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    • .int

    Sponsored top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .int is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) whose name derives from "international."
    • It is intended for international treaty-based organisations, United Nations agencies, and organisations with UN observer status.
    • The registry and sponsor for .int is the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

    History

    • Introduced on November 3, 1988.
    • Originally used by organizations such as NATO (which had previously used .nato).
    • Historically some infrastructure and database functions were considered for .int, but the Internet Architecture Board recommended retaining those functions in .arpa; the ip6.int zone was removed on June 6, 2006 in favor of ip6.arpa.
    • As of November 2024, the .int zone consisted of 235 subdomain delegations.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended audience: intergovernmental organizations established by international treaties, UN agencies, and entities with UN observer status.
    • Actual use is by treaty-based international organisations and some UN-related entities; some historical or grandfathered delegations remain from earlier, looser policies.
    • Examples of continued or past use include European Union institutions (eu.int, later migrated to .eu), the European Central Bank (which continues to use ecb.int alongside .eu domains), and other intergovernmental bodies.

    Registration Rules

    • .int registrations are screened for eligibility and considered among the strictest policies for any TLD.
    • Primary requirements (summary):
      • The applicant must be established by an international treaty between or among national governments.
      • The submitted treaty must have created the applying organization (not by a council decision) and should be provided or listed in the United Nations treaty database.
      • The organization must be widely considered to have independent international legal personality and be a subject of international law.
      • Only one registration is allowed per organisation.
      • There is no registration fee (per IANA guidance referenced).
    • Registrations are permitted at the second level.
    • Applications must provide evidence such as a United Nations treaty registration number and proof of independent legal status.
    • The zone has a noted policy of strict eligibility screening; dispute policy is listed as None in registry data.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The .int TLD signals formal, treaty-based international status and is treated as a highly restricted, official namespace.
    • Because registration implies international legal personality, holding a .int name conveys official and intergovernmental legitimacy rather than a commercial or generic brand identity.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • NATO: one of the earliest users (previously assigned .nato before .int usage).
    • eu.int: used by European Union institutions until migration to .eu on May 9, 2006; transitional accessibility was provided for at least one year after migration.
    • European Central Bank: continues to use ecb.int in addition to ecb.eu and ecb.europa.eu (as of sources cited).
    • POPS (Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants): initial .int application was rejected; a reconsideration granted pops.int on condition of treaty progress and potential renewal requirements.
    • Grandfathered delegations: some domains (e.g., ymca.int and historical tpc.int) were delegated under earlier, looser policies and remain as legacy assignments in some cases.
    • ip6.int: the IPv6 reverse mapping zone under ip6.int was removed in favor of ip6.arpa on June 6, 2006.

    Operator

    Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

    Whois

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

domain:       INT

organisation: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
address:      12025 Waterfront Drive
address:      Suite 300
address:      Los Angeles CA 90094
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
organisation: ICANN
address:      12025 Waterfront Drive
address:      Suite 300
address:      Los Angeles CA 90094
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 310 301 5800
fax-no:       +1 310 823 8649
e-mail:       tld-contact@iana.org

contact:      technical
name:         Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
organisation: ICANN
address:      12025 Waterfront Drive
address:      Suite 300
address:      Los Angeles CA 90094
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 310 301 5800
fax-no:       +1 310 823 8649
e-mail:       tld-contact@iana.org

nserver:      NS.UU.NET 137.39.1.3
nserver:      NS0.JA.NET 128.86.1.20 193.63.94.20 2001:630:0:8:0:0:0:14 2001:630:0:9:0:0:0:14
nserver:      SEC2.AUTHDNS.RIPE.NET 193.0.9.4 2a13:27c0:30:0:0:0:0:4
nserver:      X.IANA-SERVERS.NET 199.43.135.53 2001:500:8f:0:0:0:0:53
nserver:      Y.IANA-SERVERS.NET 199.43.133.53 2001:500:8d:0:0:0:0:53
nserver:      Z.IANA-SERVERS.NET 199.43.134.53 2001:500:8e:0:0:0:0:53
ds-rdata:     59895 13 2 10c789f286599316d3a74c2c513434c3f8a33b9238976d5de2a178e54da353f3

whois:        whois.iana.org

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information:
remarks:      https://www.iana.org/domains/int

created:      1988-11-03
changed:      2025-07-15
source:       IANA

    Registrars