About .co.za domains

Registry.net.za is the sponsor and Hexonet aka 1 Api GmbH is our backend provider for the country-code top-level domain name (ccTLD) .co.za extensions that represent Republic of South Africa.

Who can register .co.za domains?

Anyone can register a .co.za domain.

Registration restrictions

When registering a .co.za domain, you must follow specific requirements.

• Must use: 1-63 characters
• Can use: Letters (a-z characters), numbers (0-9) and hyphens (except in the 1st or last characters of the domain name)
• Cannot use: Special characters (e.g., & and #)
• IDNs: Supported

Features

• Registration length: 1 year
• Renewal length: 1 year
  • Your .co.za domain name must be renewed at least 2 days prior to expiration to avoid a redemption fee and downtime. If you do not pay the fee, the renewal fails before its expiration date and the domain will be parked and locked upon expiration.
  • You can renew your .co.za domain name at any time prior to this. However, only single year renewals are permitted unless the domain is already in redemption, then a 2 year renewal can be requested.
  • If auto-renew is enabled, we attempt to renew the domain starting 19 days prior to the expiration date. See Renew my expired domain for more information. You’ll need to pay the renewal fee at the time of restore.
• Backorders: Not supported
• Transfers to ELITE WEB Co.: Supported
  • The transfer-in process is unique to .co.za domains and does not include a free one-year extension.
  • An authorization code may be needed if you are transferring away from Hexonet aka 1 Api GmbH, or one their partners. Otherwise the authorization code is not required and this field can be left blank to further authorize the transfer from your account.
  • Once the transfer is authorized in your account it will trigger an e-mail voting procedure. An e-mail will be sent from the registry (ZADNA) to each Whois contact (Owner, Admin, Tech, and Billing). At least one party has to APPROVE for a successful transfer. The transfer will fail if at least one party denies the transfer, and if there are NO votes received (APPROVE or DENY), the domain will not be transferred. If a party doesn´t vote, the vote will be disregarded.
  • If the transfer is not accepted in 5 days, the .CO.ZA transfer will fail.
• Transfers away from ELITE WEB Co.: Supported
  • Transfer Lock: Not supported
  • The transfer-away process is unique for .co.za. The domain does not need to be unlocked, and authorization code is not needed to transfer, unless you are transferring to Hexonet aka 1 Api GmbH, or one of their partner’s a user transfer authorization code is needed. Contact customer support for help if you need the transfer auth code.
  • For non-Hexonet partner transfers, you must first request the transfer with the new registrar, which will trigger an e-mail voting procedure. An e-mail will be sent from the registry (ZADNA) to each Whois contact (Owner, Admin, Tech, and Billing). At least one party has to APPROVE for a successful transfer. The transfer will fail if at least one party denies the transfer, and if there are NO votes received (APPROVE or DENY), the domain will not be transferred. If a party doesn´t vote, the vote will be disregarded.
  • If the transfer is not accepted in 5 days, the .co.za transfer will fail.
• Transfers to another ELITE WEB Co. account: Not supported
• Basic privacy protection: Not supported
• Protection plan upgrades: Not supported
• Contact Updates: Supported
  • After completing a contact update, the domain will be locked for up to 7 days while the update processes at the registry.

Nameserver requirements

• Must use: 0-5 Nameservers, Authoritative Nameservers
• Can use: IPv4, IPv6
• Cannot use: DNSSEC
• Nameserver updates take up to 7 days. During this time the domain will remain locked and no other changes may be made.

Refunds

For details on refunds, see our refund policy . Most domains will follow the Standard Refund Terms, but certain domains may have exceptions or may not be refundable at all. Review the information under Products with Special Refund Terms > Domain Name Registrations/Renewals and Products Not Eligible for Refunds.

Cancellation requirements

To cancel your .co.za domain, contact customer support for assistance.

More info

• Want to register a .co.za domain? Search for your domain today.
• Check out our most common domain articles to get started with your .co.za domain.