On 7 October 2026, the Estonian Internet Foundation (EIF) announced that founders can now secure a .ee domain name while they set up their company. EIF, which runs the .ee registry, and the Centre of Registers and Information Systems (RIK) have added two services to the e-Business Register: a free reservation of up to 20 names and a paid booking valid for one year.
How does the new .ee reservation work?
Founders reserve or book the names in the e-Business Register as part of setting up the company, then register them with an accredited registrar using an authorisation code. Reserving is free. Up to 20 available names are held for seven calendar days from the date the company is entered in the Business Register, and nobody else can register them in that time.
Booking, the second option, is made when a company name is booked, lasts one year and costs €10 plus VAT per name, with no limit on the number of names. EIF says it is meant mainly for companies and brands whose market entry needs longer preparation, and its FAQ adds that the booking fee is not refunded.
| Detail | Reservation | Booking |
|---|---|---|
| When | When founding a company | When booking a company name |
| Names | Up to 20 available names | No limit |
| Valid for | 7 calendar days from the company’s entry in the register | 1 year |
| Cost | Free | €10 + VAT per name, not refunded |
Neither option registers the name. Each reserved or booked name receives a unique authorisation code, shown on the company’s dashboard in the e-Business Register and e-mailed to the company. The founder gives the code to an accredited registrar, which registers the name at its own price. If that does not happen in time, the code expires and the name is open to anyone again, first come, first served.
The domain booking can outlast the business name reservation it is made with. Under Estonia’s Commercial Code, a business name reservation lasts six months and can be extended once by three months, and RIK charges a state fee of €150 for it.
EIF explains the gap it wants to close. Once a company is entered in the Business Register, its name is public, and a third party can register the matching domain first. Recovering it through EIF’s Domain Disputes Committee takes time and money, said Heiki Sibul of EIF’s management board, who called a domain “the cornerstone of a company’s digital identity”.
Which country is .ee?
.ee is the internet domain of Estonia. IANA lists it as Estonia’s country-code top-level domain, registered in June 1992. EIF, a foundation set up in 2009 by the Estonian government and the IT association ITL, has operated it since 5 July 2010, according to IANA. The registry counted 207,429 .ee domains on 7 October 2026.
Besides names registered directly under .ee, EIF runs four general domains: .com.ee for companies, .pri.ee for private persons, .fie.ee for sole proprietors and .med.ee for medical institutions. Each requires documents showing that the registrant belongs to that category.
Who can register a .ee domain?
Anyone, including companies and private persons outside Estonia. EIF’s FAQ states that there is no local presence requirement and that no local ID or address is needed.
Every registrant must still prove who they are. Under the .ee Domain Regulation, the application is signed by hand in front of the registrar, signed electronically with an Estonian ID card, Mobile ID or another tool EIF accepts, or confirmed by paying the registrar from a bank account in the registrant’s own name.
e-Residency is optional, and it eases the formalities. The regulation treats an e-resident’s electronic signature like an Estonian ID card signature, and RIK accepts the e-Residency card for signing applications in the e-Business Register, where the new reservation is made.
How do you register a .ee domain now?
Through an accredited registrar, because EIF does not register names itself.
- Check the name. A .ee name uses letters, digits and hyphens, up to 63 characters, and since 13 July 2011 it may also use the Estonian letters õ, ä, ö, ü, š and ž. A whois lookup shows whether it is free.
- Reserve it if you are founding a company. In the e-Business Register, reserve up to 20 names free when you found the company, or book any number for a year with a company name booking if the launch is further off. EIF recommends covering the name forms that matter most for the company name, trademark or brand.
- Give the code to a registrar. Choose one from EIF’s list of accredited registrars and register before the seven days or the year run out.
- Verify your identity and choose a term. The regulation allows 3, 6 or 9 months or 1 to 10 years. At Domgate, a .ee domain costs €25.00 a year excluding VAT, for terms of 1 to 10 years.
Brand owners with no plans to set up in Estonia can skip the reservation, register the brand under .ee directly and add the extension to their trademark watching, so that new .ee names containing the trademark are flagged.
Domgate is an EIF-accredited .ee registrar. As a corporate ccTLD registrar, it helps companies secure and manage their .ee domain names, from registration and renewal to transfers.
