.Pro Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .Pro domain name?
A .Pro domain name is the first and only restricted top-level domain exclusively for professionals, approved and regulated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and operated by RegistryPro. It is a bundled security offering of a profession-specific domain name, (eng.pro, med.pro, law.pro or cpa.pro) along with a professional verification and professional level digital certificate to enable secure e-mail communications.

Why do I need a .Pro domain name?
Professionals who have a heightened security and privacy obligation will benefit from the easy to implement and use .Pro domain name and professional level certificate. Professionals in the engineering, legal, medical and accounting fields have an obligation to keep client records, communications and personal information secure and private. With .Pro, e-mails can be digitally signed and encrypted which enable privacy.

How does .Pro work?
A .Pro domain name is issued to professionals who self-certify that they meet the eligibility requirements and pass a verification process. Once they pass, they are issued a digital certificate which can be downloaded to their computer for use in digitally signing and encrypting e-mail communications. A professional level digital certificate provides the following levels of digital trust:

Authentication - provides proof of a digital identity
Confidentiality - maintains privacy and confidentiality of content
Integrity - ensures the content has not been changed or altered
Non-repudiation - provides proof that the communication was sent

Who can register a .Pro domain name?
At this time, only members of the engineering, medical, legal and accounting professions are eligible to register for .Pro domains.

The .Pro professional eligibility requirements are intended to restrict domain name registrations within the .Pro top-level domain to persons and organizations that are licensed or otherwise credentialed by the appropriate government agencies or organizations to provide professional services to the public in the legal, medical and accounting fields.

Eligible registrants may register as one of four major profession-specific domains:

Type	ID
Engineers	.eng.pro
Attorneys	.law.pro
Accountants	.cpa.pro
Physicians	.med.pro

• Engineers (.eng.pro)
• Attorneys (.law.pro)
• Accountants (.cpa.pro)
• Physicians (.med.pro)

What are the basic eligibility criteria?
Generally, to be in compliance with the professional eligibility requirements, a registrant must be either:

1. An individual who is currently licensed as (i) an engineer, (ii) a Certified Public Accountant, (iii) a physician (including a medical doctor), or (iv) an attorney at law, who is currently licensed to practice in any of the following supported jurisdictions:
• United States
• Canada
• UK
• Germany; or,

2. An organization, that provides engineering, accounting, legal or medical professional services, and has an employee who satisfies one of the above criteria and registers on behalf of such entity or organization. Examples of such organizations include: engineering consultation firms, accounting firms, hospitals, legal publishers, medical supply companies, or even the law department of a large company.

What information must be provided as proof of eligibility for a .Pro domain name?
All applicants will need to submit personal and professional information in order to be eligible for a .Pro domain. Information will include:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Profession Type
• Country of Jurisdiction
• License Number
• Licensing Authority

How will .Pro review the eligibility of registrants in the .Pro domain?
What distinguishes the .Pro TLD from other domain extensions is its unique registration requirements. RegistryPro will require that registrants self-certify that they are professionals who meet the requirements of their profession and jurisdiction and provide information license and identity information which can be independently cross-referenced either through an online review process administered at the RegistryPro Web site.

Will eligibility be reviewed again after registration?
Eligibility for registration in the .Pro domain will be verified at the time of registration and will also be periodically re-verified, at a minimum annually, at the time of a registrants' digital certificate annual renewal.

To implement the .Pro Professional Eligibility Requirements, RegistryPro will:

1. Require that each Registrar certify that as a condition to registration of a .Pro domain name, that the professional eligibility of each registrant is verified,
2. Require that each registrar's agreement with registrants include terms and conditions relating specifically to .Pro domains (for example, regarding professional eligibility and the requirement that the registrant remain in good standing in his/her profession throughout the term of their domain name registration). Examples of such terms and conditions can be found in the DomainPeople Registration Agreement.

Is this a real-time registration?
No, to ensure a high level of security, .Pro registrations are multi-stage to provide assurance that the registrant is who they represent themselves to be.

Second-Level .Pro Registrations

What is a second-level .Pro domain name?
A second-level .pro domain name is in the form of "domain.pro" where a specific profession is not identified. In order to register a second-level .Pro domain name, an individual or organization must have one or more third-level .pro domains registered, or in the process of being registered. There are two types of second-level .Pro domain names: Second Level Redirecting and Second Level Resolving.

What is a Second Level Redirecting Name?
If a registrant provides professional service as an engineering, medical, legal or accounting professional and has registered a third-level domain under that profession, registration can also be performed on the second-level. In this case the registration will require a redirect to the third-level professional designator that corresponds to the registrant's professional area. For example, an engineer or engineering firm could register for johnsmith.pro in addition to johnsmith.eng.pro. The second-level name would be redirected to a corresponding third-level designator per a service provided by RegistryPro, which is included in the price of the Second-Level Redirecting product.

What is a Second Level Resolving Name?
RegistryPro offers second level names (e.g., yourname.pro) to registrants who provide multiple professional services and meet two or more eligibility requirements. Examples of organizations that would qualify are engineering firms (providing both engineering and legal service). Rather than being restricted to having two or more third-level names with the associated second level professional designation (e.g., yourname.eng.pro and yourname.law.pro), eligible registrants can also register a second name (e.g., yourname.pro) to use for their Web site, e-mail, and other internet identify applications.

Register your .Pro domain now!