Domains

The Domains tab allows you to configure how WHMCS registers, manages, and renews domains.

The Domains tab in General Settings

You can access this tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings.

You can configure the domain sync task at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings.

Domain Registration Options

Uncheck these options to hide the associated option from the order form. For example, if you do not want customers to transfer domain names to you, unchecking that checkbox will remove the option from the order form.

If you uncheck all of these options, the Choose a Domain feature will not appear on the Client Area Homepage.

Enable Renewal Orders

Enable this to display domain renewal options to clients in the Client Area and include a renewal category in the shopping cart. This allows clients to renew their domains at any time.

If you disable this, clients can only renew domains when the system generates the renewal invoice.

For more information, see Enable Client Area Domain Renewals.

Auto Renew on Payment

Enable this to renew domains automatically at the associated domain registrar when the client pays the invoice.

Auto Renew Requires Product

Enable this to only renew free domains if there is an associated service under the same client with a matching domain name and Next Due Date value.

  • For this setting, the system treats a domain name as a free domain if the Recurring Amount value is 0.00.
  • If there is not a matching service, the system will not process the renewal. Instead, it will send a Free Domain Renewal Manual Action Required email to the appropriate admins and add a log entry at Configuration () > System Logs.

This setting can help you prevent accidental free domain renewals when you offer free domains.

In some circumstances, the Next Due Date values for the domain and service can become out of sync. If this occurs, you can still renew these domains manually. For more information, see Manually Renew a Domain.

Default Auto Renewal Setting

Enable this to automatically invoice your customers for domain name renewals according to your settings at at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings.

You can override this setting for individual domains. For more information, see Disable Automatic Domain Renewal

Create To-Do List Entries

Enable this to automatically create To-Do List entries when a domain-related action requires manual intervention.

For example, if you enable this option and a domain registration fails due to an error, the system will create a new item at Utilities > To-Do List.

Allow IDN Domains

Check this option to allow international domain names, which can contain any characters, including UTF-8.

If you don’t enable this, WHMCS will only allow clients to use a-z and 0-9 in domain names.

Domain Grace and Redemption Fees

Enabling this will activate domain grace and redemption periods, allowing clients to place renewal orders for domains after the expiration date.

  • Domain renewal invoices will remain in the Unpaid status for the duration of the grace and redemption periods.
  • When clients renew an expired domain, the system will automatically charge them the additional fees that you configure at Configuration () > System Settings > Domain Pricing.
  • If you disable this setting, or if you enable it but you have not configured the required fees, the system will automatically cancel domain renewal invoices after the expiration date.
For more information about grace and redemption periods, see Domain Grace Periods.

Domain Grace and Redemption Fee Billing

This setting controls how the system invoices additional domain renewal fees.

Domain Grace and Redemption Fee Billing in the Domains tab

You can choose from the following options:

  • Add Grace and Redemption Fees to existing invoice — Select this option to add additional grace or redemption fees to the existing unpaid renewal invoice for the domain name.
  • Generate a new invoice for the domain renewal including any Grace and Redemption Fees — Select this option to cancel the existing unpaid domain renewal invoice or invoice item and raise a new invoice with both the renewal fee and the additional grace or redemption fee. You may prefer this option when tax authority rules do not permit you to edit invoices after issuing them.

Default Nameservers

Enter the default nameservers to use for domain orders that do not include a hosting product. Typically, you will enter your own nameservers or the nameservers from a DNS management service.

Default Nameserver settings in the Domains tab

For example, if you use eNom’s DNS management service, the default nameservers would be:

dns1.name-services.com
dns2.name-services.com
dns3.name-services.com
dns4.name-services.com
dns5.name-services.com
When a customer orders a domain with a hosting product, the system uses the nameservers that you configured for that hosting product’s module at Configuration () > System Settings > Servers instead.

Default Contact Details

Set the details to provide to the WHOIS database for domains that you register with supported modules.

  • The system will always use the client’s details as the registrant contact, and checking Use Client Details will use their contact details for all other domain contacts.
  • If you disable Use Client Details, enter your own contact details to use as the billing, admin, and technical contacts for the domain.
  • Users can change this later in the Client Area.
general-settings nameservers domain-renewals domain-registration domain-pricing domain-sync redemption-periods

Last modified: June 14, 2024