General Information

Who is the Registry Operator for the .pharmacy gTLD? 

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States, operates the .pharmacy registry.  Founded in 1904, NABP supports and works with regional pharmacy regulatory authorities to protect the public health.  

Is domain name registration in the .pharmacy TLD restricted? 

Yes, .pharmacy is an open but restricted Top-Level Domain (TLD). To register a .pharmacy domain name, customers must first demonstrate compliance with program standards and pharmacy laws by completing a thorough application and accreditation process supplied and reviewed by NABP (“NABP Accreditation”). This ensures that customers can trust websites with a .pharmacy domain name.  

Eligibility and Accreditation

Who is eligible to apply for NABP Accreditation to register a .pharmacy domain name? 

Organizations may apply for NABP Accreditation giving them a right to register and use a .pharmacy domain name if they offer prescription drugs or prescription drug-related products, services, or information via the internet. Types of organizations that may apply are listed on the NABP website on the .Pharmacy Verified Websites Program Eligibility and Policies page of the NABP website.

Why has my customer’s domain name been suspended? 

If a domain name is suspended, it is, in most cases, because the registrant’s NABP Accreditation has expired. Registrants must reapply annually to maintain their NABP Accreditation and, thus, their eligibility to maintain and use a .pharmacy domain name. NABP notifies registrants 120, 90, 60, and 30 days prior to the expiration of their accreditation, reminding them to apply for reaccreditation. A registrant whose NABP Accreditation has expired has an additional 30 days to apply to NABP for reaccreditation. After that time, if the registrant still has not applied for reaccreditation, the domain name will be suspended and placed on serverHold, transferProhibited, and serverRenewProhibited status.  

When will NABP remove the suspension of a registrant’s domain name? 

If the registrant applies to NABP for reaccreditation and is approved before the domain name expires, NABP will then lift the suspension by removing the serverHold, transferProhibited, and serverRenewProhibited status.  

What if a registrant has applied for reaccreditation and is unable to get reapproved prior to the expiration of the domain name? 

As long as a reaccreditation application has been submitted within 30 days after the accreditation expires, the registrant will be allowed to renew the domain name.

What happens if a registrant’s domain name is suspended and the registrant applies for reaccreditation, but the domain name expires before the registrant can be reaccredited? 

If 30 or more days have passed since the registrant’s accreditation expired and the registrant has not submitted a reaccreditation application, the domain name will be suspended. If the registrant submits an application and is reaccredited, NABP will lift the suspension. If the suspended domain name expires before the registrant is reaccredited, however, the domain name will go back into the pool of available domain names and the registrant will have to reregister it once the registrant is reaccredited. 

If a registrant registers a .pharmacy domain name for multiple years but is unable to be reaccredited, does the registrant get a refund for those years in which they are unable to maintain or use the domain name? 

No, all fees paid to NABP for domain name registrations for multiple years are not refundable if the registrant is unwilling or unable to get reaccredited.  

How long is NABP’s accreditation valid? 

Regardless of how long a registrant registers a .pharmacy domain name, registrants must reapply annually to maintain their accreditation and, thus, their eligibility to maintain and use a .pharmacy domain name.  

Registration and Renewal

How can a registrar confirm whether a potential registrant is accredited by NABP? 

The .Pharmacy Verified Websites Program requires a unique cryptographic token for each .pharmacy domain name registration, proving that the registrant has been accredited by NABP and meets registry program standards. Potential registrants must successfully complete the application and NABP Accreditation before getting the token necessary to register a domain name.  

What is the maximum registration length of a .pharmacy domain name?  

As of April 2021, all .pharmacy domain name registrations and renewals are for one year. Prior to this time, domain names may have been registered for up to 10 years. These domain names have been grandfathered under the old policy and therefore retain their original expiration dates. However, once the names are ready for renewal, they may be renewed for one year only.   

Can an accredited registrant register multiple .pharmacy domain names under a single accreditation? Or does each domain name require its own accreditation? 

Registrants may register as many domain names as they like under a single accreditation, provided the domain names resolve to the website that NABP has approved. Registrants must provide a unique token to the registrar for each domain name they register. 

Pricing

Are there “premium” or other classes of .pharmacy domain names?   

Currently, there are several price tiers for .pharmacy domain name registrations. The default wholesale price for a .pharmacy domain name is $750 per annum. Premium price tiers are as follows: 

• $0 (with no Registrar markup) – reserved for state boards of pharmacy and other regulatory bodies 
• $50 – reserved for registrants referred by one of the .pharmacy partner organizations 
• $2,500 – $25,000 – reserved domain names including terms denoting a particular disease, generic medication, or general pharmacy-related concept that are typically in high demand or carry a greater risk of patient harm.   

How does a registrar know if a .pharmacy domain name is in a premium pricing tier?  

Registrars can query in real time the price of a create, update, transfer, or restore operation for a domain using the fee:check command. See Nominet registrar resources for more details.

Is there a fee for Registrants to restore an expired domain name within the restoration grace period (RGP)? 

No, NABP does not currently charge a fee for .pharmacy domain name restoration within the RGP. 

Standards and Policies

With whose laws must potential .pharmacy registrants comply? 

Potential registrants must demonstrate compliance with all applicable pharmacy laws in the jurisdiction where their business is based, as well as in all jurisdictions where they serve patients. More information is available under Program Standards on the NABP website.  

Are there any special requirements for .pharmacy registrars? 

In the interest of public safety, the .pharmacy registry-registrar agreement (RRA) contains some restrictions on the registrars’ ability to do business with others. For example, Article 3.17 states: 

• “3.17.  Registrar is prohibited from knowingly offering or continuing to provide registration services for any domain name, irrespective of the domain name’s TLD, that has been determined by Registry Operator is a rogue internet pharmacy or is on NABP’s “Not Recommended Websites” found at https://www.safe.pharmacy/not-recommended-sites/. Registrar agrees to suspend and lock all domain names registered for any TLD with that registrant, in response to Registry Operator’s abuse notifications.”

Where can I find the .pharmacy RRA? 

To obtain a fillable .pharmacy RRA, email NABP at registrar-support@safe.pharmacy to request one. 

What are the .pharmacy billing policies for registrars?

To obtain a copy of the billing policy, please email NABP at registrar-support@safe.pharmacy to request one.  

Does NABP have standards for acceptable use of .pharmacy trademarks? 

Yes. To obtain a copy of the .pharmacy graphic standards and guidelines for .pharmacy registrars, please email NABP at registrar-support@safe.pharmacy to request one.