About .it domain
.it is a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) delegated to Italy. The registry operator is the Institute of Informatics and Telematics of the National Research Council (IIT-CNR), operating through the service platform Registro .it. It was first introduced into the DNS root zone in December 1987 and became fully active in 1988. The TLD is a well-established, open ccTLD with specific geographic eligibility requirements for registrants.
Who can register .it domain
Registration is restricted to individuals of legal age and organizations that are citizens, residents, or headquartered within the countries of the European Economic Area (EEA). Eligibility also extends to entities in the Vatican City State, the Republic of San Marino, the Swiss Confederation, and the United Kingdom. Registrants must be able to provide valid contact details within an eligible territory. There are no restrictions based on the content or purpose of the website.
How to register .it domain
- Search for your desired .it domain name on a participating accredited registrar's website to check its availability. You can register names at the second level (e.g.,
example.it), and names must be between 3 and 63 characters long. - Compare pricing, registration term options (typically 1 year minimum), and additional services like WHOIS privacy from various registrars that offer .it domains. Be aware that some registrars may charge different fees for the initial registration versus renewal.
- Complete the checkout process with your chosen registrar. You will need to provide accurate personal or organizational data that meets the geographic eligibility criteria, as this information will be verified.
- After purchase, verify your contact details via any confirmation emails and promptly configure your domain's DNS settings, such as nameservers, through your registrar's control panel to point the domain to your hosting.
Typical uses of .it domain
The .it extension is predominantly used by individuals, businesses, and organizations with a connection to Italy, serving as their primary online identity. It is very popular within the country for local commerce, cultural projects, and personal websites. Internationally, it is also commonly employed as a creative domain hack in English-speaking countries, where the letters "it" can form part of a brand name or phrase (e.g., redd.it), appealing to tech companies and online platforms seeking a short, memorable URL.
Tips for registering .it domain
- The minimum registration period is one year, and you can typically register a domain for multiple years in advance.
- WHOIS privacy services are generally available for .it domains through most registrars, allowing you to shield your personal contact information from public view.
- Domain names must be at least 3 characters long and cannot begin or end with a hyphen; the sequence "xn--" is reserved and cannot be used as the first four characters.
- The registry supports registration with accented and special characters for many European languages, expanding naming possibilities beyond standard ASCII letters.