question Do you need to be a Spanish citizen or resident to own a .es (or .com.es) domain?

[AniMeshorer]

I have contradicting information about this.

It seems the popular Spanish registrar DonDominio indicates you need an address in Spain or at least a Spanish ID number to own a .es or .com.es domain.

However, in Wikipedia (tried several languages) no such restriction is listed, indicating that anyone in the world can buy a .es or .com.es domain.

So I see contradicting information. Can anyone answer this question?

 

[Future Sensors]

To register a .es domain, you do not need to be a Spanish citizen per se, but you must satisfy one of the following: be a resident of an EU member state, be a Spanish citizen, or demonstrate a legitimate personal or business connection to Spain. Administrative, technical, and billing contacts must supply a government-issued ID (e.g., passport, national ID) when registering to comply with registry rules.

See also https://www.godaddy.com/help/about-es-domains-5533

 

[Future Sensors]

And for .com.es:

The .com.es namespace is reserved for commercial entities. Registrants must be a company and provide a valid Spanish VAT (NIF) number. There's no additional citizenship or residency requirement beyond maintaining a registered business with VAT in Spain.

 

[AniMeshorer]

Thanks so much! It becomes clear to me finally

One question though: "Administrative, technical, and billing contacts must supply a government-issued ID (e.g., passport, national ID) when registering to comply with registry rules." ; does that have to be a Spanish government-issued ID, or can this be a foreign government-issued ID?
I am a resident of another EU member state (I'm from Belgium, and have Belgian citizenship).

 

[Future Sensors]

You do not need a Spanish-issued document; foreign IDs are fully acceptable.

As a Belgian resident and citizen, simply select the "Generic ID" option during registration and enter your Belgian eID or passport number. No Spanish-issued document is required.

 

[qtechnames]

I have contradicting information about this.

It seems the popular Spanish registrar DonDominio indicates you need an address in Spain or at least a Spanish ID number to own a .es or .com.es domain.

However, in Wikipedia (tried several languages) no such restriction is listed, indicating that anyone in the world can buy a .es or .com.es domain.

So I see contradicting information. Can anyone answer this question?

Yeah, it can be confusing. Some registrars do require local ID or address for .es domains, while others don’t. It might depend on the registrar's own policy or how they interact with the Spanish registry. Best to check with a few registrars directly.

 

[Wesley S]

be careful, Spain government will take your domain away if they want it though. Be weary. Someone had barcelona.es or Spain.es and they just took it away from the domainer. yipes.

 

[domainnews]

Some Chinese .es domains taken back by the registry last year due to registry regular check， but I have some .es domains that never happened such thing on me ，all you need to do is provide the registration with your ID is OK although you are not European country citizens in that way

 

[AniMeshorer]

be careful, Spain government will take your domain away if they want it though. Be weary. Someone had barcelona.es or Spain.es and they just took it away from the domainer. yipes.

I guess those are special domains (like Premium domains) that the Spanish government wanted to keep for themselves, or that the local Barcelona city council wanted for itself (like a trademark). I assume your domain being suspended or cancelled is not going to happen if it is a random domain and no violation of any trademark.

PS: the irony of barcelona.es being taken away from the owner, while many Catalans shun the use of .es if they are Catalan nationalists... For example football club FC Barcelona, who are very proud of being a symbol of Catalan identity, has fcbarcelona.cat instead of fcbarcelona.es

 

[AniMeshorer]

Yeah, it can be confusing. Some registrars do require local ID or address for .es domains, while others don’t. It might depend on the registrar's own policy or how they interact with the Spanish registry. Best to check with a few registrars directly.

If the Spanish registry does not require a local identity card or passport, and specifically allows residents of other EU countries to own .es domains, then aren't those registrars that ask a local document violating the registry's rules?

France has a similar policy: .fr domains can be registered by anyone in the European Union. Nice to hear that Spain has adopted a similar policy.