.lb

Overview

• .lb is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Lebanon.
• It is intended for entities connected with Lebanon and is reported as reasonably popular within the country.
• Registrations are structured at the third level beneath defined second-level categories (for example com.lb, edu.lb, gov.lb).
• The registry is Internet Society Lebanon (ISOC-LB / Lebanese Domain Registry operations).

History

• 25 August 1993: The .lb ccTLD was introduced and initially managed by Nabil Bukhalid at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
• 1993 onward: The Lebanese Domain Registry (LBDR) operated and offered domains directly to registrants for many years.
• 2014–2018: Local organizational developments included attempts to form a not-for-profit manager (LINC) and updates in national law referencing a Lebanese Domain Name Registry.
• 2017–2020: AUB ceased hosting .lb infrastructure; operational responsibility remained with the long-time manager.
• 1 February 2021: The registry introduced a registrar model, ending direct registrations at the registry; a yearly fee was also introduced and the trademark requirement for registrants was removed.
• 3 January 2023: The long-time registry manager passed away, creating continuity and stewardship challenges.
• 13 July 2023: ICANN placed .lb into a caretaker role to ensure continuity of operations.
• 21 January 2024: ICANN approved the transfer of .lb to Internet Society Lebanon; ISOC-LB became the registry/manager in early 2024.

Usage and Audience

• Typical users are organizations and entities connected with Lebanon (companies, educational institutions, government bodies, networks and non-profits).
• Common second-level categories and intended uses:
  • com.lb — commercial
  • edu.lb — educational
  • gov.lb — government
  • net.lb — network infrastructure
  • org.lb — organizations
• Registrations are used primarily for Lebanon-focused websites and services.

Registration Rules

• Structure:
  • Registrations are at the third level beneath second-level categories (e.g., example.com.lb).
• Eligibility & restrictions:
  • Registrants must have a Lebanese postal address.
  • Specific restrictions and eligibility rules apply per second-level category (com.lb, edu.lb, gov.lb, net.lb, org.lb).
  • Registration of domain names for private individuals is not currently supported; a proposal for a private-individual category has been under consideration (private applicants would need to be 18+ and hold Lebanese identification).
  • Certain domain names are reserved or prohibited; a published list of names cannot be registered.
• Policy and operational model:
  • Since 1 February 2021, a registrar model is used; direct registry registrations are no longer available.
  • A yearly registration fee was introduced in 2021.
• Allowed characters and name requirements:
  • Minimum length: 3 characters. Maximum length: 63 characters.
  • Permitted characters: letters a–z (ASCII), digits 0–9, and hyphens.
  • A domain name cannot be all numeric (only digits) and cannot start or end with a hyphen. The first and last character must be a letter or digit.

SEO and Brand Impact

• .lb is positioned as Lebanon's national namespace and is primarily used by Lebanese entities, which supports local relevance and brand alignment for Lebanon-focused sites.
• The requirement for a Lebanese postal address and category-specific rules contributes to a locally regulated namespace.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Long-term management by Nabil Bukhalid (AUB) from delegation in 1993 until his passing in 2023 was a defining feature of .lb's history.
• Institutional developments: formation efforts around LINC and later LBDR; legal and administrative changes in Lebanese law referencing a domain registry.
• Operational transitions: AUB's withdrawal from hosting infrastructure (2017–2020), incorporation of LBDR LLC (2021), caretaker operations placed by ICANN (13 July 2023), and approval of transfer to Internet Society Lebanon (21 January 2024) with ISOC-LB managing operations in early 2024.

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

domain:       LB

organisation: Internet Society Lebanon
address:      Spears Street
address:      Hamra
address:      P.O. Box: 113-6596
address:      Beirut
address:      Lebanon

contact:      administrative
name:         Jacques Bakaev, Internet Society Lebanon Secretary
organisation: Internet Society Lebanon
address:      Spears Street
address:      Hamra
address:      P.O. Box: 113-6596
address:      Beirut
address:      Lebanon
phone:        +961 76 818 688
e-mail:       jack.bakaev@isoc.org.lb

contact:      technical
name:         Randy Bush
address:      5147 Crystal Springs Drive NE
address:      Bainbridge Island WA 98110
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 206 356 8341
e-mail:       randy@psg.com

nserver:      B.NS.LB 147.28.0.39 2001:418:1:0:0:0:0:39
nserver:      I.NS.LB 2a01:3f0:0:306:0:0:0:53 77.72.229.254
nserver:      M.NS.LB 2001:19f0:7401:890d:5400:4ff:fea8:9ffa 78.141.235.25
nserver:      N.NS.LB 158.38.0.181 2001:700:0:503:0:0:aa:5302
nserver:      NABIL.NS.LB 185.91.97.18 2a05:e380:2:4:0:0:0:2
nserver:      R.NS.LB 105.16.170.1 2c0f:feb0:c:1:0:0:1:1
nserver:      S.NS.LB 105.16.115.1 2c0f:feb0:2:1:0:0:1:8001
nserver:      T.NS.LB 139.84.235.208 2a05:f480:3000:205f:5400:4ff:fea4:e565
nserver:      W.NS.LB 2001:200:0:2:0:0:53:1 203.178.141.64
ds-rdata:     3842 8 2 c838938c2127e3e10e15f92106ec565ef273b2ef7e3aeebe5a2162862fd3b469

whois:        whois.lbdr.org.lb

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.lbdr.org.lb

created:      1993-08-25
changed:      2024-02-26
source:       IANA