.COOP registration requirements

.COOP is a restricted TLD that is only open for registration to cooperatives and other organizations meeting the .COOP eligibility criteria. 

• Determining eligibility
• Verifying registration
  • Ineligible verification
• Audits

Determining eligibility

.COOP domain names must:

• Have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 63 characters.
• Use allowed characters: letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, and dashes. 
• Not include a space or dash in the beginning or end of the domain name. 

To be approved to register and use a .COOP domain name, the registrant must qualify under at least one of the following criteria: 

• The organization is a democratically controlled member-owned cooperative, consistent with the International 7 cooperative principles.
• Is an association comprised of cooperatives.
• Is an organization that is majority controlled by a cooperative.
• Is an entity whose operations are principally dedicated to serving cooperatives.

Verifying registration

DotCooperation LLC (DCLLC), the sponsor of the .COOP TLD, is required by its contract with ICANN to ensure registrants meet the defined eligibility criteria. The .COOP domain registered will remain inactive until the registration verification process is complete. 

The verification process is initiated at the time of registration. If eligibility cannot be determined immediately, the registrant will receive an email by DotCooperation asking them to provide confirmation or evidence that they are eligible for their .COOP registration. 

Domains that have been previously validated via the CVC do not have to be validated again.  

The following items serve as proof of eligibility or credentials, supporting the eligibility criteria.

• Proof of membership with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) if
  otherwise eligible.
• Proof of membership with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) if otherwise
  eligible.
• Governance documents such as bylaws which show the organization operates as a
• democratically-controlled, member-owned entity.
• Corporate filings showing the organization was formed as and/or considered
• cooperatives under applicable local law.
• A letter of reference from a verified cooperative or cooperative in good standing, which
• indicates that the organization is principally dedicated to serving the cooperative
  community

Ineligible verification

The verification process normally takes five business days. In situations where additional materials or reviews are needed, the verification process may take as long as two-three weeks.

Once verification is complete, the registered domain name will be immediately released from the pending status for use.

If the registration is determined ineligible, the registrant will be informed of an appeals process if they feel that this determination was made in error.

Registrants will have 30 days to initiate the appeals process. The domain name registered will remain in reserve until any appeals process is completed.

If the registration is determined to be ineligible, the domain name will be released from the reserved name system.

Audits

DCLLC conducts audits of .COOP domain registrations and reserves the right to cancel or modify a domain name in accordance with their policies. DCLLC will also conduct verification audits of .COOP domain name registrations when claims of a domain name registrant’s non-compliance with .COOP policies have been reported.

If the eligibility is being confirmed for existing domains, the use of the domains is not affected while the verification process proceeds.

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