RoTLD Review 2025. Is rotld.ro good or bad on providing Domain Registration services?

📄 Editorial Review

(3*) 🔧 Services: Domain Registration | 🔘 Official NIC authority for .ro
RoTLD is the official authority responsible for the management of Romania’s .ro country-code top-level domain (ccTLD). Operated by the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (ICI-Bucharest), it ensures that every .ro domain is unique and technically valid on a global scale.
The cost of registering, renewing, or transferring usage rights for a .ro domain is 12 EUR + 19% VAT, totaling 14.28 EUR per year. Payment can be made online by credit card or via bank transfer, with Romanian entities paying in local currency (RON) at the official exchange rate on the date of invoicing.
RoTLD does not maintain public records of domain owners. However, for a fee, it provides ownership lists upon request by the registrant, third parties with legal rights, or trademark holders. The registry assumes no responsibility if search results are incomplete due to incorrect criteria.

Historical Contribution

RoTLD’s foundation is rooted in ICI-Bucharest’s pioneering work in networking, dating back to the late 1970s. Key milestones include:

• 1979: First cross-country interconnection experiment between ICI-Bucharest and Constanța.
• 1984: Launch of RENAC, Romania’s first national computer network, awarded the Romanian Academy’s "Traian Vuia" Prize.
• 1983–1984: Creation of CORA, the country’s first email system.
• 1991: Romania connects to EARN (European Academic Research Network), with ICI-Bucharest as the main node.
• 1992: First permanent leased line between ICI-Bucharest and the University of Vienna, enabling international Internet connectivity.
• 1993: Registration of the .ro domain with IANA on February 26, officially establishing Romania’s Internet identity.
• April 16, 1993: Romania gains full Internet connectivity with the United States after international restrictions were lifted.

ICI-Bucharest also launched the National Research Network (RNC), becoming the country’s first large-scale ISP. By 2003, RNC permanently connected over 100 institutions and provided Internet services to more than 15,000 users.

Legal and Regulatory Framework

RoTLD operates under both international recognition and national legislation:

• International: In 1993, IANA (now part of ICANN) delegated the management of the .ro domain exclusively to ICI-Bucharest, following proof of technical readiness, global DNS integration, and sufficient infrastructure.
• National: Government Decision No. 1621/2003, later updated by Emergency Ordinance No. 22/2009, officially established ICI-Bucharest’s authority to organize and manage the .ro registry.

RoTLD is the sole accredited entity managing .ro and its second-level domains:
.com.ro, .org.ro, .tm.ro, .nt.ro, .nom.ro, .info.ro, .rec.ro, .arts.ro, .firm.ro, .store.ro, .www.ro.

Domain Naming Rules

Registrations under .ro follow strict technical criteria:

• Allowed characters: Latin letters (a–z, A–Z), Romanian diacritics (ă, â, î, ș, ț), digits (0–9), and hyphen (-).
• Restrictions: Domains cannot begin or end with a hyphen, nor use hyphens in both the 3rd and 4th positions (except for "xn--" internationalized domains).

Additional Registry Services and Fees

RoTLD offers several paid services beyond standard registrations:

• Domain ownership lists: €100 + VAT (1–100 domains), increasing progressively with the number of domains.
• Name server-linked lists: €50 + VAT for one nameserver, plus €25 + VAT for each additional.
• Domain blocking/unblocking: €100 + VAT per action, at the registrant’s request.
• Notification of a registrant for a meeting request: €200 + VAT.
• Domain history reports: €100 + VAT, available only to the registrant.
• Registrar portfolio transfer: €500 + VAT for up to 1,000 domains, plus €0.50 + VAT per domain beyond that.

RoTLD distributes its domain registrations through a network of accredited partners, who act as resellers. In some cases, these partners are able to offer domains at lower prices than those listed directly by RoTLD. All domain information and settings can be managed programmatically via an API, providing flexibility and automation for both businesses and end users.

🎯 Conclusion

RoTLD plays a crucial role in safeguarding Romania’s digital presence by managing the .ro namespace with international recognition and local legal authority. With a long history tied to the country’s earliest Internet development, it has been instrumental in shaping Romania’s online identity.

While its structure is more formal compared to commercial registrars, RoTLD remains the sole authoritative source for .ro domains, offering essential registry services with transparent annual pricing. For individuals, businesses, and institutions seeking a secure Romanian domain identity, RoTLD provides both reliability and legitimacy backed by decades of technical expertise.

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