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    • .qa

    Country-code top-level domains

    Overview

    • .qa is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the State of Qatar.
    • Introduced on 12 June 1996, it is managed by the Qatar Domains Registry (QDR) under the oversight of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA).
    • The namespace includes both Latin-script domains and an Arabic internationalized domain name (IDN) '.قطر' (Punycode: .xn--wgbl6a).

    History

    • The registry has been managed by the Qatar Domains Registry with CRA oversight since delegation.
    • A "sunrise" period allowed trademark holders and government entities to secure names prior to public availability.
    • Public registration began in September 2011 through a mix of local and international accredited registrars.
    • By 2014, thirteen registrars had been accredited, including providers such as Qtel, IP Mirror, MarkMonitor, and DomainMonster.
    • As of July 2019, there were 21,612 registered .qa domains.
    • At the end of 2024 the CRA changed its accreditation policy so that only companies legally registered within the State of Qatar are eligible to be accredited domain registrars (discontinuing issuance/renewal of licenses to international companies).

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended for entities connected with Qatar; in actual use it is fairly popular within the country.
    • Typical audiences and uses include:
      • Commercial businesses and trademarks (.com.qa)
      • Government organizations (.gov.qa)
      • Military (.mil.qa)
      • Educational institutions and schools (.edu.qa, .sch.qa)
      • Nonprofit organizations (.org.qa)
      • ICT networks and service providers (.net.qa)
      • Natural persons (residents/citizens) via .name.qa

    Registration Rules

    • Registrations must be made through an accredited registrar.
    • The registry has been described as an open-use ccTLD (anyone can register), while many second-level labels have eligibility requirements tied to Qatari registration, licensing, or residency.
    • Second-level and usage distinctions:
      • .com.qa — commercial organisations; registered trademarks
      • .net.qa — licensed networks/data communications providers
      • .name.qa — natural persons (citizens or residents of Qatar)
      • .gov.qa — governmental organisations (managed/reserved by QDR)
      • .mil.qa — Ministry of State for Defense Affairs and Qatar Armed Forces (managed/reserved by QDR)
      • .edu.qa — licensed higher educational organisations (managed/reserved by QDR)
      • .sch.qa — licensed private and public schools (managed/reserved by QDR)
      • .org.qa — non-profit organisations (managed/reserved by QDR)
    • Some labels (e.g., .gov.qa, .mil.qa, .org.qa, .edu.qa, .sch.qa) are reserved and managed directly by the Qatar Domains Registry.
    • The CRA provides a complaints/dispute mechanism for domain-related issues via its domains/complaints service.
    • The registry supports Arabic-script domain names (the IDN .قطر).

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Qatar was among the first countries to offer domain names in the Arabic script, reflecting its adoption of IDNs; the Arabic ccTLD is '.قطر' (Punycode .xn--wgbl6a).
    • The transition in registrar accreditation policy at the end of 2024 is a significant regulatory milestone affecting international registrars and local registration practice.

    Operator

    Communications Regulatory Authority

    Whois

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

domain:       QA

organisation: Communications Regulatory Authority
address:      Al Nasr Tower B.
address:      Corniche Road
address:      Doha 23404
address:      Qatar

contact:      administrative
name:         Qatar Domains Registry Admin
organisation: Communications Regulatory Authority
address:      Al Nasr Tower B.
address:      Corniche Road
address:      Doha 23404
address:      Qatar
phone:        +974 44995430
fax-no:       +974 44830630
e-mail:       admincctld@cra.gov.qa

contact:      technical
name:         Qatar Domains Registry Tech
organisation: Communications Regulatory Authority
address:      Al Nasr Tower B.
address:      Corniche Road
address:      Doha 23404
address:      Qatar
phone:        +97444994094
fax-no:       +974 44830630
e-mail:       techcctld@cra.gov.qa

nserver:      A.REGISTRY.QA 178.23.16.104
nserver:      B.REGISTRY.QA 178.23.17.104
nserver:      C.REGISTRY.QA 212.77.192.10
nserver:      D.REGISTRY.QA 212.77.192.13
nserver:      E.REGISTRY.QA 178.23.20.60
nserver:      F.REGISTRY.QA 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:6 37.209.192.6
nserver:      G.REGISTRY.QA 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:6 37.209.194.6
nserver:      H.REGISTRY.QA 178.23.22.60 2a0c:a640:1:22:0:0:0:60
nserver:      I.REGISTRY.QA 2001:500:14:6062:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.62

whois:        whois.registry.qa

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.cra.gov.qa/

created:      1996-06-12
changed:      2022-02-07
source:       IANA

    Registrars