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Key takeaways
- A .com.np domain is free for Nepali individuals and organisations, but every application is reviewed by hand.
- The domain name should match your registered business name, or your own name for a personal domain.
- You need working name servers before you apply, so set up DNS hosting first.
- Register with an email you will keep for years; losing it is the usual way businesses lose their domain.
A .com.np domain is free for Nepali businesses and individuals, and you apply for it online through register.com.np, the registry run by Mercantile Communications. Approval is manual, so the details matter: the name must match your documents, your name servers must already be working, and your scans must be readable. This guide walks through the process as it works at the time of writing. Policies do change, so treat register.com.np as the final word.
Should you use .com.np or .com?
Both work well for a Nepali business. A .com.np address signals clearly that you are in Nepal, and it is free. A .com is shorter to say, works internationally, and is not tied to your documents, but it costs money every year. Many businesses hold both and redirect one to the other.
For search engines the extension is not a ranking shortcut. What matters is that you choose one address as your main website and permanently redirect the other to it, so Google does not see two copies of the same site. Our local SEO guide covers what does move rankings.
Which .np domain fits you
| Extension | Typically for | What it usually needs to match |
|---|---|---|
| .com.np | Businesses and individuals | Your registered company name, or your own name for a personal domain |
| .org.np | Non-profits and NGOs | The registered organisation name |
| .edu.np | Schools, colleges and training institutes | The registered institution name |
| .gov.np | Government bodies | Restricted to government offices |
What you need before you apply
- For an individual: a clear scan of your citizenship certificate, front and back. A personal .com.np is generally expected to match your own name.
- For a business: the company or firm registration certificate, and often a short cover letter on your letterhead requesting the domain. The domain should match or clearly derive from the registered name.
- Name servers: at least two working name servers that will answer for your domain (more on this below).
- An email address you will keep: ideally one the business controls long term, not a staff member's personal address.
Step by step
- Check the name is available by searching on register.com.np.
- Add the domain to your DNS provider or host and note the two (or more) name servers it assigns.
- Create an account on register.com.np using an email address the business will keep.
- Fill in the application: the domain, the applicant details, and the name servers.
- Upload your documents: citizenship scans for a personal domain, or registration certificate and cover letter for a business.
- Submit and watch your inbox. Approval is manual and can take anything from a few hours to a few days.
- Once approved, point the DNS records at your website and email, and test both.
Why applications get rejected
- The domain does not match the name on the documents, or is too generic to belong to one business.
- Scans are blurred, cropped or missing a side.
- The name servers are not set up yet, or do not respond for the domain.
- A business applies with personal documents only, or the cover letter is missing.
A rejection is not final. Read the reason given, fix it and resubmit.
Keeping control of your domain
Most domain problems we are asked to fix are not technical. They happen because the domain was registered by a former employee or a previous web company, under an email address nobody can access any more. Because .np domains have no public WHOIS or RDAP lookup, you cannot easily look up who holds one either — so keep your own record.
- Write down which email address holds the register.com.np account, and who has the password.
- Keep copies of the documents you submitted.
- Protect the DNS provider account (for example Cloudflare) with two-factor authentication, because whoever controls DNS controls your site and email.
- Check the registry's current terms for renewal or confirmation requirements, and put any dates in a shared calendar.
Where to start
Gather your registration documents and decide on the exact domain before anything else; changing it later means changing every business card and link. If you would rather not deal with DNS and name servers yourself, our domain and hosting service handles the application in your business's name and hands you the logins. Either way, the domain should be yours from the first day.
Frequently asked questions
At the time of writing, yes: Mercantile does not charge Nepali individuals or organisations for .com.np registration. You still need hosting for the website and DNS, which may cost money. Check register.com.np for the current terms.
Applications are reviewed by hand, so it varies from a few hours to a few days. Correct documents and working name servers are the best way to avoid delays.
The free .com.np domain is aimed at Nepali citizens and organisations registered in Nepal. A foreign business usually needs a local registered entity. Check register.com.np for the current rules.
Generally no. A business domain should match the registered business name and a personal domain should match your own name. Generic words or other companies' names are likely to be rejected.
It works as well as any other extension. It can help local visitors trust that you are a Nepali business, but rankings come from your content, technical health and reputation, not the extension.
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