.ar

Overview

.ar is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Argentina. It is administered operationally by NIC Argentina and sponsored by the Government of Argentina (Legal and Technical Secretariat of the Presidency). The TLD is intended for entities connected with Argentina and is widely used within the country.

History

• Introduced / implemented: 23 September 1987.
• Registry/sponsor: Operational management by NIC Argentina; sponsorship by the Government of Argentina (SLyTP).
• Key milestones:
  • November 2008: approval to allow special characters (including ñ, ç, accented vowels and umlauts) in .ar domain names.
  • 2020: direct registrations under the top-level .ar (e.g., example.ar) were enabled; previously registrations were primarily at third level beneath second-level labels.
  • Registered domains: 670,633 (data reported November 2022).

Usage and Audience

• Intended use: entities connected with Argentina; the TLD is very popular in Argentina.

• Typical users and sectors include:

  • Commercial businesses and residents (.com.ar)
  • Internet and technology providers (.net.ar)
  • Educational institutions (.edu.ar)
  • Local and national government (.gob.ar / .gov.ar)
  • Military (.mil.ar)
  • Non-profit organizations (.org.ar)
  • Cooperatives (.coop.ar)
  • Tourism and travel (.tur.ar)
  • Insurance-related companies (.seg.ar)
  • Music sector registrants (.musica.ar)
  • Online gambling operators (.bet.ar)
  • Mutual organizations (.mutual.ar)
  • Entities related to the National Food Safety and Quality Service (.senasa.ar)
  • International entities and representatives (.int.ar)

• Notes:

  • Some SLDs require licenses or proof of eligibility (for example, .tur.ar and .seg.ar require special licensing; other special zones require a qualification procedure).
  • Certain SLDs (e.g., .bet.ar, .coop.ar, .gob.ar, .int.ar, .mil.ar, .mutual.ar, .org.ar, .seg.ar) may be restricted to legal entities.
  • As of August 2024, some companies (including augmented reality firms) have begun using direct .ar registrations.

Registration Rules

• Registration structure:

  • Historically: registrations were made at the third level beneath predefined second-level domains (e.g., example.com.ar).
  • Since 2020: direct second-level registrations under .ar (example.ar) are permitted.

• Eligibility and validation:

  • Registrants must have contact with an address in Argentina, but registrants may be foreign if they meet validation requirements.
  • Argentine residents: registration may require a CUIT/CUIL number and a Tax Code Level 2 or higher (administrated via AFIP procedures).
  • Non-residents: must validate identity as an individual or legal entity according to NIC Argentina procedures.
  • Special Zones Qualification Procedure: required for certain SLDs (see Usage and Audience). Some SLDs additionally require proof or licensing.

• Character rules and name syntax:

  • Allowed characters include letters of the Spanish and Portuguese alphabets (including "ñ" and "ç"), accented vowels, umlauts, digits, and the hyphen "-".
  • Prohibited patterns: names beginning with "xn--" (IDN prefix) or beginning/ending with a hyphen cannot be registered.
  • Length: domain names between 1 and 50 characters can be registered.
  • Character equivalence and priority rules: NIC Argentina defines mappings for accented characters to base letters for priority/opposition purposes (e.g., á/â/ã/à -> a; é/ê -> e; ó/ô/õ -> o; ú/ü -> u; ç considered as c or s as appropriate; ñ considered distinct from n).

SEO and Brand Impact

• The .ar domain is operated by NIC Argentina and is sponsored by the Argentine government, and is described as "very popular in Argentina." These attributes underline the TLD's strong local identity and recognition within Argentina.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Government use: the .gob.ar SLD (gobierno) is used for government entities.
• Adoption: growing use of direct .ar registrations by Argentine companies, including technology and augmented reality firms (reported as of August 2024).
• Common public SLDs: .com.ar for commercial entities, .edu.ar for education, .org.ar for non-profits, .net.ar for internet/technology providers.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       AR

organisation: Presidencia de la Nación , Secretaría Legal y Técnica
address:      Balcarce no. 50, Planta Baja
address:      Buenos Aires C1064AAB
address:      Argentina

contact:      administrative
name:         Director Nacional del Registro de Dominios de Internet
organisation: Dirección Nacional del Registro de Nombres de Dominio de Internet - NIC Argentina
address:      Suipacha 767 3rd floor
address:      Buenos Aires CABA C1008AAO
address:      Argentina
phone:        +54 11 5238 1350
e-mail:       direccion@nic.ar

contact:      technical
name:         Director Nacional del Registro de Dominios de Internet
organisation: Dirección Nacional del Registro de Nombres de Dominio de Internet - NIC Argentina
address:      Suipacha 767 3rd floor
address:      Buenos Aires CABA C1008AAO
address:      Argentina
phone:        +54 11 5238 1350
e-mail:       contacto_dgsi@nic.ar

nserver:      A.LACTLD.ORG 200.0.68.10 2801:14:a000:0:0:0:0:10
nserver:      C.DNS.AR 200.108.148.50 2801:140:10:0:0:0:0:10
nserver:      D.DNS.AR 192.140.126.50 2801:140:dddd:0:0:0:0:50
nserver:      E.DNS.AR 170.238.66.50 2801:140:eeee:0:0:0:0:50
nserver:      F.DNS.AR 130.59.31.20 2001:620:0:ff:0:0:0:20
ds-rdata:     19606 8 2 4415cf1a2cf10de94b92bc020f21d1bf4163b2e90f2a6f6a5d2a1740339d566c

whois:        whois.nic.ar

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://nic.ar

created:      1987-09-23
changed:      2025-04-17
source:       IANA