Registrar FAQ

I am an ICANN-accredited registrar, do I also need to be accredited by .WhosWho?

Yes, .WHOSWHO and all new gTLDs are required by the terms of their Registry Agreements with ICANN to enter into Registry-Registrar Agreements (RRA) only with registrars who have executed a 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) with ICANN. With that prerequisite out of the way, registrars must still enter into an RRA with Who’s Who Registry in order to register .WhosWho domain registrations for their clients/customers.

A Warning about Confusing Terminology

It can be easy to mistake terms and acronyms in the ICANN universe. But an RA, an RAA and an RRA refer to three distinct type of Agreements (that being the common element and the final "A" in each):

An RA is a contract between ICANN and Top Level Domain (TLD) Registries, such as .com and .whoswho, which governs their terms of operation, such as selling only via ICANN-Accredited Registrars.
An RAA is a contract between ICANN and domain sellers (to end-users and investors) in order to secure their positions as ICANN-Accredited Registrars, and exclusive access as a group to the inventory of ICANN-Accredited Registries.
An RRA is executed between an ICANN-accredited Registry (such as .com or .whoswho) and an ICANN-accredited Registrar (such as GoDaddy.com or EnCirca.com).

Similarly, the terms Registry, Registrar and Registrant all have distinct meanings.

As explained above, a Registry is an ICANN-contracted party for one or more Top Level Domains (and as which Who's Who Registry is correctly classified).
A Registrar enters into transactions for the registration of domain names in TLDs/extensions operated by Registries with which is has an RRA in force and sponsors companies and individuals who register such domains.
Finally, a Registrant is a company or individuals who registers and maintains the rights to hold them for as long as they maintain timely renewals as time marches on.
For the record, 21st Century Communications Limited dba Who's Who Registry is both a Registry (.whoswho) and a Registrant (whoswho.com/.net/.info/.wiki/.nyc etc.), but we are not a Registrar.

Contracted Parties

Together, companies entering into a Registry Agreement/RA or a Registrar Accreditation Agreement/RAA are referred to as "Contracted Parties", and each has its own stakeholders group.

The primary role of the Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registries Stakeholder Group Corp. within the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) is to represent the interests of gTLD Registries who are currently under contract with ICANN to provide gTLD Registry Services. The gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group Corp. facilitates communication among gTLD Registries and conveys the views of the Stakeholder Group to the GNSO Council and the ICANN Board of Directors, with particular emphasis on ICANN consensus policies that relate to interoperability, technical reliability and/or stable operation of the Internet or domain name system.

.WhosWho is a member of the Registries Services Group.

Our Registrar has signed and submitted the .whoswho RRA. What happens next?

First, you should expect the Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) you signed to be countersigned and a copy returned to you, typically within seven-to-ten days.

Next, some information will be required from you that Who's Who Registry will use to populate your registrar profile in our back-end-registry operator's TANGO interface to initiate the on-boarding process. You are welcome to send it along anytime after the signed RRA has been submitted to us, or you may wait for us to reach out to you.

The information that will be requested includes (fill-in the blanks):

registrar name

IANA ID

Registry name: .whoswho
Registrar name:__________________________________________________________________
Registrar IANA ID:______________

registry on-boarding

Contact's name:________________________________________
Contact's email:________________________@___________________________
Contact's phone: +____ - _______________________

accounts payable

Contact's name:________________________________________
Contact's email:_______________________@___________________________
Contact's phone: +____ - _______________________

After the Registry-Registrar Agreement has been countersigned, your registrar's information populated into the TANGO system, and your account created to complete the on-boarding process, Who's Who Registry will continue to provide registrar assistance via the TANGO interface.

Since upgrading our back-end registry operator services to Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH in 2020,
Who's Who Registry handles all billing and payment arrangements directly with each .WhosWho Accredited Registrar.

What about IDNs? Where can Registrars find the corresponding code points?

Who’s Who Registry is pleased to be participating in this exciting new era on the Internet through our offerings, at the domain level, of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) in the .WHOSWHO namespace. At this time, we are pleased to offer domains not only in English/ASCII, but also in Chinese (both simplified and traditional characters), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. The .WhosWho IDN tables that have been submitted to IANA for publication may be found at this location: http://www.iana.org/domains/idn-tables.

In addition, the following are RFCs (Requests for Comment) related to IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) which Registrars may require in order to support IDNs at the second level as offered by .WhosWho, all of which are Compliant with the accompanying specifications:

RFC 5890 - IDNs for Applications (IDNA): Definitions and Document Framework: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5890
RFC 5891 - IDNs in Applications (IDNA): Protocol: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5891
RFC 5892 - The Unicode Points and IDNs for Applications (IDNA): http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5892
RFC 5893 - Right-to-left Scripts for IDNs for Applications (IDNA): http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5893
ICANN IDNs Guidelines: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/implementation-guidelines.htm

What about invoicing and payment, are they handled by Who's Who Registry?

Yes, all billing and settlement/payment for .whoswho domains is handled by Who’s Who Registry.

As of 2020, Who's Who Registry has taken an active role in ensuring that each and every .whoswho registration is intended and at a price that was agreed upon by the Registrant. By placing all new domain registrations in pendingCreate, and providing for payments received in response to individual invoices, Registrars and Registrants have an active role in affirming that their .whoswho domain registration is the domain that they intended to register, and at the price they expected for both the original registration and future renewals.

Once the registration is affirmed via receipt of payment, the domain is released from pendingCreate and created. Domain creation begins the five-day period (120 elapsed hours) during which the domain registration may be cancelled, during which time the Registrant is entitled to a full refund.

We have found that these protocols are well-worth the extra effort, and increase customer satisfaction.

How can a Registrar get a copy of the .WhosWho Registry-Registrar Agreement?

Registrars who would like a copy of our Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) may please request one either by email to info@domains.whoswho, phone us in New York at +1 212-877-8900, or skype us at wwgn-nyc. We work with Docusign.com for document management, and ask that you please be sure to include the name of the recipient and her/his email address in order to expedite your request.

What is .WHOSWHO's Billing Policy for Registrars?

1 PAYMENTS 1.1 Payment Methods • All payments will be made in USD • Payment can be made in two ways: 1) The Pre-Payment Debit Account Program, or (2) The Payment in Arrears Program (for qualifying Registrars only). 1.2 Pre-Payment Debit Account Program 1.2.1 Registrars using pre-payment debit accounts must transfer sufficient funds into their account to ensure that funds are available for all of their domain name registrations/renewals. Registrars may wire transfer funds directly into the Registry's account at JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York, or may mail payment by check in US Dollars drawn on a U.S. bank account in pre-payment. Registrars should be certain to to have an adequate credit limit or funds on deposit, which will support the number of domain name registrations/renewals to be transacted. Accredited Registrars with any questions may please contact Registry Billing Support at +1-800-WHOSWHO (+1-800-9467946) within the USA, or +1-212-877-8900 internationally. 1.2.2 For new domain registrations, Registrar shall have 48 hours to initiate a deposit to their account to bring their balance to a level that supports the number of domain name applications submitted. All new domain registrations are placed in pendingCreate prior to receipt of payment and creation of the domain(s). The Five-Day Add-Grace Period (i.e. 120 elapsed hours) does not commence until the domains(s) have been released from pendingCreate and created, which triggers the start of the Five-Day Add-Grace Period. 1.2.3 The Registry Operator will pay bank fees associated with the Registrar’s account, but the Registrar is responsible for all wire transfer fees. For example, a wire transfer of US$5,000.00 might include a US$20.00 transaction fee from the originating bank. This US$20.00 fee is the responsibility of the sending Registrar, and payable in addition to the total registration/renewal fees due. Registrars are cautioned to include supplrement payments for such amounts, particularly in the event that the remaining US$4,980.00 may be insufficient to cover registration/renewals fees then payable to the Registry Operator. Registrars wishing to avoid paying such wire transfer fees may send payment by check in USD via U.S. Mail. 1.2.4 If the account falls below a zero balance, the Registry Operator reserves the right to stop accepting orders from the Registrar until the account is fully funded to a level that supports the number of domain name applications submitted. In the event that Registry Operator allows a Registrar to fall below a zero balance, Registrar must replenish the Debit Account by no later than seven (7) days after such account falls below zero and Registry Operator demands such payment. Failure to replenish the Debit Account may result in Registrar being converted to “not-in-good standing”, meaning that Registrar will be unable to create new domains, renew domains, or transfer in any domain names from another registrar until such time that the account is replenished. 1.3 Payment in Arrears Program 1.3.1 Certain Registrars may qualify to participate in Who's Who Registry's Payment in Arrears Program, which allows Registrars to make payments owed for domain renewals in the .WHOSWHO top-level domain (TLD), on or before the current domain expiration date. This allows the Registrar to renew a domain registration via EPP as soon as their Registrant customer has indicated their intent to renew, while allowing time to process payment until the expiration date for the current renewal period (indicated as the Payment Due Date on the renewal invoice). Payment is accepted via wire transfer or U.S. Mail, as noted above. 1.3.2 Who's Who Registry must receive payment for each invoice in-full by no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the applicable statement (“Due Date”). In the event that Who's Who Registry does not receive payment in full by the Due Date, the Registryhas the right to withdraw all unpaid amounts from the Registrar Reserve balance, if any. If the unpaid amount is greater than the balance remaining in the Registrar Reserve, Who's Who Registry may, at its option, (i) change the Registrar (and its Affiliates’) status to “not-in-good standing,” prevent the Registrar (and its Affiliates) from creating new domains, renewing domains or transferring in domains for all TLDs; and (ii) assess a late fee on all unpaid amounts equal to one and one-half percent (1.5%) of the maximum rate allowed by law, whichever is less, from the original due date to the date paid in full. 1.3.2.1 If a Registrar fails to pay an invoice on time two times in any six (6) month period, or three times in any two (2) year period, Who's Who Registry has the right to disqualify the Registrar from participating in the Payment in Arrears Program, and if disqualified, Who's Who Registry shall automatically move the Registrar to the Pre-payment Debit Account Program. A Registrar that has been disqualified from the Payment in Arrears Program shall not be eligible to participate in the Payment in Arrears Program for a minimum of twenty-four (24) months following such disqualification. 1.3.2.2 In the event Registrar elects to switch to the Who's Who Registry Pre-Payment Debit Account Program, all, if any, unused Registrar Reserve funds shall be returned to Registrar within thirty (30) days of such termination and/or election. 1.4 Instructions for Electing Either Program By default, Registrars are granted participation in the Payment in Arrears Program. If, in lieu, a Registrar chooses to elect the Pre-Payment Debit Account Program, or Registrar is unable to maintain qualification for the Payment in Arrears Program, Registrar will be invoiced accordingly with will be expected to remit payments according to instrucitons on Who's Who Registry invoices.

This FAQ is for Registrars.

Registrars with questions not covered in this FAQ are invite to email Who's Who Registry at registry@whoswho.com,
phone us at +1 212-877-8900 (or 800-WHOSWHO (946-7946) toll-free in the USA, or skype us at wwgn-nyc.

A Warning about Confusing Terminology

Contracted Parties

Contact Info

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