Domain auctions
Find out what the conditions are for entering Domain Auctions and how the auction process works.
About Domain auctions
Every day, hundreds or even thousands of domains that have not been renewed are removed. This happens because the original holder did not renew them and therefore these domains become available for registration.
In order to avoid disputes over non-renewed domains among interested parties, CZ.NIC has established the Domain Auction.
- Non-renewed domains are submitted to an auction where they can be auctioned off by both the original owner and new bidders.
- If there is no interest in the domain in the auction, it will be released for regular registration after the end of the auction.
Domain auctions are available in the Domain browser, the .CZ domain management system. You do not need to deposit any funds in advance to actively participate or monitor the auction. The payment for the priority right to register the domain is done after the end of the auction.
The subject of the auction is the priority right to register the domain, not the domain itself.
Conditions of participation
The auction is open to any natural or legal person residing in the EU with a verified MojeID account and to individuals from the EU with a verified electronic identity.
Natural person from the Czech Republic
- Requires to have a MojeID account linked to government systems with a minimum level of assurance of “substantial”.
Natural person from the EU
- Requires an electronic identity with a minimum level of assurance of “substantial” (according to eIDAS).
Legal entities from the Czech Republic and EU
- Require validated MojeID account with two-factor authentication is required.
Natural person or legal entity outside the EU
- Persons outside the European Union cannot participate directly in the auction. If they wish to participate, they may do so through a representative based in the EU who meets the above conditions. This representative must have a verified contact
Process and bidding
The domains that will be up for auction are published in the Upcoming Auctions
list 15 days before the auction starts. If you would like to be notified when a specific domain goes to auction, set up domain tracking in
Domain browser.
Duration
- Start at 12:00 p.m.
- End at 9:00 p.m., unless extended (see below)
The auction can be extended if there is a bid in the last minutes of the auction. The auction may be extended until 9:00 a.m. of the following day at the maximum.
Price
You do not need to deposit any funds in advance to actively participate in or follow the auction. The payment for the priority right to register the domain is done after the end of the auction.
- Starting bid is 100 CZK
- The system automatically calculates the minimum bidding amount
| Current offered price in CZK | Minimum bid increase in CZK | |
|---|---|---|
| From | To | |
| 100 | 9 999 | 100 |
| 10 000 | 999 999 | 1 000 |
| 1 000 000 | 9 999 999 | 10 000 |
| 10 000 000 | and more | 100 000 |
Manual bid
The bidder must bid either the minimum amount specified by the system or any amount above the minimum amount.
The bid is binding and cannot be cancelled.
Automatic bid
The bidder has the option to set a maximum limit for automatic bidding in the auction.
The limit can be increased at any time, but not decreased or cancelled.
This limit is not public. The system automatically bids the smallest amount necessary to override bids from other bidders. The minimum bid amount is predefined and is proportional to the current highest offer.
Repetition or termination of the auction
- If the auction winner fails to pay for the priority right, or fails to use the priority right (fails to register the domain), the respective auction will be repeated up to four times.
- If no bids are made during the auction, the domain will be released for regular registration after the auction ends.
Obligations of the winner
The winner of the auction is the auctioneer who has the highest bid registered in the system at the time the auction ends.
- The winner of the auction has 7 days to pay for the priority right to register the domain, with the payment to be made according to the instructions of CZ.NIC, z.s.p.o.
- After that, the winner of the auction has 7 days to register the domain with the selected registrars.
The domain must be registered to the contact identifier that won the auction.
In the event of non-payment
If the winning bidder does not pay for the priority right to register the domain by the deadline, the fee changes to a “contractual penalty” equal to the winning amount (but at least 1000 CZK) and the claim of this amount is enforced against the winning b
If a bidder wins an auction and then fails to pay (the fee for the priority right of registration), the bidder will be prohibited from participating in future auctions.
List of registrars
Below is a list of registrars supporting direct registration of a domain with priority right. If you would like to register with another provider, please contact them to set up direct registration with priority right.
Direct domain registration with priority right
What to beware of
Bidding at the very end of the auction may be one of the bidders’ tactics. So if you are genuinely interested in the priority right to a domain, we recommend that you follow the auction to the end.
While the auction is dynamically extended in the case of last minute bids, if you are outbid in the last few minutes of the auction and you are not watching the auction directly in the Domain Browser, you may not be able to increase your bid in time.