Two-letter .ie domains, such as aa.ie and hp.ie, are available to register to anyone with a related registered trademark from today, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) has announced.

The registration period, also known as the ‘sunrise phase’, will run from November 16 to midnight on December 16. Once the deadline passes, two-letter domains that have only been applied for by a single party will be registered immediately, while two-letter domains with interest from multiple applicants will go to auction in January 2016.

The existing registration requirements for all .ie domain registrations will apply to those one-and two-letter domains, meaning applicants must prove a connection to Ireland and a legitimate claim to the domain name sought.

This is the first time Irish businesses and individuals will be able to register a two-letter .ie domain. There are 676 possible two-letter combinations, among them pc.ie, hr.ie and gp.ie. One-letter domains, like p.ie, will also be open to registration.

Demand

IEDR said that it is expecting strong demand and competition for the domain names between Irish and foreign companies with global brands, particularly in the case of company abbreviations that are shared by one or more companies, such as HP, BT or AA.

In Association with

Additionally, more general two-letter domain names that describe a specific type of business or service, like HR or DR, are also expected to be in demand.

David Curtin, chief executive of IEDR, said: “For 15 years, we’ve worked closely with Irish businesses, organisations and voluntary bodies of all sizes to help them build an ‘identifiably Irish’ profile online.

“The addition of one- and two-letter .ie domains will help many others build and grow their brand and promote their services in Ireland and internationally.”

Further information is available at www.iedr.ie/2-letter-domains, where interested parties will find an FAQ and information on how to apply.