Frequently Asked

A registrant is a company, organization or individual who desires to register and use a domain name.

A registry maintains a database of all domains in its TLD namespace and ensures domains can be found by Internet users all over the world. A registrar, on the other hand, is an accredited partner of a registry.

Registrars sell domain names and other web services to customers. Registrars choose to offer a variety of TLDs like: .biz., com., .net, or .CO to name a few.

A WHOIS database provides information on individual domain registrations. Every registry is required to maintain a WHOIS database with details about registered domain names as well as contact information about the owners of such names. The information typically includes the domain name, sponsoring registrar, key transaction dates, name server information, and contact information. Information for .biz domains may be found at www.WHOIS.biz

The ICANN organization accredits Registry Operators to provide certain domain name registration services relating to gTLDs. As the Registry Operator of the .biz gTLD, Neustar and ICANN have executed a Registry Agreement which outlines certain responsibilities for each party for the successful management and usabillty for all .biz domain names.

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.biz currently offers many IDN languages. For a list of these languages and language tables, please visit www.my.biz/policies/IDNs

Names are reserved to protect technical Internet interoperability and per ICANN policy. Changes relative to the reserved list are subject to either Registry or ICANN review and approval.

“Domain name transfers fall in one of two categories:

Registrant Transfer or Name Change — Each Registrar has unique requirements for making changes to the registrant field of a domain name. Registrants must contact the sponsoring Registrar for information regarding Registrant Name Changes and/or Transfers. The sponsoring Registrar appears in each domain name’s WHOIS record (www.WHOIS.biz).

Registrar-to-Registrar Transfer — ICANN rules require that a domain name be registered for a minimum of 60 days before it can be transferred to another Registrar. If your domain name meets these requirements, contact your current sponsoring Registrar and request for the < AUTHINFO > code, which the gaining Registrar will use to initiate the transfer process for your domain name.”

An < AUTHINFO > code is a six- to 16-character “password” assigned by your sponsoring Registrar to be used during domain name transfers. It identifies your domain name in the Registry. No domain name transfer request can be successfully executed without this password. Registrars are contractually required to provide this code upon Registrant request. Registrants are advised to protect their < AUTHINFO > codes to avoid unauthorized transfers of their domain names.

The Redemption Grace Period (RGP) is the 35 days following the deletion of a .US domain name. The purpose of RGP is to allow registrars and/or their registrants to correct for inadvertent deletions. During the first 30 days of Redemption Grace Period, Registrars may request the Registry to redeem a deleted domain, and thus restore it to its original status prior to deletion. Redemptions may not be performed during the final 5 days of RGP. The WHOIS record indicates if a domain is eligible for redemption. Domains that are eligible are marked “PendingDelete (RESTORABLE)”. A domain that is “PendingDelete (SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE)” cannot be redeemed. All redemption requests must be submitted through your Registrar.

When deleted, all domains that have been registered for more than 5 days are initially placed on PendingDelete status before being purged (or dropped) from the Registry database and made available for registration. The exception to this rule is domains that are deleted within the first 5 days of initial registration. These domains will be dropped immediately, and not be placed in PendingDelete status. Domains remain on PendingDelete status for a period of 35 days before being dropped, unless they are “redeemed” by the sponsoring registrar. This period is known as the Redemption Grace Period (RGP). See below for more information on RGP and domain redemptions.

A list of upcoming .biz domain deletions can be obtained from our .biz Expired and Dropping Domains Reports found here.

If you believe that your trademark rights are being infringed upon by someone who has registered a .biz domain name, you can contact the domain owner directly by finding their contact information on the .biz WHOIS <>. If direct contact does not resolve the conflict, then you have the option to utilize the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) which has been implemented by ICANN and Neustar for domain dispute resolution.

To obtain access to the .biz Zone file, you must complete, sign and return a .biz Zone File Access Agreement. For additional information, including the ability to exectue the agreement please contact .biz support at biz@support.neustar .

DNSSEC stands for Domain Name System (DNS) Security Extensions, which enable DNS clients (resolvers) to (1) validate origin authentication of DNS data; (2) confirm data integrity; and (3) authenticate denial of existence.

When implemented end-to-end, DNSSEC protects end users from exposure to DNS cache poisoning. Cache poisoning is a corruption of the DNS that enables the spread of viruses, worms, and other malicious files/content. Cache poisoning occurs when data is provided to a caching name server that did not originate from an authoritative Domain Name System (DNS) source. Once a DNS server receives non-authentic data and caches it for future use, it will then supply that non-authentic data to its client servers. The impact of cache poisoning on end users is that they may be directed to IP addresses they did not intend to reach, and may not be aware of the associated risks.

DNSSEC does not solve Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on any system. DNSSEC does not prevent incorrect data entry into a zone (if the IP address is entered wrong, it will not be corrected). DNSSEC’s improvement to other applications is limited to ensuring that applications get correct/authenticated information and nothing more. Phishing attacks are still possible through carefully crafted email and spam delivery. Sensitive information such as credit card numbers on a web server are encrypted via secure socket layers (SSL), and not through DNSSEC.

DNSSEC uses cryptographic electronic signatures (referred to as public and private keys) to determine the authenticity of data. DNS clients that are DNSSEC-enabled will validate any DNS response received by automatically checking the authenticity of the cryptographic signatures. If the key is missing or not recognized, the response is not validated and the DNS will not pass the false information on to the user.

At this time, DNSSEC is fully deployed on the .biz TLD and is accepting submissions known as DS records. .biz accredited registrars will be able to register DNSSEC information on their customers’ behalf. For more information on how to submit DS records, please contact your specfic domain name provider.

.biz accredited registrars are not required to implement DNSSEC. Support for DNSSEC is optional but recommended to help secure and prevent cache poisoning in the .biz namespace.

The .biz TLD implemented DNSSEC in its namespace in 2010. To determine if and when DNSSEC is supported, .biz web address holders should contact their domain name provider.

If the customer is using a DNS managed service provider, they should contact the provider for instructions to turn on DNSSEC. If the customer is operating their own DNS set up, there are a number of steps to perform. First, make sure the tools in use are capable of DNSSEC. This may mean upgrading the DNS software. Second, after preparing and documenting a plan, create cryptographic key pairs and enter them in the zone. Third, run a DNSSEC zone signer (dependent on the tools in use) to generate the first signed zone. The process of signing will have to be repeated as the signatures will have a limited lifetime. The final step is to publish the zone. The managed service provider should be able to provide guidance along the way.

A general collection of information on DNSSEC can be found here.

Neustar is the Registry Operator for all .biz registry services including technical, marketing, policy and operational support. Neustar Registry is the world’s largest provider of digital naming services and has provided the platform for .biz domain name registrars since 2001. As a domain industry pioneer, Neustar has played a role in the growth and evolution of nearly every aspect of the domain name space.

For technical support for .biz Registrars or Resellers, please contact your Neustar Relationship Manager or .biz customer support at biz@support.neustar