diff --git a/test/unit/util_test.js b/test/unit/util_test.js
index 87f57b218ef7..10bfc6c1a35a 100644
--- a/test/unit/util_test.js
+++ b/test/unit/util_test.js
@@ -103,6 +103,64 @@ describe('util', function () {
     })
   })
 
+  describe('isValidDomainName', function () {
+    it('should return true when given a valid domain name', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('foo.bar'), true)
+    })
+
+    it('should return true when given a valid subdomain', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('foo.foo.bar'), true)
+    })
+
+    it('should return true when given a single-character domain', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('f.bar'), true)
+    })
+
+    it('should return true when given a unicode TLD', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('台灣.中国'), true)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a domain with unacceptable ASCII characters', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('$.bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a TLD that starts with a dash', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('foo.-bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a TLD that ends with a dash', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('foo.bar-'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a domain name with a chunk that starts with a dash', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('-foo.bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a domain name with a chunk that ends with a dash', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('foo-.bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a bare TLD', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a domain that starts with a period', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('.bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a subdomain that starts with a period', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('.foo.bar'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a domain that ends with a period', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('bar.'), false)
+    })
+
+    it('should return false when given a 1-character TLD', function () {
+      assert.strictEqual(util.isValidDomainName('foo.b'), false)
+    })
+  })
+
   describe('#numericBalance', function () {
     it('should return a BN 0 if given nothing', function () {
       var result = util.numericBalance()
diff --git a/ui/app/helpers/utils/util.js b/ui/app/helpers/utils/util.js
index 19aabb77084c..90b6fc452c13 100644
--- a/ui/app/helpers/utils/util.js
+++ b/ui/app/helpers/utils/util.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ const abi = require('human-standard-token-abi')
 const ethUtil = require('ethereumjs-util')
 const hexToBn = require('../../../../app/scripts/lib/hex-to-bn')
 import { DateTime } from 'luxon'
+import punycode from 'punycode'
 
 const MIN_GAS_PRICE_GWEI_BN = new ethUtil.BN(1)
 const GWEI_FACTOR = new ethUtil.BN(1e9)
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ module.exports = {
   miniAddressSummary: miniAddressSummary,
   isAllOneCase: isAllOneCase,
   isValidAddress: isValidAddress,
-  isValidENSAddress,
+  isValidDomainName,
   numericBalance: numericBalance,
   parseBalance: parseBalance,
   formatBalance: formatBalance,
@@ -99,8 +100,14 @@ function isValidAddress (address) {
   return (isAllOneCase(prefixed) && ethUtil.isValidAddress(prefixed)) || ethUtil.isValidChecksumAddress(prefixed)
 }
 
-function isValidENSAddress (address) {
-  return address.match(/^.{3,}\.(eth|test|xyz)$/)
+function isValidDomainName (address) {
+  const match = punycode.toASCII(address)
+    .toLowerCase()
+    // Checks that the domain consists of at least one valid domain pieces separated by periods, followed by a tld
+    // Each piece of domain name has only the characters a-z, 0-9, and a hyphen (but not at the start or end of chunk)
+    // A chunk has minimum length of 1, but minimum tld is set to 2 for now (no 1-character tlds exist yet)
+    .match(/^(?:[a-z0-9](?:[-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?\.)+[a-z0-9][-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9]$/)
+  return match !== null
 }
 
 function isInvalidChecksumAddress (address) {
diff --git a/ui/app/pages/send/send-content/add-recipient/ens-input.component.js b/ui/app/pages/send/send-content/add-recipient/ens-input.component.js
index 8f8023fd05dd..11b9c5cb5beb 100644
--- a/ui/app/pages/send/send-content/add-recipient/ens-input.component.js
+++ b/ui/app/pages/send/send-content/add-recipient/ens-input.component.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import React, { Component } from 'react'
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
 import c from 'classnames'
-import { isValidENSAddress, isValidAddress, isValidAddressHead } from '../../../../helpers/utils/util'
-import {ellipsify} from '../../send.utils'
+import { isValidDomainName, isValidAddress, isValidAddressHead } from '../../../../helpers/utils/util'
+import { ellipsify } from '../../send.utils'
 
 import debounce from 'debounce'
 import copyToClipboard from 'copy-to-clipboard/index'
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ export default class EnsInput extends Component {
         this.props.updateEnsResolution(address)
       })
       .catch((reason) => {
-        if (isValidENSAddress(recipient) && reason.message === 'ENS name not defined.') {
+        if (isValidDomainName(recipient) && reason.message === 'ENS name not defined.') {
           this.props.updateEnsResolutionError(this.context.t('ensNotFoundOnCurrentNetwork'))
         } else {
           log.error(reason)
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ export default class EnsInput extends Component {
       return
     }
 
-    if (isValidENSAddress(input)) {
+    if (isValidDomainName(input)) {
       this.lookupEnsName(input)
     } else if (onValidAddressTyped && isValidAddress(input)) {
       onValidAddressTyped(input)
diff --git a/ui/app/pages/send/send.container.js b/ui/app/pages/send/send.container.js
index 2350712f3e5f..f8512a7bb1b1 100644
--- a/ui/app/pages/send/send.container.js
+++ b/ui/app/pages/send/send.container.js
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ import {
   calcGasTotal,
 } from './send.utils.js'
 import {
-  isValidENSAddress,
+  isValidDomainName,
 } from '../../helpers/utils/util'
 
 import {
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ function mapDispatchToProps (dispatch) {
     updateSendEnsResolution: (ensResolution) => dispatch(updateSendEnsResolution(ensResolution)),
     updateSendEnsResolutionError: (message) => dispatch(updateSendEnsResolutionError(message)),
     updateToNicknameIfNecessary: (to, toNickname, addressBook) => {
-      if (isValidENSAddress(toNickname)) {
-        const addressBookEntry = addressBook.find(({ address}) => to === address) || {}
+      if (isValidDomainName(toNickname)) {
+        const addressBookEntry = addressBook.find(({ address }) => to === address) || {}
         if (!addressBookEntry.name !== toNickname) {
           dispatch(updateSendTo(to, addressBookEntry.name || ''))
         }
diff --git a/ui/app/pages/settings/contact-list-tab/add-contact/add-contact.component.js b/ui/app/pages/settings/contact-list-tab/add-contact/add-contact.component.js
index 56d4415cf5fb..878ea10c2689 100644
--- a/ui/app/pages/settings/contact-list-tab/add-contact/add-contact.component.js
+++ b/ui/app/pages/settings/contact-list-tab/add-contact/add-contact.component.js
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
 import Identicon from '../../../../components/ui/identicon'
 import TextField from '../../../../components/ui/text-field'
 import { CONTACT_LIST_ROUTE } from '../../../../helpers/constants/routes'
-import { isValidAddress, isValidENSAddress } from '../../../../helpers/utils/util'
-import EnsInput from '../../../../pages/send/send-content/add-recipient/ens-input'
+import { isValidAddress, isValidDomainName } from '../../../../helpers/utils/util'
+import EnsInput from '../../../send/send-content/add-recipient/ens-input'
 import PageContainerFooter from '../../../../components/ui/page-container/page-container-footer'
 import debounce from 'lodash.debounce'
 
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export default class AddContact extends PureComponent {
 
   validate = address => {
     const valid = isValidAddress(address)
-    const validEnsAddress = isValidENSAddress(address)
+    const validEnsAddress = isValidDomainName(address)
     if (valid || validEnsAddress || address === '') {
       this.setState({ error: '', ethAddress: address })
     } else {