Frequently Asked Questions

General Queries

  1. Is there something I am missing here? Why are you so cheap?
  2. What is a domain name?
  3. I’d like to complain about your service. What should I do?

.it Domain Queries

  1. What are the benefits of .it over other names?
  2. Which characters can I use in my .it domain name? And are there any restrictions?
  3. Is there any difference between .it domains and the .at.it (.co.it, .is.it, .to.it, etc.) ones?
  4. Can anybody register a .it name?
  5. I live in the USA, can I register an Italian name?
  6. Is it true I can only register one .it name?
  7. Is there an age restriction?
  8. How long does it take to register a .it name?

Registration Queries

  1. Do you only sell .it domains?
  2. How long can I register a domain for?
  3. Can I pay by cheque or in any other way?
  4. I’ve bought a name, but it still appears to be available. Is there a problem?
  5. How do I know when my domain has been registered successfully?
  6. I have just purchased a .com domain and received an email asking me to verify my email address. Is this a scam?
  7. Can I register a .uk domain through Livetodot? Are there any restrictions on who can register this new extension?

DNS Queries

  1. How do I change the DNS records of my newly registered domain?
  2. Why is the nameserver update on my .it domain failing?
  3. I want to direct my domain name to my web space. What do I do?
  4. Does Livetodot provide hosting?

Renewal Queries

  1. How will I know when my domain name is due to expire?
  2. I forgot to renew my domain name and my website is down. What can I do?

Transfer Queries

  1. I’ve registered a .it domain with you. Can I sell it to another person?
  2. What is the procedure to transfer a .uk or .com domain away from Livetodot?
  3. I’d like to transfer my domain name into Livetodot. What do I do?
  4. Someone has registered ourtrademark.it. How do we get it back?

General Queries

  1. Is there something I am missing here? Why are you so cheap?

    Livetodot is owned and managed by Fubra Limited, a profitable company based in Hampshire, UK. We can sell domain names cheap because we have created as much automation as possible and therefore we can keep our costs down.

    We are truly committed to our customers and want to help you in any way we can. The easier it is for you to register and use Livetodot the more sales we will make.

    We believe in starting small and growing at a sensible pace. We are an independent company, we have never taken venture capital and we continue to grow because we love what we do.

  2. What is a domain name?

    A domain name is an alias that points to a number (an IP address) that identifies your webserver on the Internet. This number is called an IP Address. People use names because they are easier to remember than numbers.

  3. I’d like to complain about your service. What should I do?

    If you’d like to make a complaint about our service, please email us at support@livetodot.com and we will aim to respond within one working day. If our initial response is not satisfactory, you can contact Livetodot’s parent company, Fubra Ltd, at support@fubra.com. They will be able to advise you further and point you in the right direction should you wish to make an official complaint to the registry.

    If you’d like to report a domain registered through us for abuse, please email us at abuse@fubra.com and we will aim to respond within one working day.

.it Domain Queries

  1. What are the benefits of .it over other names

    ‘It’ is one of the most frequently used words in the English language. You can use the word it at the end of your domain name to make a memorable phrase such as:

    • practice.it
    • paywith.it
    • dontmention.it
    • register.it

    .it names are marketable and memorable. Best of all, they are still relatively uncommon, so you have a better chance of getting a good one.

  2. Which characters can I use in my .it domain name? And are there any restrictions?

    The Italian NIC has imposed some restrictions on the names you can register.

    • Between 3 and 63 characters (excluding the extension)
    • Only these characters are allowed: letters a-z, numbers 0-9 and hyphen -.
    • Your name cannot start with – nor can it end with -.For example:
      -meto.it is not valid
      gofor-.it is not valid
      e-fly.it is valid.
  3. Is there any difference between .it domains and the .at.it (.co.it, .is.it, .to.it, etc.) ones?

    The .it extension refers to Italy. Each .xx.it extension refers to an Italian province: .co.it is for Como for example. You do not have to reside or operate in that city to register a .xx.it. The .xx.it domains are often used to create marketable names, with a meaning in English. For example:

    • this.is.it
    • lets-get.to.it
    • london.is.it
  4. Can anybody register a .it name?

    Dot it domains can be registered by companies with a VAT number or private individuals with a National Insurance number. A legal presence in a country that is a member of the European Union is required, so this excludes most US companies and citizens.

  5. I live in the USA, can I register an Italian name?

    Unfortunately only EU residents or companies with a presence in the EU may register the .it domain name extension. However, you can still register an Italian domain name even if you do not qualify. We offer an “In Trust” service whereby you pay for the registration but it is registered in our name. We provide you with full access to and use of the domain name. If you need further advice, please email support@livetodot.com.

  6. Is it true I can only register one .it name?

    No, there is no limit to how many .it domains you can register. In the past, the Italian Registry used to limit European private individuals without a VAT number to registering only 1 name, but this was changed in 2007.

  7. Is there an age restriction?

    Minors (under the age of 18) are not allowed to register .it domain names.

  8. How long does it take to register a .it name

    From January 2011, Livetodot became an accredited Registrar of the Italian Registry and can now manage .it domains in synchronous mode, which means that domain names are registered in real time, without any paperwork.

    It is no longer necessary to send a signed Letter of Assumption of Responsibility, known as LAR, in order to complete the registration of a .it domain name.

Registration Queries

  1. Do you only sell .it domains?

    No, we also have .cc and .uk (.co.uk, .org.uk, and .me.uk) extensions available as well as some generic top-level domains such as .com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info. You can see the full list of domains and prices here.

  2. How long can I register a domain for?

    Domains can be registered for up to 10 years. You will have to specify how many years you’d like to pay for during the registration process. If you choose to pay for more than 1 year, you won’t be affected by any potential price increases until your domain is due for renewal again.

  3. Can I pay by cheque or in any other way?

    At the moment we only accept payments by credit or debit card.

  4. I’ve bought a name, but it still appears to be available. Is there a problem?

    There could be a problem, but it is unlikely. If there is a problem, we will email you with the explanation. If you have not received an email from us, please contact support@livetodot.com and we will investigate the problem immediately.

  5. How do I know when my domain has been registered successfully?

    Our system will email you immediately to let you know when your domain registration is complete. You can also log in to Livetodot and check the status of your domain on the My Domains page.

  6. I have just purchased a .com domain and received an email asking me to verify my email address. Is this a scam?

    We can assure you that this request is genuine as from 1st January 2014 all gTLD new registrations are subject to email verification to ensure that the Registrant email address is valid. After completing the registration process each new Registrant will be given 15 days to verify their email address by clicking the link within the email received. Failure to verify their email address within 15 days will result in the suspension of the domain’s DNS until the verification process is completed.

    The same procedure will be applied when the domain name Registrant edits their First Name, Last Name, or email address information.

    Note: These new rules only apply to gTLD registrations, i.e. the following domain name extensions: .com, .org, .info, .biz, and .net.Please contact us at support@livetodot.com if you have any questions regarding these new requirements.

  7. Can I register a .uk domain through Livetodot? Are there any restrictions on who can register this new extension?

    The new .uk extension was launched by Nominet on the 10th June 2014 and it is now available for registration through Livetodot (minimum 2-year registration required). However, please know that until the 10th June 2019 .uk domains will be reserved for the owners of the existing .co.uk, .org.uk and .me.uk equivalents. If you’re interested in purchasing a .uk domain, please use Nominet’s rights lookup tool to check who, if anyone, has the right of registration.

    If you do hold the right of registration, please proceed with the registration and make sure the details you provide (i.e. the registrant name, address, and email address) match those held on the original .co.uk, .org.uk or .me.uk domain. If there is no existing domain with first rights to register a .uk equivalent, you can also proceed with the registration.

    Should you have more questions regarding the .uk extension and the registration process, please get in touch.

DNS Queries

  1. How do I change the DNS records of my newly registered domain?

    Once the domain name has been registered and is appearing as active under My Domains, please click on the domain in question to access the full control panel including the Contacts, Nameservers, DNS, Web/E-mail Forwarding and Whois tabs. Click DNS in order to add or update the domain’s A, MX, CNAME and TXT records.

  2. Why is the nameserver update on my .it domain failing?

    Due to the complex requirements of the Italian NIC, the name can only be given a new nameserver once the name is registered on the nameserver you wish to transfer it to. This is to ensure that the hosts are always reachable. You need to have an entry on your ISP’s nameserver for the name you are trying to transfer, before the transfer will work.

    If you are sure you have created a record in your ISP’s nameserver for the domain but the transfer is still failing, email support@livetodot.com and we will investigate the problem and advise you what you need to do, so that the nameserver update can go through.

  3. I want to direct my domain name to my web space. What do I do?

    You can forward your domain name to an existing website using our free web forwarding service and you can also set up free email forwarding on your domain name. More information can be found here:

  4. Does Livetodot provide hosting?

    Yes. Livetodot provides a range of hosting solutions to suit all sizes of web site or application. See our Web Hosting section for more details.

Renewal Queries

  1. How will I know when my domain name is due to expire?

    In order to prevent any loss of service we strongly advise that you check your account regularly and monitor the expiry date to make sure you renew your domain name in time. You should also receive email notifications from Livetodot 30, 14, 7 and 2 days before the expiry to remind you to renew your domain. We will also send you an email 1 day after the domain has expired to give you a chance to renew it.

    Email reminders will be sent to the account holder’s registered email address as well as the registrant’s email address if they are two different people. These email addresses can be changed at any time through the My Account and My Contacts sections of your Livetodot account respectively. It is important that you keep all contact details up to date to ensure the receipt of our alerts.

  2. I forgot to renew my domain name and my website is down. What can I do?

    Although we strongly advise that you always renew your domains before they expire, in most cases it is still possible to renew a domain name shortly after it has expired, although we cannot guarantee it. Registries usually give you some time after the expiry to retrieve your domain so please log into your Livetodot account as soon as you can to extend the registration.

    If you no longer see your domain name on the My Domains list, it’s possible that it has already been deleted by the registry but please contact us at support@livetodot.com so that we can double-check. If the domain has been deleted, it could have been registered by someone else, at which point we will no longer be able to retrieve or re-register it for you.

    If the domain is still listed on your account but you can’t see the Renew button next to it, it might have gone into the Redemption Grace Period (RDP), an option available for the gTLDs, which means it can no longer be renewed at a standard rate. We may still be able to retrieve the domain for you but the process will incur an additional fee of £250 (plus VAT where applicable); please contact us for more information.

Transfer Queries

  1. I’ve registered a .it domain with you. Can I sell it to another person?

    The Italian RA used to prohibit this entirely. However, it is now possible to transfer the ownership of .it names between people and companies providing the normal Italian Registry requirements are met. Please send a request to change the registrant contact for your domain name to support@livetodot.com and we will look into it for you. It is also possible to move the domain to a different Livetodot account.

    If you wish to transfer a .it domain to a different registrar, you (or the new owner) will need to initiate the transfer process at the new registrar’s end and provide the domain’s unique Authorisation Code that can be requested by logging into your account (My Domains => Operations => Get Authorisation Code). The code will be emailed to the account holder’s registered email address.Please know that you cannot register trademarked names unless you have a right to use that name and have acted in good faith.

  2. What is the procedure to transfer a .uk or .com domain away from Livetodot?

    In order to transfer a .uk domain to a different registrar, please find out their IPS TAG and email support@livetodot.com to ask for the domain to be released.In the case of .com domains (and other gTLDs), the transfer has to be initiated at the new registrar’s end. You will have to request the Authorisation Code from Livetodot (see the question above) and email support@livetodot.com to ask for the domain to be unlocked.We do not charge users for transferring domains away from Livetodot.

  3. I’d like to transfer my domain name into Livetodot. What do I do?

    You should start by initiating the transfer process through the Transfer Domains section of the website. You will be asked to choose the registrant, admin and technical contacts for the domain as well as decide on the nameservers. Also, depending on the domain name extension you might be asked to provide the domain’s Authorisation Code that you will have to request from the previous registrar. If you’re moving a .uk domain, after completing the transfer process at our end, you will have to request a change of IPS TAG from your current registrar to FUBRA.

    Detailed instructions will be given to you on-screen and you will also receive an email confirmation once the transfer process has been successfully completed. If you are having any problems with your transfer or are unsure how to proceed, please email support@livetodot.com and our support team will be happy to assist.

    Please note that we do not charge a transfer free but you will have to pay for renewal of your domain name at the time of transfer.

  4. Someone has registered ourtrademark.it. How do we get it back?

    We are not lawyers but perhaps we can offer you some guidance so please contact us.

    You may also find some useful information in the Domain Name Disputes section of our Terms and Conditions.