Domain Name Registration FAQ

OpenHost is a DNC (NZ Domain Name Commission) accredited registrar, meaning there are no middlemen (or surprises!) involved when you register a domain name with us.

When registering or renewing a Domain you may pay by cheque, credit card, or direct credit.

Domains may only contain a-z, 0-9, and - (hyphen). Domains can be up to 63 characters long, excluding the extensions. Domain names are not case-sensitive.

We setup accounts 7-days a week between 8:30am and 5:30pm.

If paying by credit card your account will be ready usually within one hour. Outside of business hours you will be setup the following business day. If paying by bank deposit or cheque your account will not be setup until payment is cleared.

Yes, you can register your domain names for up to 10 years each.

A UDAI (you-dye) is an acronym for Unique Domain Authorisation ID and is your access code for managing your .nz Domain.

If you make a mistake with a .nz name you can contact us within 5 days to cancel the name at no charge. All other extensions such as .com cannot be refunded once registered.

To transfer a .nz name you will need your UDAI, which you can obtain from your current host. A UDAI is your access code to manage your Domain. You can then follow our standard domain ordering process which will ask you for the Domain and UDAI to transfer.

You can either let the Domain name expire, or contact us to cancel the Domain.

For .nz names you will need to fax us a request to change ownership. Please download and complete this PDF Change of Ownership form.

For gTLDs you can simply change the contact name associated with the Domain name in your Domain management console.

For .nz Domains your Domain will be placed on hold for 90 days. During this time you will not be able to use the Domain, but you will be able to renew it. Once the 90 day period is over the name will be made available again for public registration.

With gTLD domains (com,net,org,info,biz) your domain will be available for renewal up to 30 days after expiry. After this time it will go into redemption period for a further 60 days, during this time additional fees will apply to recover the domain name. After this period the domain name will be made available for public registration.

Yes, you can register your domain name with us and point it to another web hosting providers servers.

For .nz names you will need to contact our helpdesk and request a UDAI (you-dye) code, this can then be used to transfer your domain to any .nz registrar. For all other names ask the new host what their procedure is to transfer the name to them.