Instra Corporation Help Centre
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why do I need a domain name?
- How do I register a domain name?
- What do I need to register a domain?
- Can I reserve a domain?
- I have placed and order for a domain, why is it not registered yet?
- What payment options do you accept?
- What is DNS?
- What is DNS forwarding?
- Can I point my domain to another website?
- What is a Delegation?
- Why is my delegation not working?
- What ccTLD can you register?
- Can you act as an agent if I do not meet the requirements?
- Who owns the domain if you act as my agent?
- Are there any restrictions on domains registered with an agent?
- When does my domain expire?
- What is the difference between a Domain and Hosting?
- Can someone steal my domain?
- How do I renew my domain name?
- How do I know when to renew my domain?
- What happens if I don't renew before the expiry date?
- What does the domain hierarchy look like?
- Can I transfer my domain to you?
- How does the transfer system work?
- What is the difference between a trade and a transfer?
- Why do I need web hosting?
- How do I get my business online?
Why do I need a domain name?
- Domain names are your Internet address. Most domains are registered by business as a way of providing information and a means of communication to their customers. Many business register their domains in multiple countries in order to brand protect. Owning your own domain also allows you to have a personalized email address and website if purchased with hosting. Rather then using generic emails like hotmail and gmail you have setup, e.g. joe@joesbuilding.com.
- Domain names are portable. With your own domain name, you are no longer tied to your ISP to access email or host your website. No more changing email addresses when you change ISPs!
- Domain names improve search engine rankings. Search engines rank websites with their own domain names higher than those using an ISP address.
- Domain names show professionalism. Why advertise a website address like: http://www.yourisp.com/user123/ when you could have www.yourdomain.com. Your customers will be more confident dealing with your company if you have your own identity on the internet for your website and email.
- Domain names are memorable. A long website or email address at your ISP can be difficult to remember. A short, relevant domain name is memorable and will increase traffic to your site.
How do I register a domain name?
Before you are able to request the registration of a domain, you will need to create a user account if you don't already have one.- Once you are logged in, go back to our homepage. From here, enter the domain name you wish to register in the "Domain search" text box, choose which countries you want the domain registered in via the check boxes and then click "Check Domain". If the domain is available, enter the five digit code as displayed in the picture and then click "Continue to Register". After this, simply follow the registration prompts and you should have no problems submitted the domain to us.
- Simply log into your account, click on the domain names, choose the name and domain extension you wish and follow the prompts. If we receive your request, you will be sent an email confirming the price of the purchase.
- Log into your account and go back to our front page. Inside the "Bulk Registration" text box, enter the exact domain name(s) you want and click the "Check Domains". Once the availability check has determined if the domain is available, enter the five digit code as displayed in the picture and then click "Continue to Register" and follow the prompts.
What do I need to register a domain?
Many ccTLD have requirements to protect the integrity of their name space. Most however are free to use for anyone in the world. It is best to check the local requirements for specific domains during registration.Can I reserve a domain?
Unfortunately it is not possible to reserve domains. Until a domain has been registered it is on the open market. Most Registry have a reserved list, this is a list of domains that the registry has decided not to release to the public. These domains are not able to be registered.
I have placed an order for a domain, why is it not registered yet?
While we do our best to process all applications as fast as possible many times there is a delay with the registry. Some registries still work on old systems were manual faxing of documents is required. Generally most domains are registered within 48 hours of submission, however in some cases there may be a delay of up to 30 days.What payment options do you accept?
We accept all major credit cards including VISA, Mastercard, AMEX and Dinners. We can accept international bank transfer on case by case bases. Customers that pay via Bank Transfer must arrange it with our sales staff prior to submitting an application.
What is DNS?
Domain name servers, or DNS, are an incredibly important but completely hidden part of the Internet. The DNS system forms one of the largest databases on the planet.What is DNS forwarding?
DNS forwarding is a way to direct your domain to an IP via DNS. Basically you tell our DNS which IP to point your domain to. If you do not already know that IP of your server your web host should be able to provide you with it.
Can I point my domain to another website?
If you do not have hosting, or you website is not set up yet you can point your domain to another URL using web redirection. You can use our redirection server free of charge to point your domain to an existing site.
What is a Delegation?
A delegation is the correct term for changing the DNS your domain uses. For example you may register your domain using our free parking service. As a result the domain will use our DNS to point to the parking page. If you then buy hosting you will need to delegate your domain to your web hosts DNS. That DNS will then point to your hosting server.
Why is my delegation not working?
Several ccTLD have rules about how the name servers that the domains in there name space are configured. The 5 major ccTLD that do this are; DE, FR, IT, DK and NL. Most of these sites have tools you can use to see if the requested DNS passes the rules of the registry.- DE - http://zonecheck.denic.de/zonecheck/en
- FR - http://www.afnic.fr/outils/zonecheck/form_en
- IT - http://www.nic.it/cgi-bin/DNSCheck/index.cgi
- NO - http://www.norid.no/domenenavnbaser/zonecheck/form_advanced.php
- HU - http://www.domain.hu/domain/English/regcheck/
- NL - http://www.sidn.nl/ace.php/c,728,778,,,,Nameserver_check.html
What ccTLD can you register?
Instra prides itself on being able to registry almost any ccTLD in the world. Please take a look at our domains page for more information. If you require a domain not listed please contact one of our sales staff so we can try and work something out for you.
Can you act as an agent if I do not meet the requirements?
In a lot of cases we can provide an agency service if you do not meet the requirements. In a few cases there is a small additional cost for legal fees required to set up the agency.
Who owns the domain if you act as my agent?
The official owner of a domain is the registrant. In some agency cases this will still be you, in others cases our agent will be the owner. In either case you retain full control over the domain and are free to use it in any way. If at a later date you are able to meet the requires you can change the registrant to yourself.
Are there any restrictions on domains registered with an agent?
While you are free to use the domain as you wish you will not be able to transfer the domain while using our agent. If you meet the requirements we can then put it in your name so it can be transferred.
When does my domain expire?
As a general rule your domain will expire one year after you submitted your application. The expiry date for each domain is listed in your customer area. Some domains have a min term of 2 years. You can also check the expiry date on some domains by using the WHOIS tool.
What is the difference between a Domain and Hosting?
When you purchase a domain you are buying the rights to use the name. Hosting is what makes the domain usable. Until you get hosting you will be unable to have a website or use your email address. Unless you plan on hosting the website yourself most people purchase both a domain and hosting.
Can someone steal my domain?
It is not possible to steal a domain name. In rare cases two parties both have a legitimate claim to a domain. In this case a dispute is registered with the registry and the matter is resolved through the legal system.How do I renew my domain name?
You can renew your domain via your control panel.
How do I know when to renew my domain?
Instra will send you reminder emails as the expiry date approaches. You can also view the expiry date via your control panel. You can renew your domain up to 60 days before the expiry date.
What happens if I don't renew before the expiry date?
In most cases the registry actually places the domain in a holding period for several weeks after the expiry date. It is possible to renew the domain during this period however addition fees may apply. After the holding period is over the domain is released back for public sales. Some registries release the domain immediately after the expiry date. It is best to renew your domains 30 days prior to expiry to account for any delays in the renewal process.
What does the domain hierarchy look like?
The general order for domain services is:Can I transfer my domain to you?
Yes, absolutely. Most domains can be transferred quickly and easily via your control panel. Some domains do require an Auth Code, or Domain Password which you can obtain at your current registrar.
How does the transfer system work?
Generally once you have submitted the transfer request we will initiate it at the corresponding registry. Depending on the domain you may need to provide us with a Domain Password before we can do this.What is the difference between a trade and a transfer?
A trade is the process of changing both the owner of a domain and the registrar. A transfer only changes the registrar of the domain. Most registries support trades.
Why do I need web hosting?
- Your website and email need a 'home' on the internet, where your website is stored and email is processed.
- Instra Corporation has a wide range of hosting plans suitable for personal web sites right through to database driven commercial websites and email. Instra Corporation can also help you choose the right hosting package.
How do I get my business online?
- The first step to getting your business online is registering your domain name. This is your 'web address' on the internet.
- The second step is to build your website. You can do this yourself, or have a professional web developer do it for you.
- Finally you need hosting for your website and email. Instra Corporation has a large range of hosting plans, sure to fit your requirements and your budget. Most of our plans also include a website development wizard, to make developing your website even easier!
To do so, please visit this web page:
From here, scroll down to "New Customers" and enter the appropriate details. Once the user account has been created, you will be able to login in. When you are located inside your account, you are now ready to register your domain.
They are a variety of ways you can submit a domain application to us. By following any of the procedures below you should not have any problems:
In same cases Instra Instra Corporation can act as an agent on your behalf to secure the domain for you.
You can contact us at any time to check the status of you application.
Human-readable names like "instra.com" are easy for people to remember, but they don't do machines any good. All of the machines use names called IP addresses to refer to one another. For example, the machine that humans refer to as "www.instra.com" has the IP address 203.36.226.4. Every time you use a domain name, you use the Internet's domain name servers (DNS) to translate the human-readable domain name into the machine-readable IP address.
If you forget to renew your domain people can purchase the domain legally.
Once this transfer has been initiated and email will be sent normally to the current admin contact by the registry. This is the contact specified during the initial domain registration and Instra has no control over this. The email is sent as a form of validation. Most delays are caused by this email going unanswered.
The email with contain a link that confirms the transfer. Once you have confirmed it the domain will be transferred to our registrar account, and your domain will become active in your account.