The .FI domain extension is now live on our platform
The country-code Top-Level Domain for Finland – .FI, has finally arrived on our reseller hosting platform!
Now Finnish customers and individuals, as well as any business entity from around the world that is somehow connected to Finland, can register their own .FI domain name with us.
The .FI extension represents a great addition to your store and perfectly complements the Finnish data center option.
The history behind the .FI ccTLD
.FI was born back in 1986. The administration of the TLD itself was first granted to the University of Technology in Tampere and later transferred to FICORA (Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority).
In the beginning, only trademark-owning companies could register .FI domains, which forced many Finnish residents to choose different TLD extensions for their websites instead.
Luckily, the policy was liberalized in 2003, allowing any Finnish company to apply for an .FI-adorned domain.
A few years later, in 2006, individuals were also permitted to register .FI domain names.
It was not until September 2016, however, that the .FI ccTLD finally ‘crossed’ the national border and became open for registration to any entity in the world wishing to secure an .FI-driven web presence.
.FI domain registration details
The registration restrictions were loosened at the end of 2016 and now any entity that is doing business in Finland or that is somehow related to the country can register a domain name under .FI.
Depending on whether the .FI domain registrant is an individual or a company/organization, there are different requirements to take into account.
Individuals will need to supply the following details when registering an .FI domain:
- HETU number (if Finnish) or Date of birth (if not Finnish) for the Registrant Contact
Companies and organizations in turn will be asked to submit the following information when registering an .FI domain:
- Y-tunnus number (if Finnish) or Company Registration Number (if not Finnish) for the Registrant Contact;
NOTE: .FI domains featuring company names or trademarks can only be registered by their respective owners.
Although .FI domains may contain Scandinavian letters (ä, å, ö), most applicants prefer to use ‘a’ and/or ‘o’ instead.
The registration period for .FI domains is 1-5 years.
How to enable .FI on your store?
.FI has been enabled on behalf of all partners of ours who have not made updates to their TLD listings.
All you will need to do is simply move it to the desired position in the domain search form.
If you have made any updates to your TLD portfolio, you will need to enable the .FI extension on your store:
You can do that with a click on the ‘bulb’ icon in My Offers -> Domain Offers, as shown above.
Why offer .FI domains on your store?
The .FI TLD extension has cemented its position as a trustworthy namespace.
Although .FI was originally meant exclusively for Finnish individuals and entities, any company, individual or organization interested in gaining a Finnish web presence is now welcome to join the .FI domain owners’ club.
Finland’s economic growth puts it in a strong market position.
Finland ranks among the most developed nations in the European Union and is the only Nordic country to have joined the Eurozone.
Finland is highly integrated into the global economy. International trade makes up around one third of its GDP. The European Union’s share of Finland’s total trade amounts to 60%.
Finland’s largest trading partners are Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Russia and the United States.
Finland’s external economic relations create lucrative opportunities for .FI TLD providers.
According to latest Ficora’s stats, currently there are over 400 000 active domain names registered on the web.
Since the .FI market was open to foreign entities just a few months ago, those figures are expected to grow steadily in the near future.
So, become a .FI provider yourself and join the prospective Finnish domain market today!
Originally published Friday, April 28th, 2017 at 9:34 pm, updated May 5, 2017 and is filed under Domain Names.