2026-08-18 — dns · domains

What it takes to register a .md domain

Moldova's state registry, a passport number, and a WHOIS that publishes almost nothing.

.md is Moldova, run by the Information Technology and Cyber Security Service — a state agency, not a commercial registry. That shapes everything.

The identification code

Every contact needs a unique identification code: IDNP for Moldovan individuals, IDNO for companies, or a tax code. Foreigners have none, so registrars substitute a passport number. It reads as alarming and isn't — the code is internal and never reaches the public record.

WHOIS publishes almost nothing

The rules permit publishing a legal entity's name and IDNO. In practice the registry publishes less than it may. A live record:

Domain  name:   google.md
Domain state:   OK
Registered on:  2006-05-02
Expires on:     2027-05-02
NameServer:     ns1.google.com
NameServer:     ns2.google.com

No registrant, country or address. host.md, chat.md, note.md and gov.md look the same — and host.md is a Moldovan company, so it isn't a foreigners-only redaction. More private than .com, where GDPR redaction still leaves a registrar abuse contact.

Register as a natural person. A company registration puts the org name in scope.

The clauses that actually bite

• You can never sell it. An attempt to resell is grounds for revocation on the registrar's own initiative, without arbitration or a court — and there's a catch-all permitting action where they merely consider that such a case might occur.
• It is a licence and not property. Registration confers no legal right to the name beyond the right to use it.
• Disputes are heard in Moldovan courts under Moldovan law, and the registrar's liability is capped at what you paid. Practical recourse is approximately zero.

Fine for a personal site. Not fine for anything load-bearing.

Operational traps

The name can never be changed and fees are non-refundable — a typo costs the full fee. Payment is due within five days. Bank transfers are processed manually; use a card or MPay. The zone rebuilds on a schedule, so expect an "Invalid nameservers" warning for a few hours. Don't touch anything while it clears.

Cloudflare Registrar doesn't support .md. Cloudflare DNS does. Two different products, and the first one's error reads like a refusal from the second.

See the domain checker for the tool this note came out of.