your provider/registrar has probably recently issued a bill withdrawal for your domain. This means that your domain has been transferred to nic.at. This is usually the case if the provider/registrar's invoice has not been paid or if you have cancelled the services of your provider/registrar but not your domain. The provider/registrar, even when listed as the invoice recipient, is not obliged to pay for the domain on your behalf, and can cancel the billing arrangement at any time and without your consent. In the event of a cancellation, we will inform you immediately at your e-mail address.

Please note that open invoices remain valid even if the domain is no longer required, but is not cancelled in due time (1 day before the due date).

For further information please contact our customer service (service@nic.at).

You can log in at nic.at/payment to pay your invoice

If your domain no longer works and cannot be accessed online, there can be several possible reasons for this:

Did you change your Internet service provider or your name servers?

If you changed your Internet service provider or your name servers, please note that our name server reload is carried out at every full hour. Therefore, what matters is the time of day when you carried out the change. Depending on this, your name servers will be updated at the next name server reload. 

Do you perhaps have an unpaid nic.at invoice?

If you do not pay your invoice in due time, the domain will be locked for non-payment after a while. Perhaps you did not receive your nic.at invoice on time because your address or e-mail address changed. If you suspect non-payment, please contact us by e-mail to rechnung@nic.at.

Did your Internet service provider remove the domain from his name server?

If an Internet service provider removes a domain from his name servers, for example because the domain holder is untraceable or does not attend to his contractual obligations, the domain is technically out of service as a result of the removal. This procedure is referred to as zone deletion. In the event of a zone deletion, nic.at contacts the domain holder in writing and gives him four weeks to send new name server data. If the domain holder does not react within this period or is not reachable, the domain can be cancelled and becomes available again for registration. Payment of unpaid domain invoices will be demanded in any case.

Did you cancel your domain "effective immediately"?

You can choose "immediately" or "at the end of the current service period" as cancellation date. From this time on, the domain is locked (cool-down period) and, thus, no longer technically functional. In the WHOIS database, the domain is marked "pending delete". After this technical lock (approx. eight weeks), the domain will be available for a new registration.

With the WHOIS query, we provide - depending on the legal person - additional information on the domain holder, the technical contact person (tech-c) and technical data (nameserver, DNSSec information) of the delegated domain.

nic.at does not publish the data of natural persons - no matter if they are the domain holder or technical contact person (tech-c) of a domain. Data of legal persons are published in the Whois database, although display of contact data such as telephone number, fax and e-mail address can be disabled.

If the domain holder is an organisation with legal personality, and is designated as such in the course of the registration process, nic.at may publish the domain holder’s name and all of the domain holder’s contact details, for example in nic.at’s WHOIS database. In addition, the domain holder declares that it has obtained any required declarations of consent from contact persons (see point 1.5. of the General Terms and Conditions).

The admin-c never had any legal function in the administration of .at-domains. Following the GDPR's principle regarding data minimisation the admin-c was abolished as per May 16, 2018.