Sunrise Period .............. Phase 1 + 2

FOR INFORMATION -- the full and final rules and procedures for the sunrise period will form part of the Registration Policy for .eu which will be adopted following consultation with the European Commission and interested stakeholders.

What is a Sunrise Period?

Prior to commencing .eu registration on a first-come-first-served basis and in accordance with EU Regulation 733/2002 and EC Regulation 874/2004, there will be a sunrise period (phased registration) to allow public bodies and holder of prior rights to a name to apply for the corresponding .eu domain name.

Who may apply during the Sunrise Period?

Sunrise applicants must comply with the geographical requirements applicable to all .eu domain name holders, as set out in EU Regulation 733/2002:

Only the following may apply for a .eu domain name:

  1. undertakings having their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the European Community;
  2. organisations established within the European Community without prejudice to the application of national law;
  3. natural persons resident within the European Community.

The sunrise period consists of two phases each lasting two months. Immediately after the 4-month sunrise period is over, registrations will be taken on a first-come-first-served basis.

During phase 1 only domain names that correspond with:

During phase 2 domain names that correspond with

It is important to remember that not all the rights listed are recognised in each member state. Applicants will be required to provide the legal basis that grants the right in community law or the national law of the member state where the right is held and provide documentary evidence which is accepted to demonstrate the right under that law.

A list of the most commonly recognised rights and the evidence required to prove that the right is held will be published on this web site as soon as possible.

Please see also the FAQ section on the web site of our Validation Agents, PricewaterhouseCoopers for more information about the Sunrise Period and who may apply.

How can I apply for my .eu name during the sunrise period?

Those who qualify to register their domain name during the sunrise period will be required to apply through an accredited .eu registrar.

In addition to the usual information required to register a .eu domain name, sunrise applications will be required to state the right they are claiming to the domain name (for example: company name or trademark) and under which law that right is granted.

In some cases, a company might have a right to a name from a number of sources (for example, a company may be registered by that name in the national register and it may also have a registered trademark of the same name). When applying for a .eu domain name, only one right can be claimed in each application.

If we receive more than one valid application for the same name, applications will be assessed on a first-come-first-served basis as required by the European Commission public policy rules for .eu. First-come-first-served will be determined by the time/date at which the application is received into our database after it opens for the sunrise period (hopefully in the 4th quarter of 2005)

An additional application fee will be charged during sunrise to cover the costs of systems development, processing and validating the applications.

When a correctly completed sunrise application is received we will send an email to the applicant and the registrar confirming that the application has been received. It will also advise where the application sits in the queue for that name (if there is more than one applicant) what documentation we require to prove the right and access to a form which must be completed signed and returned with the proof within 40 days.

We have appointed Validation Agents to authenticate the proof and advise if an application is accepted or rejected. It is to the Validation Agent that applicants will be required to send their proof of rights.

Until an application for a name is accepted or until all applications for that name are rejected, the domain name will be blocked from being registered by any other party, even if validation has not taken place by the time open registration begins.

All sunrise applicants will be required to accept the special sunrise terms and conditions that will be made available as soon as possible.

Please see also the FAQ section on the web site of our Validation Agents, PricewaterhouseCoopers for more information about the Sunrise Period and who may apply.

Fees to be charged for applying during Sunrise

When a sunrise application is accepted by our automated systems, the registrar who submitted the application will have a sunrise fee deducted from his account with EURid.

The level of fees has yet to be determined but will be based on costs of validating the various types of rights. We will publish details of fees attached to different types of rights as soon as possible.

Identify an accredited .eu Registrar

EURid will publish a list of accredited registrars on its web site.

Registrars who have signed and returned the agreement and deposited the pre-payment with EURid will be listed on the web site in the order in which they are accredited and we will indicate next to each registrar the languages they support.

The Validation Process

Sunrise applications will be dealt with on a first come first served basis.

If the first sunrise applicant for a name (or indeed the only applicant for that name) sends acceptable proof of their right to the name within the 40 days provided, the Validation Agent will assess the documentation provided by that applicant. If the documentation proves the right claimed, the application will be approved and that name will be registered to that applicant. It will become usable only after a 40-day period to allow for any errors or appeals. Any later applicants for the same name will be notified and part of their application fee credited to their registrars.

If the first applicant for a name fails to provide acceptable documentation within the 40 days allocated, the application will be rejected and the Validation Agent will assess the documentation from the applicant whose application for the name was received second and so on until a valid application is found and the name is registered. If none of the applicants for a name send adequate proof of their right to the name within the 40 days specified the name will be unblocked and available for general registration on a first-come-first-served basis.

How to track my application?

During the sunrise period a special .eu sunrise whois will be available. By typing in a domain name it will be possible to see:

What to do if I believe EURid or its Validation Agents made an error in its decision about my application?

EURid and its Validation Agents will use all best efforts to ensure that applications are properly assessed and will assess all applications in good faith. If, however, you believe your application was assessed incorrectly, you will be able to dispute the decision using an Alternative Dispute Resolution service which will be made available for those who believe the registry has acted in contradiction with the Public Policy Rules.

Please note that if you successfully challenge the decision of the registry to allocate a name to another party, the registration may be revoked but the name is not allocated to the complainant. If there is a further sunrise applicant in the queue for that name, their application will be assessed next. If there are no other applicants for that name, it will become available for registration on a first-come-first-served basis when general registration begins.

What to do if I believe the person to whom a .eu name is registered made a speculative or abusive registration?

Any party may initiate an ADR procedure against the party to whom a .eu domain name is registered if the criteria for speculative and abusive registrations, as set out in Article 21 of the Public Policy Rules are met.

If the ADR panel uphold the complaint, the name can be transferred to the complainant provided he satisfies the criteria for registration.