.md

Overview

• .md is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Moldova.
• Introduced and delegated in 1994, it is intended for entities connected with Moldova but is openly registerable.
• The domain supports DNSSEC and registrations are generally taken at the second level.

History

• Approved/implemented in March 1994. The first Moldovan Internet server (mdearn.md) became operational on 1 January 1994.
• In May 1995 .md was fully delegated to RCI (Moldovan Republican Centre for Informatics).
• RCI was renamed MoldData (formalized in 2001). In 1998 RCI/MoldData entered an agreement with Domain Name Trust; rights were later sold to DotMD (LLC). DotMD went bankrupt in October 2002, and authority over .md was ordered returned to the state of Moldova in February 2003.
• On 30 August 2019 MoldData was absorbed into STISC (Service for Information Technology and Cyber Security), which now administers the .md registry.
• Registration counts and milestones:
  • November 2007: ~12,000 domains registered.
  • July 2020: over 25,000 registered domains (published registry figure).
  • 2024: approximately 30,000 active domains (reported statistic).

Usage and Audience

• Commonly used within Moldova for local businesses, organizations, government and individuals.
• Also used outside Moldova in specific contexts:
  • Medical professionals and services (associations with the MD abbreviation for Doctor of Medicine).
  • Markdown-related applications and services (examples include Obsidian and nota.md).
• Generic and official second-level names exist for specific sectors (commercial, academic, network providers, NGOs, etc.).

Registration Rules

• Open-use ccTLD: registrations are available to natural and legal persons, residents and non-residents, public institutions, and authorised legal representatives.
• Character rules for (sub)domain names:
  • Allowed characters: Latin letters (A–Z, case-insensitive), Arabic numerals (0–9), and the hyphen (-).
  • Names must not begin or end with a hyphen.
  • Length: minimum 2 characters, maximum 63 characters.
• Restrictions and prohibitions include names that:
  • Are offensive, obscene, or injurious to public order or sensibilities.
  • Infringe trademarks, intellectual property, geographical indications or designations of origin.
  • Incite hatred, discrimination, public disorder or violence, or harm psycho-emotional integrity (notably of minors).
• Structure and pricing notes:
  • Registrations are taken directly at the second level; a set of official second-level domains (e.g., .com.md, .org.md, .net.md, .acad.md, .srl.md, .sa.md) exist for specific uses.
  • Some third-level names (e.g., under .com.md, .org.md, .info.md, .pro.md) have been offered at different pricing (historic reference: US$12 for certain third-level names via MoldData).
  • Registry pricing (historical/registry-stated): 450 Moldovan lei (about US$39) per year.
• Dispute policy: UDRP is used for dispute resolution.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The .md extension is widely recognized as Moldova's national domain, which supports local identity and trust for Moldova-based entities.
• Niche branding opportunities exist:
  • Medical branding: the MD abbreviation makes it attractive for medical professionals and services.
  • Technical/Markdown branding: the .md extension is occasionally adopted by services related to Markdown formatting and tools.
• The TLD supports DNSSEC, which is positive for security and trustworthiness.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Early infrastructure: the first Moldovan server, mdearn.md, went live on 1 January 1994.
• Administrative and legal events: the 1998 agreement with Domain Name Trust, the subsequent sale to DotMD, DotMD's 2002 bankruptcy, and the ordered return of .md authority to the Moldovan state in 2003 are key events in the TLD's administrative history.
• Examples of non‑Moldova branding usage include Markdown-related sites and services (e.g., Obsidian, nota.md) and use by medical professionals leveraging the "MD" abbreviation.

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

domain:       MD

organisation: IP Serviciul Tehnologia Informatiei si Securitate Cibernetica
address:      Piata Marii Adunari Nationale, 1
address:      mun. Chisinau MD-2012
address:      Moldova (the Republic of)

contact:      administrative
name:         Alexandru Coretchi
organisation: IP Serviciul Tehnologia Informatiei si Securitate Cibernetica
address:      Piata Marii Adunari Nationale, 1
address:      mun. Chisinau MD-2012
address:      Moldova (the Republic of)
phone:        +37322820900
e-mail:       domains@stisc.gov.md

contact:      technical
name:         Eugeniu Besliu
organisation: IP Serviciul Tehnologia Informatiei si Securitate Cibernetica
address:      Piata Marii Adunari Nationale, 1
address:      mun. Chisinau MD-2012
address:      Moldova (the Republic of)
phone:        +37322820900
e-mail:       specctld@stisc.gov.md

nserver:      NSA.TLD.MD 185.108.181.191
nserver:      NSB.TLD.MD 185.108.181.192
nserver:      NSC.DNS.MD 144.217.93.2 2607:5300:201:3100:0:0:0:2f69
nserver:      NSF.DNS.MD 2001:41d0:401:3100:0:0:0:7162 92.222.76.179
nserver:      NSR.DNS.MD 2a00:c5a0:0:aaaa:89:32:236:165 89.32.236.165
ds-rdata:     127 14 2 ca674f4a54be4629950ecdfd492b82c5dfc833006924d5f06f40749a543dd1d4

whois:        whois.nic.md

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

created:      1994-03-24
changed:      2023-11-07
source:       IANA