Documents required to register an institutional domain

Most domains register in minutes: you choose, you pay, it goes live. But a set of extensions — those reserved for institutions — require the registry to see proof that the entity legally exists before approving the registration.

When that happens the request does not fail and is not lost: it sits under review, and we contact you for the documents. This article explains what is usually asked for, how to send it, and what to expect while you wait.

Which ones, exactly

A commercial domain identifies a business. An institutional one identifies a category — education, the State, a profession. If anyone could register one, the extension would stop meaning anything. So the registry verifies before approving, not after.

In Mozambique these are the ones — and note that not all of them ask for paperwork:

Extension What the registry requires
.ac.mz Education and research. The strictest: it asks for the operating licences. Having “school” or “institute” in the name is not enough
.edu.mz Also for education, but with no document requirement. It is the alternative when the .ac.mz licences are not yet in place
.gov.mz and .mil.mz State and military only. Requires an official letter from the entity itself, on headed paper and signed by someone with the authority to do so
.adv.mz Lawyers and law firms
.co.mz, .org.mz and .net.mz Nothing. They register immediately, like any commercial domain
Your extension is not in the table? Then this article does not apply — just register it. The full list, with who can register each one, is in .mz domain extensions: which ones exist and who can register them.

The documents, in the case of .ac.mz

The exact list depends on what the registry asks for at the time. In practice, these are the ones most often requested:

Document What it proves
Proof of incorporation That the entity legally exists — in Mozambique, typically the publication extract from the Boletim da República (official gazette)
Operating licence That the entity is authorised to operate in the field the extension represents
Tax identification number Links the entity to its tax registration
Representative ID Identifies who signs the request on behalf of the institution
Letter on headed paper Not always required — states that the institution intends to use that name
Do not guess the list. Send only what you are asked for in your case. Extra documents slow the review down, because someone has to separate what matters from what does not.
.gov.mz and .mil.mz cannot be registered by third parties. The letter has to come from the State entity itself, on headed paper and signed by someone with the authority. A supplier or an employee asking on its behalf will not do.

How to send them

1 Sign in to My MozOut with your account e-mail and password.
2 Open a support request in the domains department, naming the domain in the subject — for example yourinstitution.com.
3 Attach the documents as PDF or a legible image. If it is a photograph, check the text reads without zooming in.
4 Check that the entity name on the documents is exactly the one you gave when ordering the domain. A different abbreviation is enough for the registry to send the case back.
Attach to the ticket, not to an e-mail. Documents stay tied to the request instead of getting lost in a mailbox. How to open and follow one: opening a support request.

How long it takes, and what you see meanwhile

While the registry reviews, the domain shows as pending in My MozOut. That is not an error and not an unpaid bill — it is the normal state of something awaiting approval.

The timing is not ours to set: the registry decides. What we do is submit, follow up, and tell you as soon as there is an answer — approval or a request for more information.

Pending is not the same as broken. If the domain is already active and still does not open, that is a different problem with a different fix: registered the domain and it still does not open.

If the request is refused

A refusal is rarely final. Most of the time a document is missing, or a name does not match. We tell you exactly what the registry flagged and you resubmit — without paying again.

Need to register an institutional domain and not sure where to start?

Talk to us

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT

Register your .com domain

Secure your company name before someone else registers it. from £13.60/yr

Search a domain
  • 0 Users Found This Useful
Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

How to check a domain DNS Checking a domain’s DNS means finding out where it currently points. It is the first step whenever a site will not...
How to find the hosting DNS Whenever you need to point a domain at your MozOut hosting, you will be asked for the nameservers — also called DNS...
How to configure a domain DNS Configuring DNS means telling the world where your domain should point. There are two levels, and it is worth...
How to migrate a site without downtime Changing hosting provider does not have to take your site offline. The trick is simple: set everything up here...
How to change the DNS of a domain already in use Changing the DNS of a domain that already works takes more care than setting up a new one. Here you are not starting...