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    • .ee

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .ee is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Estonia (from Eesti).
    • Introduced on 3 June 1992 and currently operated by the Estonian Internet Foundation (EIS / Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus).
    • Intended for entities connected with Estonia; it is very popular within Estonia and also available globally.
    • Registered domains: 160,059 (data as of 2023-08-11).

    History

    • 3 June 1992: .ee was delegated and originally operated by EENet; the academic Endel Lippmaa served as the domain administrator.
    • Prior to 2010: registrations were limited (one domain per legal entity) and free of charge under EENet rules.
    • 5 July 2010: domain reform — Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus (Estonian Internet Foundation, EIS) took over registry functions, new rules introduced, registrations through accredited registrars began, and a registry fee model replaced state budget funding.
    • Transition: all pre-existing domains had to be re-registered during a six-month transition that ended on 5 January 2011.
    • 13 June 2011: support for Estonian alphabet characters (õ, ä, ö, ü, š, ž) was enabled (IDN support).
    • 1 March 2013: registration terms expanded to allow 2- and 3-year registrations.
    • Late 2012–2013: redelegation to EIS completed and EIS entered as sponsoring organization in the ICANN root.
    • 6 January 2014: DNSSEC service launched for .ee to provide DNS integrity and protection against redirection attacks.
    • Pricing changes: registry fees changed over time (examples: 2016 registry fee tiers 7/14/21 EUR; from 1 January 2017 reduced to 6/12/18 EUR depending on registration length). VAT is added and final retail price is set by registrars.

    Usage and Audience

    • Typical users:
      • Companies (.com.ee for incorporated entities)
      • Individuals (.pri.ee)
      • Sole proprietors (.fie.ee)
      • Medical/health institutions (.med.ee)
      • Educational institutions and projects (.edu.ee)
      • Libraries (.lib.ee)
      • Non-profit organizations (.org.ee)
    • Structure: registrations are accepted directly at the second level (example.ee) or at the third level beneath several defined second-level labels (e.g., example.com.ee).
    • Widely used within Estonia and also adopted by international services for short links and branding.

    Registration Rules

    • Identity and documentation: applicants must have their identity verified and submit required information/documents to register a .ee domain.
    • Character rules:
      • Allowed characters: letters (including Estonian alphabet letters since 2011), digits (0–9) and hyphens.
      • A domain label may not begin or end with a hyphen.
      • A hyphen may not appear as both the third and fourth characters.
      • Domain names are not case-sensitive.
    • Length: minimum 1 character, maximum 63 characters per label.
    • Registration levels: direct second-level registrations or third-level beneath defined second-level labels.
    • Registration periods: 1, 2 or 3 years.
    • Dispute resolution: Domain Disputes Committee handles disputes.
    • Registrars: registrations are performed through accredited registrars; registry charges registrars a fee and registrars set the final price for registrants.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Popularity and relevance:
      • .ee is well established and widely used in Estonia, making it a natural choice for Estonian organizations and audiences.
      • Opening direct second-level registrations and availability to foreigners broadened the TLD's applicability.
    • Security and trust:
      • DNSSEC support (launched in 2014) improves security and can increase user trust by preventing certain DNS-based attacks and redirections.
    • Perception and pricing:
      • The 2010 reform and initial pricing changes generated controversy and concern about cost; subsequent reductions in registry fees helped address some criticism.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • linktr.ee — Linktree uses the .ee domain as linktr.ee.
    • refug.ee — used by Adventist World Radio for a refugee info/charity service.
    • shp.ee — Shopee uses shp.ee for a link-shortening service.
    • jakarta.ee — Jakarta EE project uses jakarta.ee as its website address.

    Operator

    Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus (EIS)

    Whois

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

domain:       EE

organisation: Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus (EIS)
address:      Paldiski mnt. 80
address:      Tallinn Harjumaa 10617
address:      Estonia

contact:      administrative
name:         Member of the Management Board
organisation: Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus (EIS)
address:      Paldiski mnt. 80
address:      Tallinn Harjumaa 10617
address:      Estonia
phone:        +372 727 1000
e-mail:       info@internet.ee

contact:      technical
name:         System Administrator
organisation: Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus (EIS)
address:      Paldiski mnt. 80
address:      Tallinn Harjumaa 10617
address:      Estonia
phone:        +372 727 1000
e-mail:       noc@internet.ee

nserver:      B.TLD.EE 194.146.106.110 2001:67c:1010:28:0:0:0:53
nserver:      E.TLD.EE 2001:678:94:53:0:0:0:53 204.61.216.36
nserver:      EE.CERT.EE 2a00:6a00:ad1:814:0:0:0:147 46.226.142.147
nserver:      EE.EENET.EE 193.40.132.5 2001:bb8:4001:0:0:0:0:53
nserver:      NS.TLD.EE 195.43.87.10
ds-rdata:     34382 8 2 000a3d89dc6cd4ba00ea8affee3967d3a26de7a545fbefe16ba07518fc8d54f6

whois:        whois.tld.ee

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.internet.ee

created:      1992-06-03
changed:      2023-06-28
source:       IANA

    Registrars