Acceptance and service scope
These Terms govern services provided by HMJP Limited (RC1203744), trading as DotNaija, including managed subdomain registration, lifecycle administration, public lookup, support, and approved registrar integrations. By requesting or using the relevant services, you agree to the applicable terms and incorporated policies.
DotNaija is a private subdomain registry, not the operator of the .ng top-level domain. A registration is a time-limited, conditional right to use a label. It does not convey ownership of the parent namespace, a trademark, or exclusive rights outside the registration.
The registry, registrar, and registrant
| Party | Principal responsibility |
|---|---|
| DotNaija | Registry records, namespace policy, transaction controls, and registry-level compliance. |
| Sponsoring registrar | Applications, customer verification, billing, renewals, transfers, and first-line support. |
| Registrant | Accurate data, eligibility, timely payment, lawful use, and security of delegated services. |
A registrar’s retail agreement also applies to its services. Hosting, email, website content, and third-party products are separate unless expressly included in an accepted order.
Eligibility and account integrity
You must have legal capacity and authority to act for the applicant. Meet the AUP eligibility requirements, provide accurate records, and keep your registrar informed of changes.
Credentials must be protected and used only by authorised people. Report suspected compromise promptly. The registry may require verification before a sensitive transaction or restrict access while a credible compromise is investigated.
Applications and registration
An availability result, application, quote, or payment is not confirmation of registration. Registration is completed only after acceptance, successful processing, and creation of the registry record.
Applications may be rejected for ineligibility, reservation, syntax failure, rights conflicts, fraud, legal restrictions, or operational risk. Applicants must check spelling, namespace, registration period, and charges before submitting an order. Corrections after creation may require a separate transaction.
Renewal, expiry, and deletion
Registrants must renew before the recorded expiry date through their registrar. The registrar’s reminders do not replace that responsibility. Service may stop at expiry.
Any grace, restoration, redemption, or deletion period depends on the applicable namespace and registrar service. Confirm the available recovery window and charge with your registrar; no universal recovery period is promised by these Terms. A deleted name may remain reserved or unavailable.
Continuity: Keep an independent contact address and renew early. Website and email recovery may be impossible once a registration has been deleted or reallocated.
Transfers and changes of control
Request transfers through the registrar channel and satisfy identity, authorisation, and technical requirements. A transfer may be prevented by an active dispute, registry hold, compromise investigation, binding order, or another applicable restriction.
Changing registrar does not erase prior obligations or guarantee renewal. Changes to the registrant or legal entity may require fresh eligibility evidence and acceptance of the relevant agreement.
Fees, taxes, cancellation, and refunds
Prices are supplied through an accepted registrar quote, order, or partner schedule. Check the transaction type, currency, tax treatment, term, renewal price, and any premium or restoration charge before payment.
The Prices and Pricing Policy explains commercial disclosures. Refunds and credits follow the applicable agreement and mandatory law. A successful registry transaction or voluntary cancellation does not automatically create a refund entitlement. Raise billing disputes with the party that invoiced you.
Acceptable use and registry action
The Acceptable Use Policy applies throughout a registration. DotNaija may restrict, suspend, or cancel service for a substantiated breach, security risk, loss of eligibility, or binding legal requirement.
Where practicable, action is accompanied by reasons and an opportunity to remedy or seek review. Emergency restrictions may precede notice. Use the Dispute Resolution Policy for challenges to a registry action or competing rights.
Availability and third-party dependencies
Services depend on DNS, networks, hosting, upstream providers, and registrar systems. Maintenance, faults, attacks, or legal action may interrupt service. Any service-level commitment and remedy must be expressly stated in the applicable signed agreement.
The registry may change interfaces and operational procedures to maintain service, security, or compliance, providing notice and transition information where practicable. Public lookup is provided for legitimate informational use and may be rate-limited.
Privacy and intellectual property
The Privacy Policy describes personal-data processing. Operational registration data may be published under the Registration Data and RDAP Policy. You must have authority to supply third-party data and must not use lookup data for spam or harassment.
DotNaija retains its trademarks, software, documentation, and website materials. You retain rights in your own material and grant only the permissions necessary to process your application, support request, or evidence.
Liability, indemnity, and events beyond control
To the extent permitted by law, DotNaija does not warrant uninterrupted or error-free service and is not liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost opportunity, profit, or reputation. Any expressly agreed liability limit or service credit applies according to the relevant agreement.
You are responsible for claims caused by your unlawful use, misrepresentation, or material breach and must indemnify DotNaija for resulting third-party losses and reasonable costs to the extent lawfully recoverable. This does not cover loss caused by DotNaija’s own wrongdoing. The parties must cooperate on notice, defence, and reasonable mitigation.
Neither party is responsible for delay caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, provided it takes reasonable steps to reduce the impact. Nothing excludes liability, consumer remedies, data-protection rights, or other obligations that cannot legally be limited.
Governing law, notices, and changes
Nigerian law governs these Terms. Disputes should first be raised with the compliance desk. Courts of competent jurisdiction remain available, including for urgent relief. Arbitration applies where the parties have a valid agreement requiring it.
Mandatory law takes priority. A signed agreement controls any expressly negotiated subject; these Terms and the specific registry policy apply otherwise. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply.
The version and effective date identify the current publication. Material changes are communicated through the website or registrar channel as required by the applicable agreement and law. Notices should include the affected domain, relevant policy version, and a reachable contact.