• AI Domains
  • Pricing
  • Membership

    • .kw

    Country-code top-level domains

    Overview

    .kw is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Kuwait. It is intended for entities connected with Kuwait and is operated by the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA). Registrations are made beneath second-level and/or third-level names and the namespace is primarily used by Kuwaiti organizations, businesses and residents.

    History

    • Introduced on 26 October 1992 (delegation recorded in public domain data).
    • An implementation date of 26 October 1996 is also recorded in some sources.
    • The registry and sponsorship for .kw is handled by the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA). The domain is listed in the IANA root database and maintained via the national registry site (nic.kw).

    Usage and Audience

    • Primary audience: Kuwaiti citizens, residents, companies, government entities, educational institutions, non-profits and embassies.
    • The TLD is popular within Kuwait and is predominantly used by organizations and individuals with a local presence.
    • Reported registration volumes: historical counts indicated about 4,000 active registrations around 2001; counts have remained roughly similar into the 2020s.

    Common second-level labels and their intended users:

    • com.kw — Commercial entities with a valid commercial license from Kuwait's Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
    • ind.kw — Individuals who are not minors and hold Kuwaiti nationality, or residents holding a valid residence permit.
    • net.kw — ICT-licensed companies from the relevant Kuwaiti authorities.
    • org.kw — Non-profit entities licensed by the appropriate Kuwaiti authorities.
    • gov.kw — Ministries and government entities.
    • emb.kw — Foreign embassies resident in Kuwait.
    • edu.kw — Educational entities licensed to operate in Kuwait.

    Registration Rules

    • Residency/eligibility: Registrations are restricted to registrants domiciled in Kuwait — citizens, residents, companies and organizations must demonstrate appropriate documentation.
    • Structure: Sources note registrations are made at second or third level; other sources indicate registrations are currently open only at the third level under prescribed second-level domains (e.g., com.kw, net.kw, org.kw, ind.kw, gov.kw).
    • Accreditation: Registrations are handled through accredited registrars listed by the registry.
    • Fees and periods: Registration requires a fee (recorded as 15 Kuwaiti dinars per year). License periods run one or two years currently; there is an intention to allow registration periods between 1 and 10 years in the future.
    • Additional restrictions: Some third-level names have extra eligibility requirements specific to that second-level domain.
    • Policies: The registry maintains published registration policies and a complaints/dispute policy.

    Notable Mentions

    • At one point a 6-month Sunrise phase for .kw was noted in registry materials.

    Operator

    Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority

    Whois

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

domain:       KW

organisation: Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority
address:      Khaled Ibn Alwaleed street, block 6, plot 1, aldhow tower, 12th floor
address:      Al Asima Sharq 15300
address:      Kuwait

contact:      administrative
name:         Manal AlMazyad
organisation: Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority
address:      Khaled Ibn Alwaleed street, block 6, plot 1, aldhow tower, 12th floor
address:      Sharq
address:      Al Asima 15300
address:      Kuwait
phone:        +965.22966000
fax-no:       +965.00000000
e-mail:       nic.admin@citra.gov.kw

contact:      technical
name:         Bashar Al-Abdulhadi
organisation: Kuwaitnet General Trading & Contracting Co
address:      P.O. Box 1230
address:      Dasman
address:      Al Asima 15463
address:      Kuwait
phone:        +965.1807060
fax-no:       +965.22257060
e-mail:       nic.tech@citra.gov.kw

nserver:      A.NIC.KW 54.228.209.46
nserver:      B.NIC.KW 168.187.192.106
nserver:      C.NIC.KW 194.58.198.135 2a01:3f1:3032:8001:0:0:0:135
nserver:      D.NIC.KW 185.42.137.135 2a01:3f0:400:8001:0:0:0:135
nserver:      PCH.NIC.KW 2001:500:14:6118:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.118
ds-rdata:     53599 8 2 c5646a4e1bee8c2699d3cc3c4f597f8767b85a134fe5ee5dfe8b3d25b1534d3a

whois:        

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.kw

created:      1992-10-26
changed:      2024-10-30
source:       IANA

    Registrars