Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between a Free, Paid and Special domain?

Not all domains can be registered for free. A limited number of domains are considered "Special" and can only be purchased. Their price varies and pricing is displayed during the availability check.

For example, all 1, 2 and 3 character domains, as well as common dictionary keywords, are considered Special.

All other domains (those that are not Special) can be either purchased (Paid domain) or registered for free (Free domain). Compare and choose between the two options using the table below:

Free Domains Paid Domains
TLD available .TK / .ML / .GA / .CF .TK / .ML / .GA / .CF
(including Special Domains)
Usage Works like any other domain name, use URL Forwarding, free Freenom DNS Service or your own DNS (Name Servers). Works like any other domain name, use URL Forwarding, free Freenom DNS Service or your own DNS (Name Servers).
Registration and renewal 1 to 12 months
Free to renew
(unlimited renewals)		 1 to 10 years
(unlimited renewals)
Pricing FREE! Pricing starts at USD 6.95 per domain name per year. Freenom applies multi-year discounts on all .TK domains. Special Domains are priced higher, depending on the name.
Payments No payment needed Freenom accepts credit card, PayPal and bank wire payments.
Legal rights Registrant acts as user of domain name, not as licensee Registrant acts as licensee of domain name
Transfer rights None. Full
WHOIS Freenom or one of its subsidiaries appears as the licensee in the WHOIS Domain registrant appears in the WHOIS and registrant can update it freely
Policies Must comply with Freenom free domain name policies. Must comply with Freenom free domain name policies.

2. How much privacy can I expect from Freenom?

You can expect your privacy to be guarded with respect. You can check out our written Freenom Privacy Policy on the policies page.

3. What other forms of payment do you have?

Currently you can pay with any type of credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Discover and JCB), by PayPal and by bank wire/payment.

4. Why is my credit card being denied or rejected during the registration process?

For information about why your credit card was declined or rejected, please contact your bank or credit card vendor. In the meantime, we recommend trying to register your domain name using a different card. If you continue to experience problems please get in contact with us through our Freenom Support Page.

5. How long is the initial registration term for free domains?

For FREE domain names you can register domains for 1 to 12 months. You can renew FREE domain names in the last 15 days of each registration period - 15 days before the expiration date. When you want to pay for a domain name, you can register from a 1-year period up to a 10-year period.

6. Does Freenom support IDN domain names?

Yes, Internationalized Domain Names - in various character sets - are supported by Freenom. Simply type in the non-ASCII characters in the availability check and the applicable domain name(s) will be registered. Some older browsers do not support IDN. Therefore, IDN does not always work by users visiting your domain and your website.

7. I did not receive the account activation email. Can you resend it?

Of course. Simply go to Freenom's home page and select My Freenom. There you will find a link to receive the account activation email again.

8. Will I receive a receipt or an invoice?

Yes. At the completion of the registration process you will receive a confirmation e-mail. This document serves as your receipt and will include the form of payment you have used, the amount and the transaction date.

9. How can I find out the status of my account?

You can always login to My Freenom using your e-mail address and your password. You can view the number of free and paid domains you have registered, along with your personal information.

10. Can I cancel a registration?

Yes it is always possible to cancel a registration, however we have a "no refunds" policy on our paid domain registrations. Once you have registered your paid domain name you are legally bound to the Terms and Conditions of registration. To cancel, log in to My Freenom, go to Domain Panel, click on Cancel Domain and follow instructions.

11. How do I activate my domain name?

Your domain name, either paid or free is activated with the last step of the registration process. This last step is a request for you to return the confirmation email within 72 hours. If you do not confirm the email your domain name will not be registered and will be available for others to register. Domain names are automatically activated immediately after acknowledgment of your confirmation. If you pay for a domain name, and you pay by credit card or PayPal, the domain gets activated immediately after payment. Only PAID domain names that are paid by bank wire are suspended until the payment is received.

12. What happens if the activation link does not work?

That means that your registration process has not been finalized and your domain name is not registered. Please try the same link again a little later and if it still doesn't work, please reregister the domain name.

13. Who can I contact to sign up for web hosting services?

Freenom will provide a range of value added services from January 2014 onwards. Please check My Freenom from then onwards to obtain any web hosting services - and much more.

14. How do I pay for my domain name?

At this moment we accept credit cards and bank wire, as follows:
VISA
Mastercard / Eurocard
American Express
Diners Club
Discover / Novus
JCB
PayPal
Bankwire International

15. How can I change my password?

You can always login to My Freenom using your e-mail address and your password. You can view the number of free and paid domains you have registered, along with your personal information and change your profile, including your password.

16. What if I forget my password?

If you forget your password you can simply enter the My Freenom section at the top of the Freenom homepage. Please select the "I have forgotten my password" button and fill in your registered e-mail address. You will receive an e-mail with your password.

17. I have problems logging in to My Freenom

If you are continuously asked to login you need to enable cookies in your browser. To enable cookies in your Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, go to Tools, then Internet Options, and select Enable Cookies.

18. Freenom DNS Service: for whom?

DNS can be used by all Freenom users. At registration the default selection is the URL forwarding service. You can choose to use DNS. If you want to use DNS, you have two choices:
You can opt to use the Freenom DNS Service, where within My Freenom you can setup your A, MX and CNAME records.

You can use an external DNS. Please consult your Internet or Hosting Provider for these options.

PLEASE NOTE: Be careful with changing the DNS settings for your domain names. Wrong settings will directly result in unavailability of your domain name on the Internet. If you do change the DNS settings, it will take up to 15 minutes to have your settings be resolved across the world.

19. Am I allowed to change the URL that I submitted?

Yes, you can always login to My Freenom using your e-mail address and your password. You can view the number of free and paid domains you have registered, along with your personal information and change the URL you want.

20. What if I made a mistake when I typed my original URL submission?

You can always login to My Freenom by using your e-mail address and password. Feel free to change the URL you have submitted. All changes will take effect within 10-15 minutes.

21. Can my domain be de-activated?

Yes, having a FREE domain name does not give you the legal registrant rights. Freenom allows you to use your chosen domain name for a period of 1 to 12 months. If you do not renew your domain name in time, your registration will be cancelled. Free renewals of FREE domains are allowed in the last 15 days of each registration period. If your website is down for a prolonged period or if your content is unacceptable/not uploaded the domain will be cancelled. Your domain name might then become automatically available for other registrants to register either as a free or as a paid registration.

If you have a PAID domain name and do not respect our Terms and Conditions for PAID domain names, in our judgment, and you use your Freenom services for any unlawful purposes, including but not limited to child pornography, child entrapment or abuse, advocacy of hatred, bigotry or violence towards persons or groups on the basis of their religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other immutable characteristics, theft of email service, or as a source of unsolicited bulk email or as an address to use for replying to unsolicited bulk email, or in violation of our policies with respect to spamming or otherwise abusing free search engine services, we have the right to de-activate your domain.