.qa Registration

The .qa registration procedures are managed by Internet Qatar under the sponsorship of Qatar Telecom (Q-Tel). Launched in the year 1996, the .qa extension is the official country code top level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Qatar — an emirate in the Middle East. The .qa is the only Internet top level domain (TLD) which begins with the letter 'Q'. The .qa domain extension is for the use of organizations, businesses, individuals and all entities based in Qatar or having some connection with Qatar.

The domain name registry for the country Qatar manages second level domain names in .qa code with the following choices:

• .com.qa — for commercial sites
• .org.qa — for not-for-profit organizations
• .edu.qa — for educational institutions
• .gov.qa — for governmental entities
• .net.qa — for network providers

Direct domain names in the form of www.___.qa are not currently offered. However, the registry hopes to implement direct registration under the .qa root very soon. All registration applications for .qa domains are accepted on a "first-come, first-served" basis.

To register a .qa domain name, applicants must adhere to certain rules and regulations. It is compulsory that the first character of the domain name must be a letter. Special characters, such as a hyphen symbol, are not permitted at the beginning or end of the .qa domain name. Domain names containing words, abbreviations, or phrases that are potentially offensive, obscene, indecent, or contrary to the Qatari Law or Islamic morality must be avoided.

A letter requesting the domain name registration and signed Power of Attorney (notarized and legalized up to the Qatari Consulate) are the necessary prerequisites for getting a .qa registration. You can also avail of the provision for modifying the registration information. Presently, the fees charged for registration of .qa domain names is US$ 450, and US$ 300 for the renewal.

Today, a number of domain registration and web hosting companies are providing many services along with .qa registration.