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    • .ie

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .ie is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Republic of Ireland, corresponding to the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code IE.
    • The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) lists the Computing Services Computer Centre of University College Dublin (UCD) as the sponsoring organisation. The registry operations are handled by IE Domain Registry Limited (IEDR) under the brand ".IE".
    • Registrations are made directly at the second level (example: example.ie).

    History

    • .ie was registered on 27 January 1988 and delegated to UCD's Computing Services Computer Centre in 1989.
    • In 2000, administrative responsibility for the registry business was sub-delegated to IE Domain Registry Limited (IEDR), while UCD remains the IANA sponsoring organisation.
    • State regulation: the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 originally gave the Minister power to make registration regulations; in 2007 that power moved to the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).
    • Key policy changes and milestones:
      • Liberalisation of some registration rules over time (e.g., removal of the rule against registering generic names).
      • In 2015 two-letter .ie domain registrations were opened (go-live 16 December 2015), with auctions used where multiple applicants competed.
      • IDNs supporting Irish vowel fadas (á, é, í, ó, ú) were introduced on a phased basis starting 23 October 2016, with general availability from 17 November 2016.
      • In March 2018 the requirement to provide a 'claim to the name' was removed following public consultation.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended and actual use: entities connected with Ireland. .ie is popular in Ireland and is widely used by Irish businesses and organisations.
    • Typical users:
      • Irish businesses (commercial and small/medium enterprises).
      • Government bodies and departments (many use the gov.ie namespace).
      • Individuals with a connection to Ireland (personal domain names exist but account for a small proportion of registrations, historically around 1%).
    • The ccTLD is commonly preferred by new Irish businesses and local organisations over generic TLDs.

    Registration Rules

    • Eligibility and connection requirement:
      • Registrants must demonstrate a connection (residency, citizenship, or substantive business/activity) with the island of Ireland. Non-resident applicants must evidence a real and substantive connection; Community Trademark applicants have specific exceptions.
      • State or Government bodies may be verified online and in some cases need not provide documentary evidence.
    • Proof and documentation:
      • Documentary evidence of entitlement (e.g., passport, utilities bill, registered business name or company registration) is required for most applicants. The specific document requirements are published by the registry.
      • The prior requirement to provide a 'claim to the name' was removed in March 2018.
    • Restrictions and naming rules:
      • Names must not be offensive or contrary to public policy or accepted morality.
      • Certain names are forbidden (including some two-letter names, other TLD names, and potentially offensive names); some forbidden names will return WHOIS records but are not in the .ie zone.
      • Registrations containing the word "university" are restricted to entities recognised by the Department of Education as established universities.
    • Characters and syntax:
      • Allowed characters: letters (A–Z), numbers (0–9), hyphen (-), and the Irish fada characters (á, é, í, ó, ú) for IDNs.
      • Names cannot begin or end with a hyphen, cannot include spaces or other symbols, are not case sensitive, and cannot exceed 63 characters.
    • Registration process and pricing:
      • Registrations are handled by accredited .ie registrars on a first-come, first-served basis once eligibility and documentation are accepted.
      • Typical registrar fees are approximately €25 plus VAT; registration is free for charities registered with the Revenue Commissioners.
    • Special cases:
      • Two-letter domain policy changed in 2015 to allow two-letter names; exceptions existed prior to the change (e.g., ul.ie, ns.ie).
      • Where multiple applicants seek the same name (for newly allowed name categories), auctions have been used to resolve contention.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Local trust and brand positioning:
      • .ie is commonly perceived as the preferred extension for Irish businesses and startups, indicating a clear connection to Ireland and local presence.
      • The registry's managed, evidence-based registration policy (often described as more conservative than some ccTLDs) can convey trust and legitimacy to Irish consumers and partners.
    • Search-engine considerations:
      • The sources note .ie is the preferred extension for new Irish businesses, implying positive brand and local targeting benefits for organisations serving the Irish market.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Microsoft was allowed to register Modern.ie (a domain hack used for developer support) because Microsoft has a corporate presence in Ireland.
    • The singer Melanie was reportedly not allowed to register Melan.ie due to the connection/entitlement rules at the time.
    • Government usage: the Government of Ireland adopted the gov.ie namespace for many official sites (some departments continue to use other domains).
    • Early exceptions and reserved names: ul.ie (University of Limerick) and ns.ie (name servers) existed prior to historical two-letter restrictions.

    Numbers and Current Status

    • Domain counts: approximately 330,000 registered .ie domains were reported on 31 March 2022. Registry figures show 331,876 registered domains as of 4 December 2022.
    • DNSSEC: .ie supports DNSSEC and the TLD status is active.

    Operator

    University College Dublin, Computing Services, Computer Centre

    Whois

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

domain:       IE

organisation: University College Dublin, Computing Services, Computer Centre
address:      Belfield
address:      Dublin Dublin 4
address:      Ireland

contact:      administrative
name:         Chief Executive
organisation: IE Domain Registry Limited
address:      2 Harbour Square
address:      Dún Laoghaire
address:      Dublin Dublin 2
address:      Ireland
phone:        +353 1 236 5412
fax-no:       +353 1 230 1273
e-mail:       tld-admin@weare.ie

contact:      technical
name:         Technical Services Manager
organisation: IE Domain Registry Limited
address:      2 Harbour Square
address:      Dún Laoghaire
address:      Dublin Dublin 2
address:      Ireland
phone:        +353 1 236 5421
fax-no:       +353 1 230 1273
e-mail:       tld-tech@weare.ie

nserver:      A.NS.IE 2a01:4b0:0:0:0:0:0:40 77.72.72.40
nserver:      C.NS.IE 194.146.106.98 2001:67c:1010:25:0:0:0:53
nserver:      D.NS.IE 2a01:3f0:0:309:0:0:0:53 77.72.229.245
nserver:      E.NS.IE 185.159.199.210 2620:10a:80ac:0:0:0:0:210
nserver:      H.NS.IE 192.93.0.4 2001:660:3005:1:0:0:1:2
nserver:      I.NS.IE 194.0.25.35 2001:678:20:0:0:0:0:35
ds-rdata:     5150 13 2 8783faf3cc1a482638f1a822a92b6a0ffb791ab2a442232778acabfca26fea31

whois:        whois.weare.ie

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.weare.ie

created:      1988-01-27
changed:      2025-08-22
source:       IANA

    Registrars