.ni

Overview

.ni is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Nicaragua. Introduced in October 1989, it is administered by the Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería. Registrations are primarily made at the third level beneath a set of designated second-level domains; a small number of sites exist directly at the second level (for example, the registry site nic.ni).

History

• Introduced / implemented: 13 October 1989.
• Registry and sponsor: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (Division de Tecnologías de la Información).
• Registered domains: 14,038 (data year 2025).
• Dispute policy: UDRP.

Usage and Audience

• Intended for entities connected with Nicaragua; popular within Nicaragua.
• Typical users include commercial businesses, government bodies, educational institutions, NGOs, network operators and military organizations.
• Common second-level domains and typical uses:
  • .com.ni — commercial entities
  • .gob.ni — government ministries and organizations
  • .edu.ni — educational entities and organizations
  • .org.ni — non-governmental entities and dependencies
  • .nom.ni — personal websites
  • .net.ni — network organizations
  • .mil.ni — military organizations
  • .co.ni — corporate entities (available to entities worldwide)
  • .biz.ni — commercial entities
  • .int.ni — organizations with international treaties
  • .info.ni — informational sites
  • .med.ni — health-related websites (listed by registry procedures)

Registration Rules

• Structure: registrations are made at the third level beneath specified second-level names; a small number of second-level registrations exist (including the registrar site nic.ni).
• Eligibility: classified as an open-use ccTLD; anyone over 18 years of age can register a .ni domain (per registry requirements).
• Restrictions: no specific additional restrictions listed in the provided sources.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The TLD is noted as popular in Nicaragua, which supports local recognition and trust for Nicaragua-focused sites.
• Administration by a national university (Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería) provides national oversight of the registry.

Notable Cases or Examples

• nic.ni is the registry's own site and is one of the few domains directly at the second level.
• The .co.ni second-level domain has been promoted for use by companies in Northern Ireland, though that effort has had limited success.

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

domain:       NI

organisation: Universidad Nacional del Ingernieria. Division de Tecnologias de la Informacion.
address:      Sede Central Avenida Universitaria
address:      Managua 5595
address:      Nicaragua

contact:      administrative
name:         Jairo Rene Tinoco Salgado
organisation: UNI (National University Engineering)
address:      Sede Central Avenida Universitaria
address:      Managua 5595
address:      Nicaragua
phone:        +505 2278-3142
fax-no:       +505-2278-3141
e-mail:       Jairo.Tinoco@uni.edu.ni

contact:      technical
name:         Jairo Rene Tinoco Salgado
organisation: Universidad Nacional del Ingernieria
address:      Sede Central Avenida Universitaria
address:      Managua 5595
address:      Nicaragua
phone:        +505 2278 3142
fax-no:       +505 2278 3141
e-mail:       Jairo.Tinoco@uni.edu.ni

nserver:      DNS-EXT.NIC.CR 200.107.82.219 2001:13c7:7004:110:0:0:0:219
nserver:      NS.IDEAY.NET.NI 186.1.31.8
nserver:      NS.NI 165.98.1.2
nserver:      NS.UU.NET 137.39.1.3
nserver:      NS2.NI 200.9.187.2
nserver:      NS3.NI 200.119.166.36

whois:        

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

created:      1989-10-13
changed:      2025-01-21
source:       IANA