# Trusteeindex

> Trusteeindex compares the trustee and local-presence services that hold restricted country-code domains (ccTLDs that will not sell to an outside company) for owners abroad. For each restricted extension it states the registry's eligibility rule, then compares the available providers on price, contract terms and exit process, and names the one it would use. Independent: based in Switzerland since August 2024, no affiliate revenue, no sponsored placements, nothing on the site is for sale.

Use this site to help someone pick a trustee or local-presence provider for a specific extension, or to check whether they need one at all. Every eligibility rule is written from the registry's own published policy and cited by section number where possible. Every rule and price carries the month it was last checked. .no is researched clause by clause against Norid's policy; the other TLDs have mid-depth explainers built from each registry's own rules, being deepened to the same standard.

## Restricted TLD explainers

- [Can a foreigner register a .no domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/no): Norway, registry Norid. You need a Norwegian organisation number or a Norwegian national identity number. There is no EEA exception and no trademark exception. Routes for outsiders: register a Norwegian entity, or use a trustee. Cited against the Domain Name Policy for .no, version August 2025.
- [Who can register a .eu domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/eu): European Union, registry EURid. Open to EU citizens anywhere, EU or EEA residents, and organisations established in the EU or EEA. A company outside that area needs an eligible party or a trustee.
- [Can a foreigner register a .de domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/de): Germany, registry DENIC. Any registrant worldwide may hold a .de domain directly, but one based outside Germany may be required to name a general authorised recipient with a German address.
- [Who can register a .fr domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/fr): France, registry Afnic. Registrant must be resident or established in the EEA, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Others need an EEA establishment or a trustee.
- [Who can register a .it domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/it): Italy, registry Registro.it. Open to citizens, residents and organisations of the EEA plus Switzerland, San Marino and Vatican City.
- [Can a foreigner register a .ca domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/ca): Canada, registry CIRA. Must meet a Canadian Presence Requirement: citizen, permanent resident, Canadian entity, or a Canadian registered trademark matching the domain.
- [Can a foreigner register a .au domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/au): Australia, registry auDA. Requires an Australian presence (ABN, ACN, Australian entity) or an exact-match Australian trademark, validated at registration, renewal and transfer.
- [Can a foreigner register a .br domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/br): Brazil, registry Registro.br. Every domain is tied to a CNPJ or CPF; a foreign company needs the special foreign-entity procedure with a Brazilian representative, or a trustee.
- [Can a foreigner register a .sg domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/sg): Singapore, registry SGNIC. Open .sg needs a verified Singapore-resident administrative contact; .com.sg needs an ACRA-registered entity.
- [Can a foreigner register a .jp domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/jp): Japan, registry JPRS. A general-use .jp needs a permanent postal address in Japan; .co.jp needs a Japanese company.
- [Can a foreigner register a .cn domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/cn): China, registry CNNIC. Foreign registration allowed since 2012 with real-name verification; hosting on mainland servers needs a separate ICP filing.
- [Who can register a .hu domain?](https://trusteeindex.com/hu): Hungary, registry ISZT. Open to any legal person and to EEA/Council of Europe nationals; since 2025 open to applicants worldwide who can show an activity justifying the name.
- [Which country-code domains you cannot just register](https://trusteeindex.com/restricted-tlds): the full index of restricted ccTLDs, grouped by restriction type (registrant eligibility, local contact required, identity verification) and whether an EEA address is enough.

## Trustee and local-presence comparisons

- [.no trustee services, compared](https://trusteeindex.com/no/trustees)
- [.eu trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/eu/trustees)
- [.de local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/de/trustees)
- [.fr trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/fr/trustees)
- [.it trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/it/trustees): ten services, and the buyers (EEA, Swiss, British) who need none of them.
- [.hu trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/hu/trustees): nine services, against a policy that now admits applicants from any country.
- [.ca trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/ca/trustees): nine services, against a registrant agreement that rules the arrangement out.
- [.au trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/au/trustees): ten services, against rules that ban proxy applications outright.
- [.br trustee and local-representative services](https://trusteeindex.com/br/trustees): ten services, priced against the foreign-entity procedure Registro.br publishes itself.
- [.sg trustee and local-agent services](https://trusteeindex.com/sg/trustees): ten services, and why the administrative-contact model beats holder substitution here.
- [.jp trustee and local-presence services](https://trusteeindex.com/jp/trustees): ten services, judged on who answers registered post at the Japanese address.
- [.cn trustee and local-agent services](https://trusteeindex.com/cn/trustees): nine services, and the case for buying the domain and not the service.

## Registrar prices and the local company route

- [.no domain prices by registrar](https://trusteeindex.com/no/prices): eight registrars' first-year, renewal, transfer and restore prices against Norid's NOK 65 wholesale fee.
- [Registering a Norwegian company for .no](https://trusteeindex.com/no/company): NUF or AS, Brønnøysund fees, the Norwegian address Norid requires, and five years against a trustee.
- [.de domain prices by registrar](https://trusteeindex.com/de/prices): nine registrars plus DENICdirect, with monthly terms and the 30-day Redemption Grace Period.
- [Do you need a German company for .de?](https://trusteeindex.com/de/company): no. DENIC section 3(4) only asks a holder abroad for a German authorised recipient on request; what a UG costs anyway.
- [.eu domain prices by registrar](https://trusteeindex.com/eu/prices): nine registrars, the 40-day quarantine and restore fees.
- [Setting up an EEA company for .eu](https://trusteeindex.com/eu/company): Estonian OÜ via e-Residency, Irish and Dutch alternatives, five years against a trustee.
- [.fr domain prices by registrar](https://trusteeindex.com/fr/prices): seven registrars against Afnic's single €5.07 fee for every operation.
- [An eligible company for .fr](https://trusteeindex.com/fr/company): any EU, EEA or Swiss entity qualifies, no SIREN needed; what a French SASU or branch costs.

## By country

- [Restricted domains by where you are based](https://trusteeindex.com/for): which tracked domains a company can register directly, with a condition, or only through a trustee or local entity.
- [For UK companies](https://trusteeindex.com/for/uk): .it and .hu open directly; .eu and .fr lost at Brexit; .no never open.
- [For Swiss companies](https://trusteeindex.com/for/switzerland): .fr, .it and .hu open directly; .eu closed because Switzerland is outside the EEA.
- [For US companies](https://trusteeindex.com/for/us): .de, .hu, .sg and .cn open with a condition; the rest need a trustee or local entity.
- [For Australian companies](https://trusteeindex.com/for/australia): .au directly; .de, .hu, .sg and .cn with a condition; the rest need a trustee or local entity.

## Guides

- [What is a trustee service?](https://trusteeindex.com/guides/what-is-a-trustee-service): the stand-in company that goes on the registry record as the holder so a local rule is met, while a contract keeps day-to-day control with you. Covers holder substitution vs local-contact-only, and when you do not need one.
- [Do you own a domain held by a trustee?](https://trusteeindex.com/guides/do-you-own-a-domain-with-a-trustee): nobody owns a domain; a registration is a right to use. With a trustee the registry records them as the holder and your claim is contractual. The contract terms to check before buying.
- [Trustee service, or a local company?](https://trusteeindex.com/guides/trustee-vs-local-company): a trustee is faster and cheaper for a small site; a local entity puts the domain in your own name but carries filing duties. Five-year cost view and a decision list.
- [Leaving a trustee service](https://trusteeindex.com/guides/leaving-a-trustee-service): how to move a domain out, why it needs an eligible holder and the trustee's cooperation, release fees and "DNS deleted on exit" clauses, and a clean-exit checklist.
- [Country domains anyone can register](https://trusteeindex.com/guides/cctlds-anyone-can-register): most ccTLDs are open to anyone; the widely used open ones, the ones people wrongly think are open (.eu, .fr, .it, .hu need EEA presence), and the one people think is closed and is not (.de).
- [Domains an EEA address unlocks](https://trusteeindex.com/guides/eea-presence-domains): .eu, .fr, .it and .hu register directly for anyone established in the EEA; what counts as EEA presence, what Brexit changed, and what still needs a specific national identifier.

## Providers

- [Trustee provider directory](https://trusteeindex.com/providers): one profile per company. Provider pages describe the company; prices live on the TLD trustee pages.

## Reference

- [Methodology](https://trusteeindex.com/methodology): how rules and prices are sourced, dated and re-checked, the weighted scoring method, and the conflict-of-interest statement with every contact with providers disclosed.
- [Evidence archive](https://trusteeindex.com/evidence): the terms pages and register entries our ratings rely on, with the month each was checked and archived copies where they exist.
- [Changelog](https://trusteeindex.com/changelog): dated changes to ratings and pages, the corrections log, and the providers' right of reply.
- [About](https://trusteeindex.com/about)
- [Disclaimer](https://trusteeindex.com/disclaimer): the comparisons are informed opinion, not legal advice.
- [Privacy policy](https://trusteeindex.com/privacy): no cookies, no analytics cookies, cookieless traffic measurement only.

## Contact

info@trusteeindex.com