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    • .is

    Country-code top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    .is is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Iceland. The code derives from the Icelandic name Ísland. The domain is managed and sponsored by ISNIC (Internet á Íslandi hf.), supports DNSSEC, and registrations are made directly at the second level. .is is widely used in Iceland and is open for registration by people and companies worldwide.

    History

    • Introduced and first registered on 11 December 1986; the first .is domain was hi.is (University of Iceland).
    • Managed by ISNIC, a private corporation (ISNIC acts as registry and sponsor).
    • Implemented/operational records include dates cited up to November 1987 in some sources.
    • As of 16 May 2024 there were about 91,705 registered .is domains.
    • Since at least 2016, registrations can be renewed for up to five years.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended for entities connected with Iceland; the TLD is very popular within Iceland.
    • Open registration policy means individuals and organizations worldwide can register .is domains, making it useful for Iceland-related sites as well as creative branding.
    • Registrations typically occur at the second level (example: example.is).

    Registration Rules

    • Open to all people and companies without special nationality or residency requirements.
    • Certain second-level labels are reserved and not available for regular registration: net.is, com.is, edu.is, gov.is, org.is, and int.is.
    • Registration period: registrations can be renewed for up to five years.
    • Allowed characters:
      • ASCII letters (A–Z, case-insensitive), digits (0–9), hyphen (-)
      • Icelandic-specific letters: á, é, ý, ú, í, ó, þ, æ, ö, ð
    • Name constraints:
      • A domain name must not begin or end with a hyphen.
      • A domain must not contain a hyphen in both the third and fourth positions.
      • Maximum length: 66 characters including the ".is" part, or 59 characters if the name contains the special Icelandic characters listed above.
    • Dispute and transfer policy:
      • Disputes can be handled by the Icelandic Consumer Agency and/or ISNIC's Board of Appeals.
      • For intellectual property disputes, the Board of Appeals may order transfer when a domain is similar to a registered trademark, the registrant lacks legitimate interest, and the registration was not in good faith. Examples of bad-faith registration include registering solely to sell at a profit or to block a competitor.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • .is supports DNSSEC, enhancing security and trust for domain holders.
    • A McAfee report cited .is among the top 10 most secure TLDs worldwide in 2007 and 2008, which can be favorable for brand perception and trustworthiness.
    • Being the national TLD, .is conveys an Icelandic association that can benefit local branding and audience targeting.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • hi.is — the University of Iceland, the first registered .is domain (11 December 1986).
    • The Pirate Bay briefly used ThePirateBay.is in April 2013 while hosted under ISNIC.
    • In 2014 ISNIC suspended domains hosting material produced by ISIS, including Khilafah.is.
    • The Daily Stormer briefly used dailystormer.is in September 2017 but the domain was later removed when registration procedures were not followed.
    • In September 2022 ISNIC suspended the .is domain for Kiwi Farms, a controversial forum.

    Operator

    ISNIC - Internet á Íslandi hf.

    Whois

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

domain:       IS

organisation: ISNIC - Internet á Íslandi hf.
address:      Katrínartún 2
address:      Reykjavik 105
address:      Iceland

contact:      administrative
name:         ISNIC Board
organisation: ISNIC - Internet á Íslandi hf.
address:      Katrínartún 2
address:      Reykjavík 105
address:      Iceland
phone:        +354 578 2030
e-mail:       iana-contact@isnic.is

contact:      technical
name:         ISNIC Hostmaster
organisation: ISNIC - Internet á Íslandi hf.
address:      Katrínartún 2
address:      Reykjavík 105
address:      Iceland
phone:        +354 578 2030
e-mail:       iana-contact@isnic.is

nserver:      A.NIC.IS 185.93.156.10 2001:67c:6c:56:0:0:0:10
nserver:      B.NIC.IS 185.93.156.154 2001:67c:6c:f056:0:0:0:154
nserver:      C.NIC.IS 2001:500:14:6116:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.116
nserver:      D.NIC.IS 194.146.106.58 2001:67c:1010:14:0:0:0:53
nserver:      E.NIC.IS 194.0.25.41 2001:678:20:0:0:0:0:41
ds-rdata:     17072 8 2 42d3dee2c2f72b98290f94c3ab04172277a6fc52589d5a45bf90ac31f8268d63

whois:        whois.isnic.is

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.isnic.is/

created:      1987-11-18
changed:      2025-02-28
source:       IANA

    Registrars