.sl

Overview

• .sl is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to Sierra Leone.
• The TLD is intended for entities connected with Sierra Leone; sources note it is "not very much used."
• Registry/sponsorship details in available sources reference AFCOM SL (registry) and Sierratel (sponsor/manager). The official registry website is https://www.nic.sl.

History

• Introduced on 9 May 1997.
• Delegation and administrative information is recorded by IANA; public registry pages and ICANNWiki list management by Sierratel and/or AFCOM SL.

Usage and Audience

• Intended audience: organizations, businesses and individuals connected with Sierra Leone.
• Typical second-level and legacy third-level usages listed by the registry:
  • .sl — general (may be registered by anyone)
  • .com.sl — commercial entities
  • .net.sl — network-related companies (ISPs, cable companies) — encouraged but not strictly enforced
  • .org.sl — charities and non-profits — encouraged but not strictly enforced
  • .edu.sl — educational institutions registered in Sierra Leone or with local representation
  • .gov.sl — state and local government entities (registration requires an authorization letter from the Minister of Information Office)

Registration Rules

• Eligibility: Any individual or organization may register a .sl domain name.
• Registry discretion: The registry reserves the right to screen and reject applications.
• Prohibited/refused names: Domains may be refused if deemed indecent, offensive, politically or ethnically sensitive, or if they infringe trademarks/other intellectual property (when applicant is not believed to be the lawful owner).
• Reserved names: Certain Internet reserved names (examples given include "company", "example", "icann", "ripe", "www", "root-servers") are not available for registration.
• Structure: Registrations are permitted at the second level (e.g., example.sl).
• Syntax and character rules:
  • Minimum length: 4 characters; maximum length: 63 characters.
  • Allowed characters: letters (a–z), numbers (0–9) and hyphens (-).
  • A domain cannot start or end with a hyphen; two consecutive hyphens are not valid.
  • Names are case-insensitive.
• Dispute policy: UDRP is used for domain disputes.

SEO and Brand Impact

• As a country-code TLD, .sl signals a Sierra Leone connection useful for local branding and audiences.
• Sources indicate the TLD is "not very much used," which may affect recognition and perceived adoption compared with more common gTLDs.

Notable Cases or Examples

• In 2020, the unrecognized state of Somaliland reportedly requested permission from Sierra Leone's Ministry of Information and Communication to share or use the .sl ccTLD; available reports do not indicate whether a formal response was provided.

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

domain:       SL

organisation: Sierratel
address:      7 Wallace Johnson Street
address:      Freetown
address:      Sierra Leone

contact:      administrative
name:         Adel Suliman
organisation: Sierratel
address:      7 Wallace Johnson Street
address:      Freetown
address:      Sierra Leone
phone:        +232 22 235981
fax-no:       +232 22 224439
e-mail:       adel@afcomnetwork.net

contact:      technical
name:         Adam Ben-Gur
organisation: Sierratel
address:      7 Wallace Johnson Street
address:      Freetown
address:      Sierra Leone
phone:        +232 22 235981
fax-no:       +232 22 224439
e-mail:       adam@neoip.com

nserver:      NS1.NEOIP.COM 51.195.14.249
nserver:      NS2.NEOIP.COM 45.83.41.38

whois:        

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.nic.sl

created:      1997-05-09
changed:      2021-10-08
source:       IANA