To download the document of Saudi Domain Names Registration Regulations.
1. Introduction
According to the Telecommunications and Information Technology Law (the “Law”) enacted by Royal Decree No. (M/106) dated 02/11/1443 AH, and it’s Bylaws (the Bylaws); and based on the regulatory functions of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) as per its amended ordinance (the “Ordinance”) as amended by the Council of Ministers Resolution No. (133) dated 21/05/1424 AH, which entrusted CST with regulatory functions for the information technology sector; and since Article 39 of the Law authorizes CST to regulate Saudi domain names and technical identifiers, make decisions on the dispute related to the same; and giving due consideration the needs and regulation of the information and communication technology (ICT) markets in the Kingdom; and in keeping with the evolving ICT market as well as the experiences of other countries, CST has issued this document to set out the rules, terms and conditions for registering domain names within the Saudi top-level domains (TLD) in line with the Law objectives, including to localize and keep abreast of the evolving IT technology and maintain transparent and well-defined procedures in line with the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
2. Definitions
The terms and expressions defined in the Telecommunications Act, its Bylaws and other CST’s statutes shall have the same meanings when used in this document. Also, the following terms and expressions shall have the following meanings assigned thereto unless the context requires otherwise:
2-1 “SaudiNIC”: Saudi Network Information Center at CST is the registration authority for the Saudi TLDs. SaudiNIC is responsible for providing Registration Services for the Saudi TLDs, as well as formulating and implementing rules, policies, and procedures with regard to the Saudi TLDs and managing, operating their registries and licensing the registrars.
2-2 “The Website(s)”: the SaudiNIC internet address (www.nic.sa or such other website(s) including those of CST or applications as may be designated from time to time) through which SaudiNIC publishes information with regard to Saudi domain name registration services.
2-3 “Registration Services”: Services related to Saudi domain names registration, including but not limited to registration, modification, renewal, suspension, deletion, locking or transfer of a domain name.
2-4 “Licensed Registrar”: an entity that is duly authorized by SaudiNIC to provide Registration Services or to perform any relevant tasks.
2-5 “Service Request”: an application and related procedures in requesting Registration Services.
2-6 “Registrant”: A natural person or a legal entity that requests or receives Registration Services, including the current holder of a Saudi domain name.
2-7 “Administrative Contact”: A natural person or legal entity based in Saudi Arabia, designated by the Registrant as the contact person in the domain name record. The Administrative Contact shall be authorized to represent the registrant for matters related to all domain names issues, including registration services.
2-8 “Saudi TLDs”: The country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) that are managed by SaudiNIC, including:
2-8-1 The Saudi Latin- ccTLD: which consists of two letters (sa). It the first label on the right in any Latin Saudi Domain Name
2-8-2 The Saudi Arabic - TLD: The Arabic word (السعودية) which represents the short name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the first label on the left in any Arabic Saudi Domain Name.
2-8-3 Any other TLDs granted to SaudiNIC.
2-9 “Saudi Domain Name”: any domain name under the Saudi TLDs (referred herein as ‘domain name’).
2-10 “Latin Domain Name”: a name composed of several ASCII labels separated by dots, and takes one of the following forms:
2-10-1 A 2nd Level Latin Domain Name (2LD domain), e.g. “example.sa”, where the label “sa.” is the first level from the right; or
2-10-2 A 3rd Level Latin Domain Name (3LD domain), e.g., “example.com.sa”, where the first two labels from the right should be one of the sub level Saudi ASCII ccTLDs such as (net.sa) or (com.sa.).
2-11 “Latin Label”: A sequence of characters (A-Z) not case sensitive, numbers (0-9) and the hyphen symbol (-) used to create a Latin domain name.
2-12 “Arabic Domain Name”: refers to one or both of the standard two representations of an Arabic domain name in accordance with the international standards relative to domain names whereas:
2-12-1 The Arabic representation: composed of two Arabic labels separated by a dot (e.g. موقع.السعودية) , where (السعودية) is always the first level from the left;
2-12-2 The ASCII representation: composed of two ASCII labels separated by a dot corresponding to the Arabic representation where (xn--mgberp4a5d4ar) is always the first level from the right which is corresponding to (السعودية) the Saudi Arabic upper domain.
2-13 “Arabic Label”: A sequence of characters (e.g. Arabic alphabet, digits, and the hyphen (-) ) used to create an Arabic domain name
2-14 “Corresponding Latin label”: A sequence of ASCII characters which is used to represents the Arabic Label on the Internet. The sequence is always prefixed with the string (xn--) and is generated using the standard IDNA algorithm through which the two labels (Arabic and ASCII) are interchangeably get converted correctly.
2-15 “Premium Domain Name”: Name with limited length or recognizable (such as: The names of two or three characters, names of cities and regions, and names or words that express general activities), according to SaudiNIC classification.
2-16 Registration Term: the time period that starts from domain registration until the deletion of the domain name registration including the processing time for the Service Request.
3. Regulations Scope of Application
This document regulates Saudi domain names registration, and it applies to registrants, registration services, users who use these services and licensed registrars.
4. Registration eligibility
4-1 Registration services are provided only to the following categories:
4-1-1 An entity physically located in Saudi Arabia;
4-1-2 A natural person having Saudi nationality or Premium Residency;
4-1-3 An entity with a registration or license issued by a pertinent authority in Saudi Arabia;
4-1-4 An owner of a trademark or trade name that is registered in Saudi Arabia.
4-2 Arabic domain names may be registered within the Upper Saudi Arabic domain (السعودية.) by any natural person or legal entity.
4-3 2LD or 3LD Domain names may be registered within the Saudi Latin ccTLD according to the following:
4-3-1 (.sa) Dedicated to any natural person or legal entity. It is considered as a 2LD Latin domain name.
4-3-2 (.com.sa) Dedicated only for entities that provide commercial services with a valid Commercial Registration (or equivalent) issued by a pertinent authority in Saudi Arabia (e.g., Ministry of Commerce); or for locally registered trade names and/or trademarks
4-3-3 (.edu.sa) Dedicated only for entities that provide educational and training services directly to students (including, but not limited to, schools, universities, training institutes) with valid licenses issued by a pertinent authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (e.g., Ministry of Education, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation).
4-3-4 (.sch.sa) Dedicated only for kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, and high schools with valid licenses issued by a pertinent authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (e.g., Ministry of Education).
4-3-5 (.med.sa) Dedicated only for entities that provide health services (e.g., hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies), with valid licenses issued by a pertinent authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (e.g., Ministry of Health).
4-3-6 (.gov.sa) Dedicated only for governmental entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia including ministries, authorities, and general agencies.
4-3-7 (.net.sa) Dedicated to entities that provide information technology services, communications services, media services, or postal services (e.g., ISPs, web hosting, TV and news media), with valid licenses issued by a pertinent authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (e.g., CST, Ministry of Commerce, or Ministry of Media).
4-3-8 (.org.sa) Dedicated for non-profit entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including societies, charities, clubs, embassies, conferences and public organizations.
4-3-9 (pub.sa.) Dedicated only for individuals.
5. Application Requirements
5-1 Registrant requesting any Registration Service shall submit a Service Request in accordance with procedures established by SaudiNIC.
5-2 A Registrant must comply with this Regulation and any rules or procedures issued by CST or SaudiNIC with regard to Service Requests. A Registrant shall be responsible for any errors made in the Service Request.
5-3 By acting on the Registrant behalf with regard to Service Request, the Administrative Contact certifies that it:
5-3-1 Is authorized to apply for Service Request on the Registrant’s behalf.
5-3-2 Has accepted and notified the Registrant of the terms and conditions of this Regulation.
5-3-3 Shall deliver all communications and notices from SaudiNIC or other entities authorized by SaudiNIC to the Registrant and vice versa
5-4 A Registrant shall provide such documentation requested at any time by SaudiNIC in connection with the Service Request
5-5 A Registrant must comply with SaudiNIC’s technical requirements related to the domain name.
5-6 SaudiNIC may establish procedures to verify the validity of the documents and information received in Service Requests or from existing domain name registrations, or to confirm compliance with this Regulation and any other policies and statutes of CST or SaudiNIC.
6. Warranties by Registrants
6-1 When submitting a Service Request and for the duration of the Registration Term, the Registrant represents and warrants that it is one of the categories specified in clause (4-1) of This Regulation.
6-2 When submitting a Service Request and within the Registration Term, the Registrant shall comply with all eligibility requirements for the requested TLD as explained in clause (4-3) in this Regulation.
6-3 Registrant represents and warrants to be legally bound and to comply with all terms and conditions of This Regulation and any other CST regulations and rules, as well as documents and correspondence provided in connection with the registration of a domain name.
6-4 To act upon any domain name, as well as to complete its Service Request or to use it, a Registrant represents and warrants that it has the right to use the domain name, and that the domain name:
6-4-1 Has a relationship to the Registrant, and it has not been registered or used in bad faith or used to impersonate or infringe the rights of others.
6-4-2 Is not used to defame any person or entity
6-4-3 Does not nor will be used to contravene any applicable laws in Saudi Arabia.
6-5 Registrant represents and warrants that it will not permit or allow any third party to use the domain name or its sub-domains unless it has the prior consent of SaudiNIC.
6-6 Registrant represents and warrants that it will not permit or allow any third party to use the domain name or its sub-domains unless it has the prior consent of SaudiNIC.
6-7 Registrant warrants, acknowledges and accepts that SaudiNIC reserves the right to reject, deny, cancel, transfer, delete, lock, hold, or suspend any domain name or Service Request in its discretion:
6-7-1 to protect the integrity and stability of the registry and Internet;
6-7-2 to protect evidence and rights during a dispute resolution process or any judicial procedures.
6-7-3 to comply with dispute resolution procedures and decisions.
6-7-4 to correct technical or human mistakes made by SaudiNIC or a Licensed Registrar.
6-7-5 to avoid any liability civil or criminal;
6-7-6 to protect the public interest;
6-7-7 to comply with this Regulation and any other regulation, rules, procedures, or statues of CST or SaudiNIC.
6-7-8 to comply with applicable laws in Saudi Arabia, government rules or requirements.
6-8 It is the sole responsibility of a Registrant to ensure that all information for a domain name or a Service Request is complete, accurate and up-to-date.
6-9 Registrant is obligated to provide and maintain a valid and complete contact information for the Administrative Contact, including a correct, valid and functional mobile phone number and email address.
6-10 Registrant represents and warrants that any Notice, message, or notification given to Registrant will be deemed to have been given if delivered to the Administrative Contact.
6-11 The Registrant agrees that certain information provided to SaudiNIC related to a domain name will be publicly accessible through any form, protocol or media deemed appropriate by SaudiNIC in accordance to clause (15) of This Regulation.
6-12 Registrant represents and warrants that it shall be bound by any rules, terms and conditions, and procedures that are specified in the Dispute Resolution regulation and Procedures, and agrees to be bound by any such subsequent decisions.
6-13 Registrant represents and warrants that it will provide such information or documentation to demonstrate its compliance with the requirements of This Regulation including any requests by SaudiNIC.
7. Documentation from Registrants
7-1 In addition to the information provided in the Service Request, SaudiNIC, at any time, may request additional information and documentation from the Registrant. Any additional information and documentation must be provided within the time period determined by SaudiNIC and according to the means of communication or format specified by SaudiNIC. A Registrant’s failure to provide any such information or documentation within the period specified by SaudiNIC and in accordance with the request by SaudiNIC format shall be grounds for suspension or deletion of the domain name or rejection of the Service Request.
7-2 Electronic messages, documentation, and correspondence exchanged between SaudiNIC, the Registrant and the licensed Registrar in connection with a Service Request and any other records maintained by SaudiNIC shall be deemed to be evidence.
7-3 In the event of a dispute regarding the date or time of receipt or processing of a Service Request, the information on the SaudiNIC records shall be definitive.
8. Prohibited Activities
8-1 A Registrant may not register, use, or maintain a domain name, nor submit any Service Request related to it as a mean to do or to support any of the following activities:
8-1-1 If the purpose is to prevent others from registering or taking advantage therefrom.
8-1-2 Promoting the reselling of the domain name for a fee or free through entities other than licensed registrars.
8-1-3 Cyber-squatting or phishing other websites and services.
8-1-4 Acquiring fraudulently personal or confidential information or other means of identification.
8-1-5 Spamming or sending malicious e-mails.
8-1-6 Hosting or distributing malware.
8-1-7 Hijacking domain names.
8-1-8 Cracking systems and networks, or perform denial of service attacks.
8-1-9 Activities or content against the Islamic religion or Saudi laws and regulations (e.g., pornography, illegal drugs, alcohol, gambling and intellectual property piracy).
8-1-10 Activities classified as information crimes according to the pertinent regulations.
8-1-11 Activities that are in violation of this Regulations or any SaudiNIC procedures.
9. Registering Domain Names
9-1 The following conditions must be fulfilled for registering a Latin domain name:
9-1-1 An ASCII Label should be at least 2 and no more than 63 characters. The first and last character should be a letter or number. Labels shall not include two consecutive hyphen (-) characters.
9-1-2 Individuals may register personal names (using Latin characters), whether it is the first name or the family name (e.g., Ahmad or Alfulani), according to eligibility conditions set forth in article (4-3) hereof and in accordance with SaudiNIC terms and procedures.
9-2 The following conditions must be fulfilled for registering an Arabic domain name:
9-2-1 The Arabic Label should be at least 2 symbols.
9-2-2 The Arabic Label should have a valid Corresponding ASCII Label.
9-2-3 The Arabic label should not start or end with a hyphen (-) and should not have two consecutive dashes.
9-2-4 The symbols representing the Arabic Label should comply with terms and conditions specified by SaudiNIC which include permitted characters and symbols to be used in registering Arabic domain names.
9-2-5 Individuals may register personal names (using Arabic characters), whether first or family name (e.g., Ahmad or Alfulani), according to SaudiNIC terms and procedures.
9-3 SaudiNIC, at any time, may request the Registrant to provide evidence for compliance of this Regulation.
9-4 A domain name is an electronic address used on the Internet. A registered domain name does not confer any legal rights or ownership to that name even with the existence of a trademark or trade name. A registered domain name is not itself a property that can be trademarked or trade-named in Saudi Arabia. Registering a domain name does not in itself give rise to rights to any words within the domain name including any suffixes or prefixes associated with the domain name.
9-5 SaudiNIC registers domain names on first come, first served basis, unless otherwise provided by special rules issued by SaudiNIC.
9-6 Domain names must not contain words, phrases, abbreviations or references that are obscene, scandalous, indecent, abusive, racist, or contrary to Saudi Arabia law or Islamic morality.
9-7 SaudiNIC may establish rules and procedures to resolve the problem of character variants within the Arabic language or with other Arabic based script languages (e.g., Persian, Urdu).
10. Reserved and Premium Domain Names
10-1 SaudiNIC has the authority to create and manage lists of domain names that are reserved or otherwise unavailable for registration, which may include but not limited to domain names that are numerical, geographical, names of religions, names contain words that are obscene, scandalous, indecent, abusive, racist, or contrary to Saudi Arabia law or Islamic morality, or name considered by SaudiNIC as undesirable or contrary to the public interest or otherwise unsuitable for registration.
10-2 CST has the authority to create classifications for the premium domain names, and each classification may have a definite fee or variable fee subject to public auction. CST may modify the fees as per the Registrars Regulations.
10-3 The Licensed Registrar must clarify for the registrants the premium domain names and the related fees.
10-4 SaudiNIC may establish procedures and requirements to govern the creation and management of the reserved and premium names, including public auctions mechanisms and procedures.
11. Domain Name Dispute Resolution
11-1 Disputes in Saudi Domain Names shall be resolved using the Domain Name Dispute Resolution regulation and Procedures defined and updated by CST.
11-2 Domain Name Disputes resolution services are provided by the services provider(s) authorized by CST.
11-3 Registrants must participate in any proceedings under the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Procedures, if they wish to demonstrate their case for retaining the right to the use the domain name. If Registrants fail to successfully defend their right to a domain name it may either be transferred to the complaining party or cancelled without refund of any fees.
11-4 Neither SaudiNIC nor CST is liable for any losses resulting from the proceedings and processes relating to the Dispute Resolution rules and related procedures and policies and neither SaudiNIC, nor CST, nor the licensed Registrar is liable for anything done or not done in connection with the dispute resolution services.
12. Modifications of Registration Information
12-1 It is the Registrant’s obligation and responsibility to maintain and update registration information according to SaudiNIC procedures.
12-2 SaudiNIC may establish procedures to authenticate Registrants or may take additional measures to verify the validity of the Service Request information.
12-3 At any time SaudiNIC may request from the Registrant to update its information or to confirm its accuracy.
13. Domain Names Transfer
13-1 A domain name can be transferred from registrant to another party (Registrant change) or from licensed Registrar to another licensed Registrar according to SaudiNIC procedures and requirements.
13-2 SaudiNIC or the licensed Registrar may request any relevant documents from both parties it deems necessary to transfer the domain name to other registrant (Registrant change).
13-3 SaudiNIC has the authority to reject a transfer request (Registrant change) if the transfer seemed to be as a result of any of the prohibited practices mentioned in This Regulation, the necessary documents are not provided, or if the approval from both parties is not obtained.
13-4 SaudiNIC has the authority to issue any additional procedures to regulate the process of domain name transfer.
14. Rejection, Suspension and Deletion of Domain Names
14-1 A Registrant or licensed Registrar may submit a Service Request to delete, lock or suspend a registered domain name. SaudiNIC has the right to take additional measures to verify the validity of the Service Request.
14-2 SaudiNIC reserves the right to reject a Service Request, suspend, lock or suspend status or delete a domain name from the registry at any time in the event that:
14-2-1 any of the information supplied by the Registrant to be incomplete, incorrect or inaccurate;
14-2-2 the Registrant fails to provide any documentation requested;
14-2-3 the domain name does not comply with any technical requirements;
14-2-4 the Registrant fails to pay fees due;
14-2-5 the Registrant fails to renew a domain name registration;
14-2-6 the Registrant does not confirm the registration information when requested;
14-2-7 to comply with the Dispute Resolution regulations and Procedures;
14-2-8 if the domain name registration contravenes the reserved list procedures and requirements;
14-2-9 SaudiNIC receives an order from a pertinent Saudi authority, including any judicial authority;
14-2-10 SaudiNIC receives notice from any natural person or a legal entity that the registration or use of a domain name breaches a law or a regulation issued by any government or regulatory authority, and the pertinent authority has confirmed it;
14-2-11 The Registrant, domain name registration, application or use of domain name violates any of the terms and conditions of this Regulation or any policies and statutes of CST or SaudiNIC;
14-2-12 CST or SaudiNIC determines that rejection of a Service Request or suspension or deletion of a domain name is necessary to protect the public interest or any other rational reason.
14-3 SaudiNIC may reactivate a suspended domain name or unlock locked domain name when the reasons for suspension or locking have ceased.
14-4 Suspended or locked domain names are not available for registration. However, registration information may be available through such form, protocol or media deemed appropriate by SaudiNIC during the suspension period.
14-5 Suspended domain name means the deactivation of the domain name’s electronic services (ie any associated website and email will no longer function for a suspended domain.).
14-6 A deleted domain name may become available for registration in accordance with SaudiNIC procedures.
15. Registrants Information and Its Availability to the Public
15-1 SaudiNIC may collect information and documentation about Registrants for the purpose of performing its duties and fulfilling its responsibilities. SaudiNIC may also collect other technical information; such as a visitor’s log for the Website(s).
15-2 SaudiNIC may provide specific information about any domain name to the public through any form, protocol or media deemed appropriate by SaudiNIC.
15-3 With the exception of the necessary information available to the public, SaudiNIC will not reveal any documentation or information about any domain name except in the following cases:
15-3-1 As a prerequisite for the implementation of This Regulation or other related regulations and polices such as the Dispute Resolution Regulations and Procedures.
15-3-2 Compliance with CST regulations and procedures.
15-3-3 Compliance with an order from a pertinent Saudi authority including any judicial authority.
15-4 The Registrant or any person may access the registrant information service or any service offered by SaudiNIC provided that it is used for the following purposes only:
15-4-1 Checking the domain name availability
15-4-2 Obtaining registration information about a certain domain name.
15-4-3 Knowing the sponsoring licensed registrar for a domain name.
15-5 Information acquired from the registrant information service or any similar service shall not be used for any undesired activities, including but are not limited to: any activities which are unsolicited such as sending any commercial or marketing advertisement or sending unsolicited emails (spam).
15-6 It is not permitted to utilize automated tools and/or electronic processes that send queries or data to the registrant information service or any similar service provided by SaudiNIC that will negatively affect or interrupt the service.
16. Registration Service Fees
16-1 CST may impose fees for registration services provided in connection with the registration and management of domain names. SaudiNIC shall issue procedures with respect to the fees established.
17. Domain Name Renewal
17-1 SaudiNIC shall require Registrants to renew their registrations of domain names periodically at a specified period of time.
18. Registrars
18-1 SaudiNIC may license other entities (licensed Registrars) to provide registration services. CST shall provide terms and conditions of the relationship between licensed Registrars and Registrants, as well as, requirements and procedures appropriate for that.
19. Exclusion of Liability
19-1 SaudiNIC is not liable for any damage resulting directly or indirectly from any of the following conditions, regardless of the form of action performed by SaudiNIC:
19-1-1 Implementing or not implementing a Service Request or delays in processing a Service Request.
19-1-2 Interruptions or cessation of Registrant’s business.
19-1-3 Access delay or interruption to SaudiNIC services, including the delay or interruption caused by a failure in the Saudi TLD DNS servers.
19-1-4 Inability to use or benefit from any domain name.
19-1-5 Errors in processing any Service Request or any mistake or missing information in the registry.
19-1-6 Usage of any domain name.
19-1-7 Force majeure.
19-1-8 Applying or implementing this Regulation, any other rule or procedure issued by SaudiNIC, CST or to comply with any governmental or regulatory authority.
19-2 The Registrant is obligated to indemnify both CST and SaudiNIC in case any claims or conflicts or disputes arise related to registration or use of domain name or its sub-level domains.
20. Contact
20-1 SaudiNIC may contact the Registrant pertaining to a Service Request, domain name, or delivery of notices through such suitable means as deemed appropriate by SaudiNIC.
20-2 SaudiNIC shall determine the methods for receiving and authenticating communication pertaining to a Service Request or domain name.
20-3 The Registrant is the sole party responsible for guaranteeing all the time the accuracy, validity, and up-to-date of its own contact details or other contacts mentioned in any Service Request submitted or any domain name registered. SaudiNIC is not responsible for the Registrant non-receipt of any message or notification sent to its provided contact details.
21. Complaints Handling
21-1 Except domain name dispute resolution (mentioned in clause 11 of this regulations), any other complaints related to this regulation (e.g., domain name, licensed Registrar, Service Request, etc.) shall be submitted and handled by SaudiNIC based on the defined complaints handling procedures on the Website(s).
22. General Provisions
22-1 CST issues the rules and procedures in the implementation of this Regulation and has the right to issue any relating regulations and decisions.
22-2 SaudiNIC issues the procedures and requirements for domain names registration and licenses the registrars, and determines the relevant procedures.
22-3 The Arabic version is the official language for This Regulation and for any of its execution processes over any translation in any other language. However, SaudiNIC may communicate using any other language in applying This Regulation, in addition to the Arabic language. If there is any conflict in interpretation the Arabic version shall prevail.
22-4 This Regulation and its interpretation shall be subject to the laws of Saudi Arabia.
22-5 This Regulation is subject to CST periodic review, and subject to update as CST deems appropriate in accordance with its statutes.
22-6 Registrants shall be bound by any revised terms and conditions as well as any additional terms and conditions, in this Regulation or any related regulations or procedures.
22-7 A Registrant continued use of any domain name shall constitute that Registrant acceptance of the revised and new terms and conditions, in this Regulation or any related regulations or procedures. Registrant not willing to be bound by any of such changes shall submit a Service Request for cancellation of its domain name registration. The Registrant acknowledges and agrees that cancellation will be its exclusive remedy whether it is a request from the Registrant or as a result of not willing to abide by any changes to This Regulation.