Frequently Asked Questions

Lexicon

Domain

Computers connected to the Internet can be identified by natural names of a special format which are called domains. Although they are not required by computers for Internet to work properly they help people to remember addresses of certain services (e.g. www, email).

Registry

An organisation which establishes formal requirements of domain registration and is responsible for managing domains, DNS servers and WHOIS.

Registrar

An organisation or a company that sells domains to other people and may also provide DNS hosting.

DNS records

DNS records are elements of a technical configuration of a domain. They should be changed by qualified person or otherwise the domain ma not work properly.

Account

I forgot my password, what can I do?

You can find a link to the password reset form on this page. A new password will be sent to your e-mail. Alternatively you can click the following link.

I forgot my handle name, what can I do?

You can find a link to the handle remind form on this page. Alternatively you can click the following link.

Domain

What can I use a domain for?

Most often a domain is used for websites and e-mails. Right after you have registered a domain you can serve a website or an email service.

If you have a company, it is considered very professional to use your own domain. It can be used for advertising purposes to reach more customers. Clients can more easily find information about your company and ask questions regarding your offer.

How can I find out which domain names are available for registration?

Use a register form and enter a domain name you look for. If it is available, you are able to register it right away.

If you need more information about the domain or an owner you can use the WHOIS search.

How can I register a new domain?

Use a register form. It will automatically check if a domain you want to register is available. Then follow the steps of a registration process.

Which domain names are allowed for registration?

If a domain is available, then it should be possible to register it. The only exceptions are special names, such as 'www', 'http', 'smtp', etc. Use a register form to verify the name and you will be informed if a domain you have chosen is allowed for registration.

I can't register a domain though it's not registered in a WHOIS database, why?

There are a few special names which noone can register and they will not be found in WHOIS database, e.g. 'www', 'http', 'smtp', etc.

What is the best name to choose for a domain?

Choose a name that can be easily connected to the person or organisation for which you are registering a domain. If a name you have chosen is already taken, you can try using a different suffix or an acronym.

A domain name may contain only letters from the latin alphabet, numbers and the '-' sign, but cannot start or end with the '-' sign. Domain name can have up to 63 characters and is not case-sensitive.

Are domain names case-sensitive?

No. If you use capital letters during registration, the domain name will be automatically converted to lowercase.

How long does it take to register a domain?

After you have finished the payment it should usually take not more than an hour for your domain to be visible on the Internet, however very occasionally it may take up to few hours.

How long is the period I can register a domain for?

A domain can be registered for 1 to 10 years.

Is there a possibility to change a domain name?

Unfortunately not. If you need a domain with a different name the only solution is to register a new domain.

How can I register a domain with portuguese letters (á, â, ã, à, é, ê, etc.) or other diactric marks?

Unfortunately such domain names are not supported yet, but we are working on implementing this feature in the near future.

What can I do if someone else has already registered a domain with a certain name?

In most cases it is advised that you choose an available domain name. If you are a trademark owner or believe that the domain should rightfully belong to you should contact us for further details.

Domain management

Where is a domain management panel?

You can access the domain management panel from a domains overview by clicking on a domain you want to manage.

What are the administrative, technical and billing contacts?

It is possible to separate different responsibilities for a domain:

administrative contact is a person or institution that has the administrative rights to the domain,
technical contact is a person or institution that is responsible for technical aspects of the domain (e.g. DNS settings),
billing contact is a person or institution that should be billed for the domain.

There is also a role of a domain owner which is similar to the administrative contact but has a few more rights (e.g. can change an owner and delete a domain).

What can billing contacts do?

Billing contacts are assigned to one or more domains. Regarding a domain they can:

renew the domain,
set a new billing contact for the domain (replace themselves).

What can technical contacts do?

Technical contacts are assigned to one or more domains. Regarding a domain they can:

renew the domain,
set a new technical contact for the domain (replace themselves),
change DNS configuration for the domain.

What can administrative contacts do?

Administrative contacts are assigned to one or more domains. Regarding a domain they can:

renew the domain,
set a new administrative contact for the domain (replace themselves),
change DNS configuration for the domain,
set a new billing or technical contact for the domain (replace current one),
start the procedure of ownership change.

What can owners do?

Owners can have one or more domains. Regarding a domain they can do everything. In detail they can:

renew the domain,
change DNS configuration for the domain,
set a new administrative, billing or technical contact for the domain (replace current one),
start the procedure of ownership change,
accept changing current owner to a new owner when asked.

How can I change administrative, billing or technical contacts responsible for a domain?

Use a domain management panel for a certain domain, which can be accessed from this location.

How can I change the owner of a domain?

Procedure of changing the owner consists of three steps:

starting the procedure by current owner or administrative contact,
confirming ownership change by both current owner and new owner,
paying for ownership change by the new owner.

The procedure can be started in management panel for a certain domain, which can be accessed from this location. The new owner's handle has to be typed and it also has to be selected, if DNS settings should be kept or errased.
After starting the procedure both the current owner and the new owner will receive an e-mail asking them to accept or reject ownership change for each domain separately. If the e-mail is not visible, it can be re-sent in managment panel.
The most simple way to accept or reject ownership change is to:

log out from reg.it.ao page,
click the link in e-mail or paste it into browser's address bar,
when asked, log in using proper handle (the one of the person who received given e-mail).

Acceptation by both parties has to take place within two weeks, after that period it will be outdated.
Once both the current owner and the new owner accept ownership change, the new owner is allowed to select the domain for acquisition and pay for it.
After payment the new owner can manage the domain.
If the person starting the procedure has selected that the DNS configuration should remain, it will be saved. Otherwise the new owner has to configure DNS from scratch.
The expiration date of the domain will not change after ownership change.
It is possible to have only one active procedure of ownership change, so a new procedure cannot be started if the previous one is not outdated or rejected by at least one party.

I don't want to own a certain domain anymore, how can I resign?

If you are an owner of a domain you can find a delete link in the domain management panel. It leads to a delete form which should be filled in and send to us by mail.

If I delete a domain, am I going to get a refund?

Unfortunately not.

Where can I change DNS settings for a certain domain?

Go to a domain management panel and look for technical settings, where you can change DNS servers or DNS settings for a selected domain.

What is domain transfer?

Domain transfer is a procedure after which the sponsoring registrar is changed. If you transfer your domain to another registrar, after that you pay the new registrar for domain renewals.

How much does domain transfer cost?

In reg.it.ao both incoming and outgoing transfers are free. Other registrars should deliver AuthInfo for free, but may charge for incoming transfer.

How long does domain transfer take?

If you would like to transfer your domain from reg.it.ao to another registrar, reg.it.ao's e-mail robot will deliver required AuthInfo within few minutes to domain owner upon request.
If you would like to transfer your domain from another registrar to reg.it.ao, the domain is transferred immediately after you complete incoming transfer wizard form.

Does transfer change my domain?

Domain transfer does not change the expiration date.
Incoming domain transfer will set you (currently logged-in user) as the domain owner, also in WHOIS database.
In the transfer wizard you will also reuse or change DNS settings and you may assign other contacts for the domain. The wizard will assist you in the procedure. The transfer procedure is not started and domain is not updated until you enter the AuthInfo and confirm transfer.

How can I transfer my domain from reg.it.ao to another registrar?

In order to transfer domains between registrars you need AuthInfo (transfer password). To receive AuthInfo for domain registered at reg.it.ao please:

log-in as domain owner,
go to domain details and
click 'Send AuthInfo' link.

The AuthInfo will be delivered to owner's e-mail address.
Please handle AuthInfo with care and don't distribute it to people you don't trust, because having AuthInfo alone is enough to transfer your domain.

How can I transfer my domain from another registrar to reg.it.ao?

In order to transfer domains between registrars you need AuthInfo (transfer password). To receive AuthInfo for your domain, please contact your current registrar. The AuthInfo should always be delivered to domain owner. Once you have AuthInfo for your domain, please

log-in to reg.it.ao,
enter domain domain name in registration form or WHOIS form,
click “Transfer for free!” button and
follow the instructions.

Please handle AuthInfo with care and don't distribute it to people you don't trust, because having AuthInfo alone is enough to transfer your domain.

Payments

What credit cards are accepted?

The Online Payment Service Provider supports most credit cards used currently. A detailed list is available after selecting the credit card payment method. If your credit card is not supported, please contact our Customer Care Centre.

What currency will be used in a payment?

It depends on a method of payment you choose:

if you pay by credit card all payments are in euro,
if you pay at the cashier you may choose euro or kwanza.

The price I paid for a domain has changed since I have placed an order. What happened?

If you choose a credit card to pay for a domain then all payments are in euro. If you do not have an account in euro, the actual amount will be converted to euro at the moment of the payment.

I can't renew my domain, what happened?

A domain can be registered for no longer than 10 years period at a given moment.

My domain is about to expire, what can I do?

You can use "Renew this domain" link in a domain management panel. Alternatively use the following link.

What are the consequences if I decide not to renew a domain?

Your domain is still active for 4 weeks after the expiration date. During this time you can renew your ownership, but such an extension is calculated from the original expiration date.

After 4 weeks your domain is deactived and available for registration by anyone.

WHOIS

How can I find information about a certain domain?

You can use the WHOIS search which displays detailed information about the domain and its owner.

Why is my personal information available in WHOIS?

Information about an owner of a domain is available to secure rights of Internet users, trademark and copyright owners. It also helps to protect Internet from publishing illegal materials.

In my whois information I see a strange e-mail address like 'b361578f7be25ec4@secure.reg.it.ao' instead of my own. Is there something wrong?

You must have enabled the 'Anti-spam E-mail Protection', which secures you from receiving a spam mail on your e-mail. If you'd like to have your normal email address displayed please update your personal information and disable the 'Anti-spam E-Mail Protection'. Unfortunately it has the consequence of not having your email secured from spam mails.

Where does information in WHOIS come from?

Information in WHOIS is gathered during domain registration and is constantly updated.

Why can't some domain names be found with WHOIS?

Domain name is not listed if Reg.it.ao does not support a certain domain suffix (i.e. a domain name does not end with 'it.ao', 'co.ao', etc.). There are also a few special names which noone can register and they will not be found in WHOIS database, e.g. 'www', 'http', 'smtp', etc.

I can't find information about my domain with WHOIS, what should I do?

If your domain does not have a suffix supported by Reg.it.ao service it will not be visible in WHOIS. Otherwise please contact support.

Information about my domain is not up to date, what should I do?

You can change information regarding your account or a domain using the administration section. All changes should be visible instantly.

How can I query the Whois service provided by reg.it.ao?

You can use the online Whois service provided at this URL: https://www.reg.it.ao/whois. You can querry directly our database using a Unix terminal and a command such as: "whois -h fred.nic.ao yourdomain.co.ao".

SSL Certificates

What is SSL Certificate?

SSL Certificate allows you to set up secured communication between your server/page and its visitors. This way you and your visitors can be sure, that no data can be intercepted or modified between visitors' machines and your machine. This is especially needed for logins, passwords and other secret data, e.g. in health or banking systems.

What is CA/Certification Authority/Certificate Vendor?

CA/Certification Authority (sometimes known as Certificate Vendor) is a company which issues a SSL certificate for your site after your site (and for OV/EV also your company) gets successfully validated by them.

What is DV, OV, EV?

There are various levels of verifying if your site/company can have SSL certificate issued. The most basic one is DV (Domain Validation). Using DV Certificate Authority can verify if you are truly the person who manages the domain name for which you would like to have certificate issued. OV (Organisation Validation) and EV (Extended Validation) are meant to perform some extra validation of the party who applies for the certificate. Please note, that your domain is always going to be validated, no matter which validation method has been chosen.

How is DV (Domain Validation) performed?

The way DV (Domain Validation) is performed depends on the CA (Certification Authority). Some CAs offer only e-mail based validation: during the process of ordering SSL Certificate you are prompted to select one e-mail address from the list, then this e-mail address will be used to send you a message with instructions allowing to verify you. Some other CAs also provide HTTP and/or DNS verification methods. For HTTP you need to create a small text file with precisely given name and precisely given file content. For DNS you need to create a CNAME record with precisely given name and precisely given record content. Important thing to note is that you are not allowed to use any e-mail address/file name/record name, but you are required to select one from the list of options given by the CA. Usually verification messages are sent to e-mail addresses like admin@, administrator@, hostmaster@, webmaster@, etc.

Who can get DV/OV/EV certificate?

DV certificate can be issued for any person or any company, as long as they manage the domain in question. OV and EV certificates are available only for companies and organisations, not for persons.

What is the difference between DV, OV, EV?

Each validation type means better validation of the company/organisation requesting a certificate.
DV certificate are issued quite fast, because the Certification Authority only verifies if you are truly managing the domain. This verification is performed remotely, usually by e-mail, sometimes by HTTP or DNS. No organisation data is being verified, therefore no organisation (certificate owner) data is displayed in the browser's address bar.
OV certificates also show verified data of the organisation (certificate owner).
EV certificate is issued after extended verification of the organisation, therefore the address bar changes colour to green in browser. EV is the most reliable kind of certificate, because visitors can instantly see, that not only domain, but also the company/organisation has been verified.
Because for OV and EV not only domain is being checked, OV takes longer than DV, and EV takes longer than OV.

Which validation shall I choose: DV, OV or EV?

The validation level depends on your needs. If you only need to encrypt the traffic, DV is usually enough. However, if your page should clearly inform to whom it belongs and not only encrypt data, you should choose OV. For the biggest services, which handle sensitive data, like financial, insurance or medical data, you should consider ordering EV certificate. Pages with EV certificate make address bar to dislpay in green, therefore all visitors instantly see, that the communication is secured.

What is standard/wildcard certificate?

A standard SSL certificate can secure a single domain name, which can be e.g. dominio.co.ao or www.dominio.co.ao, or escritorio.dominio.co.ao, etc. A wildcard certificate can secure the main domain and all its subdomains. This is noted as *.dominio.co.ao and means that all possible subdomains are secured with this single certificate, e.g. dominio.co.ao and www.dominio.co.ao, and escritorio.dominio.co.ao, etc.

Shall I buy certificate for www.dominio.co.ao or dominio.co.ao?

You should buy a certificate for the domain which you plan to use for your web page. You may also consider selecting certificate, which secures www prefix for free. If you think that you may need to secure more subdomains and the main domain (like dominio.co.ao, www.dominio.co.ao, mail.dominio.co.ao) it might be good to choose a wildcard certificate.

What is CSR?

CSR (Certificate Signing Request or Certification Request) is a text file which is sent to Certification Authority in order to obtain a certificate. It contains pieces of information such as common (domain) name to be secured and company/organisation data requesting the certificate.
It is recommended that you generate the CSR on your own, because then you do not have to share your private key with anyone. It can be easily done e.g. using OpenSSL, like
openssl genrsa -out domain.key 2048
openssl req -new -key domain.key -out domain.csr
If you prefer, you can also generate the CSR and private key online using our services.
Please note, that CSR can be generated online only for Apache/ModSSL.

What is Private Key and how can I get one?

Private Key is a text file which is used to encrypt transmission at your side. It should be kept secret and should not be sent to anyone. Private Key is generated together with CSR (Certificate Signing Request). In the recommended approach you generate both Private Key and CSR at your machine and only send us CSR. However, if you choose to generate CSR online, you will get Private Key generated as well and you will be able to download it after your certificate is issued.
After your SSL certificate is issued, you should install related Private Key in your server/hosting platform to make them used in securing transmission.
Please note, that CSR and Private Key can be generated online only for Apache/ModSSL.

What should I do if I can't find an answer for my question in this FAQ?

Please contact our support.

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