Country code top-level domain

A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all two-letter top-level domains are ccTLDs.

In 2018, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) began implementing internationalized country code top-level domains, consisting of language-native characters when displayed in an end-user application. Creation and delegation of ccTLDs is described in RFC 1591, corresponding to ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes. While gTLDs have to obey international regulations, ccTLDs are subjected to requirements that are determined by each country's domain name regulation corporation. With over 150 million domain name registrations as of 2022, ccTLDs make up about 40% of the total domain name industry.[1]

Country code extension applications began in 1985. The registered country code extensions in that year included .us (United States), .uk (United Kingdom) and .il (Israel). The registered country code extensions in 1986 included .au (Australia), .de (Germany), .fi (Finland), .fr (France), .is (Iceland), .jp (Japan), .kr (South Korea), .nl (Netherlands) and .se (Sweden). The registered country code extensions in 1987 included .nz (New Zealand), .ch (Switzerland) and .ca (Canada).[2] The registered country code extensions in 1988 included .ie (Ireland) .it (Italy), .es (Spain) and .pt (Portugal). The registered country code extensions in 1989 included .in (India) and .yu (Yugoslavia). In the 1990s, .cn (People's Republic of China) and .ru (Russian Federation) were first registered.

There are 308 delegated ccTLDs. The .cn, .tk, .de, .uk, .nl and .ru ccTLDs contain the highest number of domains. The top ten ccTLDs account for more than five-eighths of registered ccTLD domains. There were about 153 million ccTLD domains registered at the end of March 2022.[1]

Delegation and management

IANA is responsible for determining an appropriate trustee for each ccTLD. Administration and control are then delegated to that trustee, which is responsible for the policies and operation of the domain. The current delegation can be determined from IANA's list of ccTLDs.[3] Individual ccTLDs may have varying requirements and fees for registering subdomains. There may be a local-presence requirement (for instance, citizenship or other connection to the ccTLD), as, for example, the American (us), Japanese (jp), Canadian (ca), French (fr) and German (de) domains, or registration may be open.

History

The first registered ccTLD was .us, which was registered in 1985. Later ccTLDs registered in that year included .uk and .il. Then, .au, .de, .fi, .fr, .is, .jp, .kr, .nl and .se were also registered in 1986.[3] In 1987, .nz, .ch, .my and .ca were registered. Later on, in 1988, .ie, .it, .es and .pt were also registered.

Lists

As of 20 May 2017, there were 255 country-code top-level domains, purely in the Latin alphabet, using two-character codes. The number was 316 as of June 2020, with the addition of internationalized domains.[3]

Latin Character ccTLDs

Table columns – legend
Name DNS name of the two-letter country-code top-level domain. They follow ISO 3166-1 alpha-2, with some exceptions such as ".ac" for Ascension Island, ".eu" for the European Union, or ".uk" for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland instead of ".gb". ISO codes bv, bl, mf, sj, gb, and um are not used for country code top-level domains.
Entity Country, dependency, or region
Explanation Explanation of the code when it is not self-evident from the English name of the country. These are usually domains that arise from native name of the country (e.g. .de for Deutschland, German language name for Germany).
Notes General remarks
Registry Domain name registry operator, sometimes called a network information center (NIC)
IDN Support for internationalized domain names (IDN)
DNSSEC Presence of DS records for Domain Name System Security Extensions
SLD Second level domain; that is, whether names may be registered directly under the TLD
IPv6 Registry fully supports IPv6 access
Overview of Latin-character country-code TLDs
Name[3]EntityExplanation (language of origin, if different from English)NotesRegistry[3][needs update?]IDNDNSSECSLDIPv6Introduction Date
.ac  Ascension Island (United Kingdom)Ascension IslandCommonly used for academic websites, such as universities. However, .ac is not to be confused with the official academic domains used by several countries such as the United Kingdom (.ac.uk), India (.ac.in) or Indonesia (.ac.id). Also used in the accounting, consulting, and air-conditioning industries.Ascension Island Network Information Centre (run by Internet Computer Bureau)YesYesYesYes19 December 1997
.ad  AndorraAndorraLocal trademark, trade name or citizenship required.[4]Nic.adNoYesYes9 January 1996
.ae  United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates.aeDANoNoYes1 December 1992
.af  AfghanistanAfghanistanNoYesYes16 October 1997
.ag  Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and BarbudaAlso unofficially used by German businesses (where AG is an abbreviation of Aktiengesellschaft).NoYesYes3 September 1991
.ai  Anguilla (United Kingdom)AnguillaAlso unofficially used by tech companies specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence).NoNoYes16 February 1995
.al  AlbaniaAlbaniaCitizenship no longer required.NoNoYes21 April 1992
.am  ArmeniaArmeniaAlso unofficially used by AM radio stations, podcasts or related business.NoYesYesYes26 August 1994
.ao  AngolaAngolaNoNo?15 November 1995
.aq  AntarcticaAntarctique (French)Defined by the Antarctic Treaty as everything south of latitude 60°S. AQ domain names are available to government organizations who are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty and to other registrants who have a physical presence in Antarctica. Domain names can be registered and renewed free of charge.?NoYes?26 February 1992
.ar  ArgentinaArgentinanic.arSpanish[A]YesYesYes23 September 1987
.as  American Samoa (United States)American SamoaIn some countries, like Norway and Denmark, "AS" or "A/S" is used as an abbreviation for stock-based or limited companies. Such companies will often make use of the domain. Also unofficially used by the Principality of Asturias, Spain.YesNoYes12 June 1997
.at  AustriaAustriaNic.atYes[B]YesYesYes20 January 1988
.au  AustraliaAustraliaRestrictions apply. In general, registrants must have an "Australian presence", and can be registered anywhere between 1 and 5 years.[7] Includes Ashmore and Cartier Islands and Coral Sea Islands. Direct second-level domain registration (marketed as ".au Direct") has been made available commencing 24 March 2022.[8]auDANoYesYes (*From 24 Mar 2022)[8]Yes5 March 1986
.aw  Aruba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)Aruba, West IndiesRestricted to registered Aruban companies, organisations and citizens.NoYesYes20 February 1996
.ax  Åland (Finland).al and .ad already allocatedNoYesYes21 June 2006
.az  AzerbaijanAzerbaijanOnly for Residents. Has no WHOIS-Server.NoYesYesYes25 August 1993
.ba  Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaUniversity of Sarajevo - University tele-informatic Centre https://www.utic.unsa.ba https://www.nic.baNoNoYes14 August 1996
.bb  BarbadosBarbadosNoNoYes3 September 1991
.bd  BangladeshBangladeshFor individuals, registrant must have a valid NID. For companies, registrant must have company or trademark registered in Bangladesh.YesNoYes20 May 1999
.be  BelgiumBelgiumUsed for YouTube-related domains. Also unofficially used in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland.DNS BelgiumLatin[9]YesYesYes[10]5 August 1988 (added to root zone)
.bf  Burkina FasoBurkina FasoNoNoYes29 March 1993
.bg  BulgariaBulgariaSee also .бг (.bg in Cyrillic) for IDN ccTLD.YesYesYes3 January 1995
.bh  BahrainBahrainNoYesYes1 February 1994
.bi  BurundiBurundiNoNoYes21 October 1996
.bj  Benin.be, .bn, and .bi already allocatedNoNoYes18 January 1996
.bm  Bermuda (United Kingdom)BermudaLocal corporate registration required.NoYesYesMarch 1993
.bn  BruneiBruneiNoNoNo3 June 1994
.bo  BoliviaBoliviaNoNoYes26 February 1991
.bq  Caribbean Netherlands (  Bonaire,  Saba, and  Sint Eustatius).be and .bs already allocated20 February 2010
.br  BrazilBrasil (Portuguese)Restricted. Registration is done under several categories (i.e.: .edu.br for higher education institutions, .gov.br for government agencies, etc.).[11]Portuguese[12]YesNo[C]18 April 1989
.bs  BahamasBahamasNoNoYes3 September 1991
.bt  BhutanBhutanMust have local presence in Bhutan, and valid trade license.[13]NoYesNo16 July 1997
.bw  BotswanaBotswanaMay also be used for the Province of Walloon Brabant, Wallonia, Belgium.NoNo[14]Yes19 March 1993
.by  BelarusByelorussia (Russian)Also unofficially used to denote Bayern (Bavaria), Germany.NoYesYes10 May 1994
.bz  BelizeBelizeAlso unofficially used in the province of Bozen (or South Tyrol, see .st).NoYesYes3 September 1991
.ca  CanadaCanadaSubject to Canadian Presence Requirements. Also unofficially used by some websites in the U.S. state of California.CIRAFrench[15]YesYesYes14 May 1987
.cc  Cocos (Keeling) IslandsCocos IslandsAustralian territory: not to be confused with Cocos Island in Guam. Currently marketed as global domain, registration allowed worldwide, local presence not required; the domain is currently operated by eNIC, a VeriSign company.YesYesYes13 October 1997
.cd  Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo, Democratic RepublicAlso unofficially used for Compact disc-related domains.NoNoYes20 August 1997
.cf  Central African RepublicCentral African RepublicWas previously used as a free domain service to the publicSOCATELYesNoYes24 April 1996
.cg  Republic of the CongoCongoNoNoYes14 January 1997
.ch   SwitzerlandConfoederatio Helvetica (Latin)SWITCHYes[D]YesYes20 May 1987
.ci  Ivory CoastCôte d'Ivoire (French)NoNoYes14 February 1995
.ck  Cook IslandsCook IslandsNoNoYes8 August 1995
.cl  ChileChileNIC ChileYesYesYesYes15 December 1987
.cm  CameroonCameroonA local entity or company in Cameroon is required to register a domain name.NoNoYes29 April 1995
.cn  People's Republic of ChinaChinaA local company in China is required to register a domain name, or for personal registrations a valid Resident Identity Card. See ICP license for more information regarding registrations. Hong Kong and Macau also maintain TLDs.

Also unofficially used for Cartoon Network-related domains.

YesYesYesYes28 November 1990
.co  ColombiaColombiaMarketed as a global domain. Anyone can register.NoYesYes24 December 1991
.cr  Costa RicaCosta RicaNoYesYes10 September 1990
.cu  CubaCubaNoNoYes3 June 1992
.cv  Cape VerdeCape VerdeAlso unofficially used for curriculum vitae-related domains.NoNoYes21 October 1996
.cw  Curaçao (Kingdom of the Netherlands)Curaçao, West IndiesNo?20 December 2010
.cx  Christmas IslandChristmas, XmasMade infamous from Goatse.cx.NoYesYes24 April 1997
.cy  CyprusCyprusNoYes[E]Yes26 July 1994
.cz  Czech RepublicCzechiaNo[F]YesYes13 January 1993
.de  GermanyDeutschland (German)German postal address for administrative contact (admin-c) required. Proxy registrations are allowed.DENICYes[G]YesYesYes5 November 1986
.dj  DjiboutiDjiboutiAlso unofficially used by disc jockeys.NoNoYes22 May 1996
.dk  DenmarkDanmark (Danish)Punktum dkYes[H]YesYesYes14 July 1987
.dm  DominicaDominicaNoNoYes3 September 1991
.do  Dominican RepublicDominicanNoNoYes25 August 1991
.dz  AlgeriaEl Djazair / Dzayer (Arabic)NoYesYes3 January 1994
.ec  EcuadorEcuadorIn Japan, "EC" is used as an acronym for "electronic commerce". Because of that, it's used unofficially by companies dedicated to provide online stores like BASE, a company that has two domains related to e-commerce: "base.in" and "official.ec".Nic.ecNoNoYes1 February 1991
.ee  EstoniaEesti (Estonian)Yes[I]YesYes3 June 1992
.eg  EgyptEgyptNoNoYes30 November 1990
.eh  Western SaharaEspañol Sahara (Spanish)Unassigned.NoNoNo
.er  EritreaEritreaNoYes24 September 1996
.es  SpainEspaña (Spanish)Red.esYes[22]YesYes14 April 1988
.et  EthiopiaEthiopiaNoNoNo15 October 1995
.eu  European UnionEuropean UnionRestricted to legal and natural persons in European Union member states. Previously unofficially used for sites in the Basque language, but now .eus is in official use.EURidYes[J]YesYesYes[24]28 April 2005
.fi  FinlandFinlandRegistration allowed worldwide, local presence not required.FICORAYes[K]YesYesYes17 December 1986
.fj  FijiFijiNoNoYes3 June 1992
.fk  Falkland Islands (United Kingdom)FalklandNoNoNo26 March 1997
.fm  Federated States of MicronesiaFederated States of MicronesiaAlso unofficially used by FM radio stations, podcasts or related business.YesYesYes19 April 1995
.fo  Faroe Islands (Kingdom of Denmark)royar (Faroese)FO CouncilNoYesYes14 May 1993
.fr  FranceFranceRestricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.[L]AFNICYes[27]YesYes2 September 1986
.ga  GabonGabonMust have presence in Gabon or justify any other direct or indirect link with Gabon. Geographical names and names associated with public/government entities prohibited.

Was previously used as a free domain service to the public

ANINFYesNoYes12 December 1994
.gd  GrenadaGrenadaNoYesYes3 June 1992
.ge  GeorgiaGeorgiaAvailable for registration for residents of Georgia (unlimited) or for foreign companies via representation of any local legal person (one domain name per registrant).[28]NoNoYes2 December 1992
.gf  French Guiana (France)Guyane Française (French)NoNo25 July 1996
.gg  Guernsey.gu, .gs, and .gy already allocatedAlso unofficially used by video game-related websites (see GG (gaming)).Island Networks Ltd.YesYesYes7 August 1996
.gh  GhanaGhanaNoNoNo19 January 1995
.gi  Gibraltar (United Kingdom)GibraltarNoYesYes5 December 1995
.gl  Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark)GreenlandPreviously also unofficially used in Galicia, Spain, but .gal has now been approved for such use and was implemented in mid-2014.NoYesYes8 April 1994
.gm  The GambiaGambiaDomain name should match the domain owner's name or trademarks. Common nouns are blocked.NoNoYes28 March 1997
.gn  GuineaGuineaA local contact is required.NoYesNo9 August 1994
.gp  Guadeloupe (France)GuadeloupeStill used for Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin.NoNoYes21 October 1996
.gq  Equatorial GuineaGuinée équatoriale (French)Was previously used as a free domain service to the publicGETESAYesNo10 July 1997
.gr  GreeceGreeceYes[M]YesYes19 February 1989
.gs  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom)South Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsNoYesYes31 July 1997
.gt  GuatemalaGuatemalaYesNoYesYes14 August 1992
.gu  Guam (United States)GuamNoNoNo15 April 1994
.gw  Guinea-BissauGine-Bisaawo (Fula)NoYesYes4 February 1997
.gy  GuyanaGuyanaNoYesYes13 September 1994
.hk  Hong KongHong KongYesYesYes3 January 1990
.hm  Heard Island and McDonald IslandsHeard Island and McDonald IslandsUnused for its intended purposes (islands are uninhabited and government sites instead use .aq); registry open to the public.NoNoYes24 July 1997
.hn  HondurasHondurasNoYesYes16 April 1993
.hr  CroatiaHrvatska (Serbo-Croatian)NoYesYes27 February 1993 (in root zone)
March 1993[30]
.ht  HaitiHaitiYesNoYes6 March 1997
.hu  HungaryHungaryLimited to citizens of the European Union or entities established by law within the territory of the EU.Yes[31]YesYes7 November 1990
.id  IndonesiaIndonesiaRestricted to Indonesian companies (co.id), organisations (or.id), academic (ac.id & sch.id) and citizens (biz.id, my.id & web.id). Second-level domains are becoming available now and opened to general registration on 17 August 2014.[32]PANDIYesYesYes27 February 1993
.ie  IrelandIrelandIn 2002, registration was expanded to include persons or businesses with a "real and substantive" connection with the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland).[33][34]YesYesYesYes27 January 1988[35]
.il  IsraelIsraelYesYesYes24 October 1985
.im  Isle of ManIsle of ManNoNoYes11 September 1996
.in  IndiaIndiaUnder INRegistry since April 2005 (except for gov.in, nic.in, mil.in, ac.in, edu.in, and res.in).NIXI[36]Yes[37]YesYesYes8 May 1989
.io  British Indian Ocean Territory (United Kingdom)Indian OceanUsed unofficially by technology companies, startups, and web applications as IO can be an acronym for "input/output" that is useful for domain hacks.NIC.IO (run by Internet Computer Bureau)YesYesYes16 September 1997
.iq  IraqIraqNoPartial[N]Yes9 May 1997 (in root zone)
.ir  IranIranIRNICYesNoYes6 April 1994
.is  IcelandÍsland (Icelandic)Also unofficially used and marketed as a domain hack (for example it.is, that.is, etc.).ISNICYesYesYes18 November 1987
.it  ItalyItalyRestricted to companies and individuals in the European Union.Yes[38]Yes[39]YesYes23 December 1987 (in root zone)
1 January 1988 (fully active)
.je  JerseyJerseyIsland Networks Ltd.YesNoYes8 August 1996
.jm  JamaicaJamaicaNoNoNo24 September 1991
.jo  JordanJordanNoYes23 November 1994 (in root zone)
.jp  JapanJapanRestricted to individuals or companies with a physical address in Japan.Japan Registry ServicesYesYesYesYes[40]5 August 1986
.ke  KenyaKenyaNoNo[41]No29 April 1993
.kg  KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstanNoYesYes12 July 1995
.kh  CambodiaKhmerNoNoNo20 February 1996
.ki  KiribatiKiribatiNoYesYes19 April 1995
.km  ComorosKomori (Comorian)NoNoYes8 June 1998
.kn  Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and NevisNoNoYes3 September 1991
.kp  North KoreaKorea, Democratic People's RepublicRestricted to companies, organizations, or government entities based in North Korea. Despite this, few domains are actually registered because of internet censorship in North Korea.NoNoNoNo24 September 2007
.kr  South KoreaKorea, RepublicYesYesYes29 September 1986
.kw  KuwaitKuwaitYesNo26 October 1992
.ky  Cayman Islands (United Kingdom).ci and .cy already allocatedNoYesYes3 May 1995
.kz  KazakhstanKazakhstan"A prerequisite for server hardware is its physical location on the territory of the Republic of

Kazakhstan."[42]

KAZNICYesNoYes19 September 1994
.la  LaosLaosCurrently being marketed as the unofficial domain for Los Angeles.[43]YesYes14 May 1996
.lb  LebanonLebanonRestricted to registration with companies in Lebanon.YesNo25 August 1993
.lc  Saint LuciaSaint LuciaYesYes3 September 1991
.li  LiechtensteinLiechtensteinAlso unofficially used by entities on Long Island, New York or people with the last name Li. In Russian, li can be used to create domain names that mean a verb with a past tense plural ending li .SWITCHYesYesYes26 February 1993
.lk  Sri LankaSri LankaYesYesYes15 June 1990
.lr  LiberiaLiberiaPartial[N]No9 April 1997
.ls  LesothoLesothoNoNo13 January 1993
.lt  LithuaniaLithuaniaYesYesYes3 June 1992
.lu  LuxembourgLuxembourgAlso unofficially used in Lucerne, Switzerland.YesYesYes27 January 1995
.lv  LatviaLatviaIMCS ULYesYesYes29 April 1993
.ly  LibyaLibyaUsed unofficially as a domain hack for words ending in -ly.YesYes23 April 1997
.ma  MoroccoMaroc (French)Partial[N]Yes26 November 1993
.mc  MonacoMonacoOnly for companies with a trademark registered in Monaco.YesYes20 January 1995
.md  MoldovaMoldovaRestricted to individuals or companies with a physical address in Moldova.YesYes24 March 1994
.me  MontenegroMontenegroAlso unofficially used and marketed as a domain hack (for example love.me, meet.me, etc.).YesYes24 September 2007
.mg  MadagascarMadagascarRestricted to registration with companies in Madagascar.NIC-MGNoYes25 July 1995
.mh  Marshall IslandsMarshallInactive.No16 August 1996
.mk  North MacedoniaMakedonija (Serbo-Croatian)Restricted to individuals and companies in European Union.NoYes23 September 1993
.ml  MaliMaliWas previously used as a free domain service to the publicAGETICYesNoYes29 September 1993
.mm  MyanmarMyanmarNoNo4 February 1997
.mn  MongoliaMongoliaThe second-level domains .gov.mn, .org.mn, and .edu.mn are reserved for special use. See .mn for more information.YesYes2 March 1995
.mo  MacauMacaoRegistrants must have a registered business in Macau, with the same name as the domain they wish to register.NoYes17 September 1992
.mp  Northern Mariana Islands (United States)Marianas PacificNoYes22 October 1996
.mq  Martinique (France)Martinique (French)NoNo28 March 1997
.mr  MauritaniaMauritaniaYesYes24 April 1996
.ms  Montserrat (United Kingdom)MontserratAlso unofficially used for Microsoft-related domains.NoYes6 March 1997
.mt  MaltaMaltaNoNo2 December 1992
.mu  MauritiusMauritiusNoYes6 October 1995
.mv  MaldivesMaldivesNoYes25 September 1996
.mw  MalawiMalawiNoYes3 January 1997
.mx  MexicoMexicoYesYes1 February 1989
.my  MalaysiaMalaysiaRestricted to registration by individuals or companies in Malaysia.MYNICYes[44]YesYes8 June 1987
.mz  MozambiqueMozambiqueNoNo4 September 1992
.na  NamibiaNamibiaYesYes8 May 1991
.nc  New Caledonia (France)New CaledoniaRestricted to companies that have a New Caledonian Business Registration Certificate or individuals living in New Caledonia for at least 6 months.YesYes13 October 1993
.ne  NigerNigerNoYes24 April 1996
.nf  Norfolk IslandNorfolkYesYes18 March 1996
.ng  NigeriaNigeriaNoYes15 March 1995
.ni  NicaraguaNicaraguaNoNo13 October 1989
.nl  NetherlandsNetherlandsFirst active country-code domain outside the US.[45]NoYesYesYes25 April 1986
.no  NorwayNorwayBusinesses and professionals must be registered as an approved type of organization in the Brønnøysund Register Centre. Individual applicants must be of age (18 years) and be registered in Folkeregisteret. All applicants must have a Norwegian postal address.NoridYesYesYesYes17 March 1987
.np    NepalNepalAll .np domains are free to register for individuals and registered businesses. Foreign businesses must provide proof of local presence in Nepal.NoNo25 January 1995
.nr  NauruNauruWas previously used as a free domain service to the public as co.nr.[46]NoYes30 March 1998
.nu  NiueNiueCommonly used by Danish, Dutch, and Swedish websites, as in their respective languages "nu" means "now".The Swedish Internet FoundationYes[47]YesYesYes20 June 1997
.nz  New ZealandNew ZealandMāori[48]YesYes[49]Yes19 January 1987
.om  OmanOmanRegistrant must have company or trademark registered in Oman as well as a local administrative contact.NoNo11 April 1996
.pa  PanamaPanamaSome use in Pennsylvania.NoNo25 May 1994
.pe  PeruPeruAlso unofficially used for Private Equity-related businesses.YesYesYes25 November 1991
.pf  French Polynesia (France)Polynésie française (French)With Clipperton Island.NoYes19 March 1996
.pg  Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaNoNo26 September 1991
.ph  PhilippinesPhilippinesYesYes14 September 1990
.pk  PakistanPakistanOperated by PKNIC since 1992.NoYes3 June 1992
.pl  PolandPolandYes[50]YesYes30 July 1990
.pm  Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (France)Saint Pierre and MiquelonRestricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.[L]AFNICYesYes20 August 1997
.pn  Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom)PitcairnAs a part of a marketing campaign, Lionsgate used the TLD for some (now defunct) sites related to The Hunger Games franchise, presenting it as the "official" country code of the fictional nation of Panem; notable sites included thecapitol.pn and revolution.pn.NoYes10 July 1997
.pr  Puerto Rico (United States)Puerto RicoYesYes27 August 1989
.ps  Palestine[51]PalestineJerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Strip.NoYes22 March 2000
.pt  PortugalPortugalPortugueseYesYesYes[52]30 June 1988
.pw  PalauPelew (archaic English spelling)YesYesYesYes[53]12 June 1997
.py  ParaguayParaguayNoNo9 September 1991
.qa  QatarQatarNoNo12 June 1996
.re  Réunion (France)unionRestricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.[L]AFNICYes[27]YesYes7 April 1997
.ro  RomaniaRomaniaYes[54]Yes[54]YesYes[54]26 February 1993
.rs  SerbiaRepublika Srbija (Serbo-Croatian)See also .срб (.srb in Cyrillic). Also unofficially used for Rust (programming language)-related domains.YesYesYesYes24 September 2007 (in root zone)
10 March 2008 (registrations)
.ru  RussiaRussiaSee also .su, still in use, and .рф, for IDN.NoYesYesYes7 April 1994
.rw  RwandaRwandaRICTANoYes21 October 1996
.sa  Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaRegistrant must have a registered trademark in Saudi Arabia matching the domain name to register or provide company incorporation documents of a company in Saudi Arabia or for personal registrations a copy of valid ID. A letter on the official letterhead of your organization addressed to SaudiNIC requesting the domain name registration is also required. Local administrative contact required. 2LD registrations rolled out in 2011.[55]Arabic[9]Yes[56]YesYes[57]17 May 1994
.sb  Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands, BritishYesNo19 April 1994
.sc  SeychellesSeychellesAlso unofficially used for Snapchat-related domains.YesYes9 May 1997
.sd  SudanSudanNoYes6 March 1997
.se  SwedenSverige (Swedish)The Swedish Internet FoundationYes[O]YesYesYes4 September 1986
.sg  SingaporeSingaporeAlso unofficially used in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.YesYes19 October 1988
.sh Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)Saint Helena

Also unofficially used by Canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland

NIC.SH (run by Internet Computer Bureau)Yes[59]YesYes23 September 1997
.si  SloveniaSloveniaYes[P]YesYes1 April 1992
.sk  SlovakiaSlovensko (Slovak)Restricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.[L]YesYesYes29 March 1993
.sl  Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneNoYes9 May 1997
.sm  San MarinoSan MarinoDomain name must be same as company name or trademark.NoYes16 August 1995
.sn  SenegalSenegalRegistration allowed for companies only. Individuals are not allowed to register.YesYes19 March 1993
.so  SomaliaSomaliaRelaunched on 1 November 2010.SONICNoNoYes28 August 1997
.sr  SurinameSurinameNoYes3 September 1991
.ss  South SudanSouth SudanYes10 August 2011 (allocated)
2 February 2019 (root zone)
.st  São Tomé and PríncipeSão ToméAlso unofficially used in South Tyrol (or province of Bozen, see .bz) and Styria.YesNoYes7 November 1997
.su  Soviet UnionSoviet UnionStill in use. Also unofficially used by Student Unions.Yes[Q]YesYesYes[62]19 September 1990
.sv  El SalvadorSalvadorNoNo4 November 1994
.sx  Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands).sm, .ma, and .mt already allocated; airport code is SXM.YesNo20 December 2010
.sy  SyriaSyriaNoYes20 February 1996
.sz  EswatiniSwazilandRegistration is restricted to Eswatini organizations with Eswatini Trading Licenses.NoNo19 July 1993
.tc  Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom)Turks and CaicosAlso marketed in Turkey. The official abbreviation of 'Türkiye Cumhuriyeti' (Republic of Turkey) is TC.NoYes27 January 1997
.td  ChadTchad (French)Available for registration to entities connected with Chad only.NoYes3 November 1997
.tf  French Southern and Antarctic LandsTerres australes et antarctiques françaises (French)Seldom used. Restricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The domain also sees frequent use for community-run sites related to the video game Team Fortress 2.[L]AFNICYes[27]YesYes26 August 1997
.tg  TogoTogoNoYes5 September 1996
.th  ThailandThaiYesYesNo7 September 1988
.tj  TajikistanTajikNoYes11 December 1997
.tk  TokelauTokelauWas previously used as a free domain service to the publicDot TKYesNoYes7 November 1997
.tl  East TimorTimor-LestePrevious code .tp has been deactivated since 2015.YesYes23 March 2005
.tm  TurkmenistanTurkmenYes[63]YesYes30 May 1997
.tn  TunisiaTunisiaOfficial ccTLDs (country code top-level domains) of Tunisia.YesYesYesYes17 May 1991
.to  TongaTongaOften used unofficially for Torrent, Turin (Torino in Italian), Toronto, Tokyo, or Tocantins, and also as a domain hack in Slavic languages (to meaning it).YesNoYes18 December 1995
.tr  TurkeyTurkey.ct.tr and .nc.tr used by Northern Cyprus.Yes[R]NoYesYes[S]17 September 1990
.tt  Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and TobagoYesYes3 September 1991
.tv  TuvaluTuvaluUsed as an abbreviation of television, the domain is currently operated by dotTV, a VeriSign company; the Tuvalu government owns twenty percent of the company.YesYes18 March 1996
.tw  TaiwanTaiwanRegistration allowed worldwide, local presence not required. In line with ISO 3166-1, IANA's official position is that "TW" is "designated for use to represent Taiwan, Province of China".[66]Yes[T]YesYes31 July 1989
.tz  TanzaniaTanzaniaTLD registrations allowed as of July 2022, no local presence in Tanzania required.TCRAYesNo14 July 1995
.ua  UkraineUkraina (Russian)Registrations in TLD are restricted to trademark holders only; SLD registrations are openHostmaster Ltd.Yes[U]Yes[V]YesYes1 December 1992
.ug  UgandaUgandaUganda Online Ltd.YesYes8 March 1995
.uk  United KingdomUnited KingdomThe ISO 3166-1 code for the United Kingdom is GB (for Great Britain). UK is a specially reserved ISO 3166-1 code. However, the creation of the .uk TLD predates the ISO 3166-1 list of ccTLD and is the primary TLD for the United Kingdom.[68]Nominet UKYesYesYes24 July 1985
.us  United States of AmericaUnited StatesRegistrants must be United States citizens, residents, or organizations, or a foreign entity with a presence in the United States. Formerly commonly used by U.S. State and local governments; see also .gov TLD.Go DaddyYesYes15 February 1985
.uy  UruguayUruguay2LD rollout began on 10 July 2012.[69]YesYes10 September 1990
.uz  UzbekistanUzbekistanUzinfocomYesYes29 April 1995
.va  Vatican CityVaticanLimited to the official sites of the Holy See (including those of the Vatican City State).NoNo11 September 1995 (root zone)
.vc  Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesVincentPartial[N]Yes3 September 1991
.ve  VenezuelaVenezuelaRegistration is at the third level.YesNo7 March 1991
.vg  British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)Virgin IslandsNoYes20 February 1997
.vi  United States Virgin Islands (United States)Virgin IslandsNoYes31 August 1995
.vn  VietnamViet Nam (Vietnamese)Yes[70]YesYes14 April 1994
.vu  VanuatuVanuatuYesYes10 April 1995
.wf  Wallis and FutunaWallis and FutunaRestricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.[L]AFNICYes[27]YesYes14 November 1997
.ws  SamoaWestern SamoaMarketed for use in general websites.YesYes[71]Yes14 July 1995
.ye  YemenYemenNoNo19 August 1996
.yt  MayotteMayotteRestricted to individuals and companies in European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.[L] Also unofficially used for YouTube-related domains.AFNICYes[27]YesYes17 November 1997
.za  South AfricaZuid-Afrika (Dutch).za derives from the Dutch name of the country, even though Dutch is no longer an official language of South Africa.ZA Domain Name Authority[72][73][74]YesYes7 November 1990
.zm  ZambiaZambiaNoYes[W]25 March 1994
.zw  ZimbabweZimbabweNoNo6 November 1991
Table Notes

Internationalized ccTLDs

Internationalized country code top-level domains[75]
DNS nameIDN ccTLDCountry/RegionLanguageScriptTransliterationCommentsOther ccTLDDNSSEC
xn--lgbbat1ad8j.الجزائر  AlgeriaArabicArabic (Arabic)al-Jazā'ir.dzNo
xn--y9a3aq.հայ  ArmeniaArmenianArmenianhay.amYes
xn--mgbcpq6gpa1a.البحرين  BahrainArabicArabical-BaḥrainNot in use.bhYes
xn--54b7fta0cc.বাংলা  BangladeshBengaliBengaliBangla.bdNo
xn--90ais.бел  BelarusBelarusianCyrillicbel.byYes
xn--90ae.бг[76]  BulgariaBulgarianCyrillicbg.bgYes
xn--fiqs8s.中国  ChinaChineseChinese (Simplified)Zhōngguó.cnYes
xn--fiqz9s.中國  ChinaChineseChinese (Traditional)Zhōngguó.cnYes
xn--wgbh1c.مصر  EgyptArabicArabic (Arabic)Miṣr / Maṣr[77].egYes
xn--e1a4c.ею  European UnionBulgarianCyrilliceyu.euYes
xn--qxa6a.ευ  European UnionGreekGreekeyIn use since 2022.euYes
xn--node.გე  GeorgiaGeorgianGeorgian (Mkhedruli)GE.geNo
xn--qxam.ελ[76]  GreeceGreekGreekelIn use since July 2018.grYes
xn--j6w193g.香港  Hong KongChineseChinese (Simplified and Traditional)Hoeng1 gong2 / Xiānggǎng.hkYes
xn--h2brj9c.भारत  IndiaHindiDevanagariBhāratBecame available 27 August 2014[78].inYes
xn--mgbbh1a71e.بھارت  IndiaUrduArabic (Urdu)BhāratBecame available 2017.inYes
xn--fpcrj9c3d.భారత్  IndiaTeluguTeluguBhāratBecame available 2017.inYes
xn--gecrj9c.ભારત  IndiaGujaratiGujaratiBhāratBecame available 2017.inYes
xn--s9brj9c.ਭਾਰਤ  IndiaPunjabiGurmukhīBhāratBecame available 2017.inYes
xn--xkc2dl3a5ee0h.இந்தியா  IndiaTamilTamilIntiyāBecame available 2015.inYes
xn--45brj9c.ভারত  IndiaBengaliBengaliBharôtBecame available 2017.inYes
xn--2scrj9c.ಭಾರತ  IndiaKannadaKannadaBhārataBecame available 2020.inYes
xn--rvc1e0am3e.ഭാരതം  IndiaMalayalamMalayalamBhāratamBecame available 2020.inYes
xn--45br5cyl.ভাৰত  IndiaAssameseBengaliBharatamBecame available 2022.inYes
xn--3hcrj9c.ଭାରତ  IndiaOriyaOriyaBhāratBecame available 2021.inYes
xn--mgbbh1a.بارت  IndiaKashmiriArabic (Kashmiri)BāratBecame available 2022.inYes
xn--h2breg3eve.भारतम्  IndiaSanskritDevanagariBhāratamBecame available 2022.inYes
xn--h2brj9c8c.भारोत  IndiaSantaliDevanagariBharotBecame available 2022.inYes
xn--mgbgu82a.ڀارت  IndiaSindhiArabic (Sindhi)BhāratBecame available 2022.inYes
xn--mgba3a4f16a.ایران  IranPersianArabic (Persian)Īrān.irNo
xn--mgbtx2b.عراق  IraqArabicArabic (Arabic)ʿIrāqNot in use.iqNo
xn--4dbrk0ce.ישראל  IsraelHebrewHebrewIsraelBecame available 2022.ilYes
xn--mgbayh7gpa.الاردن  JordanArabicArabic (Arabic)al-Urdun.joNo
xn--80ao21a.қаз  KazakhstanKazakhCyrillic (Kazakh)qaz.kzNo
xn--q7ce6a.ລາວ  LaosLaoLaoLaoBecame available 2020.laYes
xn--mix082f.澳门  MacaoChineseChinese (Simplified)Ou3 mun4 / ÀoménNot in use.moNo
xn--mix891f.澳門  MacaoChineseChinese (Traditional)Ou3 mun4 / ÀoménBecame available 2020.moNo
xn--mgbx4cd0ab.مليسيا  MalaysiaMalayArabic (Jawi)Malaysīyā.myYes
xn--mgbah1a3hjkrd.موريتانيا  MauritaniaArabicArabic (Arabic)Mūrītāniyā.mrYes
xn--l1acc.мон  MongoliaMongolianCyrillic (Mongolian)mon.mnYes
xn--mgbc0a9azcg.المغرب  MoroccoArabicArabic (Arabic)al-Maġrib.maNo
xn--d1alf.мкд  North MacedoniaMacedonianCyrillic (Macedonian)mkd.mkNo
xn--mgb9awbf.عمان  OmanArabicArabic (Arabic)ʿUmān.omNo
xn--mgbai9azgqp6j.پاکستان  PakistanUrduArabic (Urdu)Pākistān.pkYes
xn--ygbi2ammx.فلسطين  Palestinian AuthorityArabicArabic (Arabic)Filasṭīn.psNo
xn--wgbl6a.قطر  QatarArabicArabic (Arabic)Qaṭar.qaNo
xn--p1ai.рф  RussiaRussianCyrillic (Russian)rf.ruYes
xn--mgberp4a5d4ar.السعودية  Saudi ArabiaArabicArabic (Arabic)as-Suʿūdīya.saYes
xn--90a3ac.срб  SerbiaSerbianCyrillic (Serbian)srb.rsYes
xn--yfro4i67o.新加坡  SingaporeChineseChinese (Simplified and Traditional)Xīnjiāpō.sgYes
xn--clchc0ea0b2g2a9gcd.சிங்கப்பூர்  SingaporeTamilTamilCinkappūr.sgYes
xn--3e0b707e.한국  South KoreaKoreanHangulHan-guk.krYes
xn--fzc2c9e2c.ලංකා  Sri LankaSinhalaSinhalaLanka.lkNo
xn--xkc2al3hye2a.இலங்கை  Sri LankaTamilTamilIlaṅkai.lkNo
xn--mgbpl2fh.سودان  SudanArabicArabic (Arabic)Sūdān.sdNo
xn--ogbpf8fl.سورية  SyriaArabicArabic (Arabic)Sūriyya.syNo
xn--kprw13d.台湾  TaiwanChineseChinese (Simplified)Táiwān.twYes
xn--kpry57d.台灣  TaiwanChineseChinese (Traditional)Táiwān.twYes
xn--o3cw4h.ไทย  ThailandThaiThaiThai.thYes
xn--pgbs0dh.تونس  TunisiaArabicArabic (Arabic)Tūnis.tnYes
xn--j1amh.укр  UkraineUkrainianCyrillic (Ukrainian)ukr.uaNo
xn--mgbaam7a8h.امارات  United Arab EmiratesArabicArabic (Arabic)Imārāt.aeNo
xn--mgb2ddes.اليمن  YemenArabicArabic (Arabic)al-YamanNot delegated.yeNo
Table notes

Proposed internationalized ccTLDs

Internationalised domain names have been proposed for Japan and Libya.

Relation to ISO 3166-1

The IANA is not in the business of deciding what is and what is not a country. The selection of the ISO 3166 list as a basis for country code top-level domain names was made with the knowledge that ISO has a procedure for determining which entities should be and should not be on that list.

— Jon Postel, RFC 1591[79]

Unused ISO 3166-1 codes

Almost all current ISO 3166-1 codes have been assigned and do exist in DNS.However, some of these are effectively unused. In particular, the ccTLDs for the Norwegian dependency Bouvet Island (bv) and the designation Svalbard and Jan Mayen (sj) do exist in DNS, but no subdomains have been assigned, and it is Norid policy to not assign any at present. Two French territories—bl (Saint Barthélemy) and mf (Saint Martin)—still await local assignment by France's government.

The code eh, although eligible as ccTLD for Western Sahara, has never been assigned and does not exist in DNS. Only one subdomain is still registered in gb[80] (ISO 3166-1 for the United Kingdom), and no new registrations are being accepted for it. Sites in the United Kingdom generally useuk (see below).

The former .um ccTLD for the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands was removed in April 2008. Under RFC 1591 rules, .um is eligible as a ccTLD on request by the relevant governmental agency and local Internet user community.

ASCII ccTLDs not in ISO 3166-1

Several ASCII ccTLDs are in use that are not ISO 3166-1 two-letter codes. Some of these codes were specified in older versions of the ISO list.

  • uk (United Kingdom): The ISO 3166-1 code for the United Kingdom is GB. However, the JANET network had already selected uk as a top-level identifier for its pre-existing Name Registration Scheme, and this was incorporated into the DNS root. gb was assigned with the intention of a transition, but this never occurred and the use of uk is now entrenched.[81]
  • su This obsolete ISO 3166 code for the Soviet Union was assigned when the Soviet Union still existed; moreover, new su registrations are accepted.
  • ac (Ascension Island): This code is a vestige of IANA's decision in 1996 to allow the use of codes reserved in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 reserve list for use by the Universal Postal Union. The decision was later reversed, with Ascension Island now the sole outlier. (Three other ccTLDs, gg (Guernsey), im (Isle of Man) and je (Jersey) also fell under this category from 1996 until they received corresponding ISO 3166 codes in March 2006.)
  • eu (European Union): On September 25, 2000, ICANN decided to allow the use of any two-letter code in the ISO 3166-1 reserve list that is reserved for all purposes. Only EU currently meets this criterion. Following a decision by the EU's Council of Telecommunications Ministers in March 2002, progress was slow, but a registry (named EURid) was chosen by the European Commission, and criteria for allocation set: ICANN approved eu as a ccTLD, and it opened for registration on 7 December 2005 for the holders of prior rights. Since 7 April 2006, registration is open to all in the European Economic Area.

Historical ccTLDs

ccTLDs may be removed if that country ceases to exist. There are three ccTLDs that have been deleted after the corresponding 2-letter code was withdrawn from ISO 3166-1: cs (for Czechoslovakia), zr (for Zaire) and tp (for East Timor). There may be a significant delay between withdrawal from ISO 3166-1 and deletion from the DNS; for example, ZR ceased to be an ISO 3166-1 code in 1997, but the zr ccTLD was not deleted until 2001. Other ccTLDs corresponding to obsolete ISO 3166-1 codes have not yet been deleted. In some cases they may never be deleted due to the amount of disruption this would cause for a heavily used ccTLD. In particular, the Soviet Union's ccTLD su remains in use more than twenty years after SU was removed from ISO 3166-1.

The historical country codes dd for the German Democratic Republic and yd for South Yemen were eligible for a ccTLD, but not allocated; see also de and ye.

The temporary reassignment of country code cs (Serbia and Montenegro) until its split into rs and me (Serbia and Montenegro, respectively) led to some controversies[82][83] about the stability of ISO 3166-1 country codes, resulting in a second edition of ISO 3166-1 in 2007 with a guarantee that retired codes will not be reassigned for at least 50 years, and the replacement of RFC 3066 by RFC 4646 for country codes used in language tags in 2006.

The previous ISO 3166-1 code for Yugoslavia, YU, was removed by ISO on 23 July 2003, but the yu ccTLD remained in operation. Finally, after a two-year transition to Serbian rs and Montenegrin me, the .yu domain was phased out in March 2010.

Australia was originally assigned the oz country code, which was later changed to au with the .oz domains moved to .oz.au.

Internationalized ccTLDs

An internationalized country code top-level domain (IDN ccTLD) is a top-level domain with a specially encoded domain name that is displayed in an end user application, such as a web browser, in its native language script or a non-alphabetic writing system, such as Latin script (.us, .uk and .br), Indic script (.भारत) and Korean script (.한국), etc. IDN ccTLDs are an application of the internationalized domain name (IDN) system to top-level Internet domains assigned to countries, including the United Kingdom, or independent geographic regions.

ICANN started to accept applications for IDN ccTLDs in November 2009,[84] and installed the first set into the Domain Names System in May 2010. The first set was a group of Arabic names for the countries of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. By May 2010, 21 countries had submitted applications to ICANN, representing 11 languages.[85]

ICANN requires all potential international TLDs to use at least one letter that does not resemble a Latin letter, or have at least three letters, in an effort to avoid IDN homograph attacks. Nor shall the international domain name look like another domain name, even if they have different alphabets. Between Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, for example, this could happen.[citation needed]

Generic ccTLDs

Generic Country Code Top-Level Domain or gccTLD refers to those TLDs which are technically "non-restricted ccTLDs" but used like traditional generic TLDs (gTLDs) rather than "country"-targeted ones.[86][87][88] Most of the gccTLDs are primarily used as domain hacks:

gccTLDCountry/RegionDomain hacks
.acAscension Island
.adAndorraadvertising
.agAntigua and BarbudaAktiengesellschaft (German for corporation)
.aiAnguillaArtificial intelligence
.amArmenia
.asAmerican Samoa
.azAzerbaijanArizona
.bzBelize
.ccCocos (Keeling) Islands
.cdCongoCompact disc
.coColombia
.cuCuba"see you"
.cvCape Verdecurriculum vitae
.djDjiboutiDisc jockey
.fmFederated States of Micronesia
.gaGabonGeorgia
.ggBailiwick of Guernsey
.ioBritish Indian Ocean Territory
.isIcelandit.is, that.is, etc.
.itItalyInformation technology
.kgKyrgyzstanKeygen
.laLaos
.lyLibyawords ending in -ly
.mdMoldova
.meMontenegro
.msMontserrat
.nuNiue
  • new
  • now
  • nude
.pePeruPrivate equity
.pnPitcairnPhone number
.pwPalauPwned (leet speak)
.reRéunionReverse engineering
.rsSerbiaRust
.scSeychelles
.shSaint Helena
.sxSint Maarten"sex"
.tfFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands
.tkTokelau
.tmTurkmenistanTrademark
.toTongalink-to
.tvTuvalutelevision and broadcasts
.wsWestern Samoa
  • website
  • websocket
  • world site
  • west
.ytMayotteYouTube

Unconventional usage

Lenient registration restrictions on certain ccTLDs have resulted in various domain hacks. Domain names such as I.am, tip.it, start.at and go.to form well-known English phrases, whereas others combine the second-level domain and ccTLD to form one word or one title, creating domains such as blo.gs of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (gs), youtu.be of Belgium (be), del.icio.us of the United States (us), and cr.yp.to of Tonga (to). The .co domain of Colombia has been cited since 2010 as a potential competitor to generic TLDs for commercial use, because it may be an abbreviation for company.[89]

Several ccTLDs allow the creation of emoji domains.

Some ccTLDs may also be used for typosquatting. The domain cm of Cameroon has generated interest due to the possibility that people might miss typing the letter o for sites in the com.[90]

Commercial use

Some of the world's smallest countries and non-sovereign or colonial entities with their own country codes have opened their TLDs for worldwide commercial use, some of them free like .tk.

See also

References

External links