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    • .бг

    Country-code top-level domainsIDN

    Overview

    • .бг is an internationalized country code top-level domain (IDN ccTLD) representing Bulgaria in the Bulgarian Cyrillic script.
    • The ASCII-compatible encoding (ACE) for the string is xn--90ae. The Unicode code points comprising the string are U+0431 U+0433.
    • Intended use: entities connected with Bulgaria, specifically for domain names in Cyrillic.
    • Registry/manager: Imena.BG (Imena.BG AD). Websites referenced in sources include http://имена.бг and https://www.imena.bg.

    History

    • 24 October 2007: UNINET (a Bulgarian association) announced intent to submit an application for .бг.
    • 19 February 2010: MTITC (Bulgarian Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications) applied for the string via ICANN's IDN Fast Track process.
    • 18 May 2010 and March 2011: ICANN initially rejected the string (twice) due to perceived visual similarity to Brazil's .br.
    • October 2014: ICANN's Extended Process Similarity Review Panel (EPSRP) concluded the candidate string is not confusingly similar to any ISO 3166-1 entries.
    • 5 March 2016: .бг was added to the DNS Root Zone (delegation record xn--90ae).
    • 25 June 2016: ICANN Board delegated .бг to Imena.BG Plc (Imena.BG AD).
    • 12 July 2016: the first Cyrillic domain http://имена.бг became accessible online.

    Usage and Audience

    • Target audience: Bulgarian entities, organizations and users preferring Cyrillic script domain names.
    • Actual use (as reported): not yet widely used in Bulgaria at time of the source reports.
    • Typical community: local registrants and organizations seeking native-script domain names to serve Bulgarian-speaking audiences.

    Registration Rules

    • Script restriction: intended for Cyrillic domain names only (Bulgarian Cyrillic).
    • Registry: managed by Imena.BG AD.
    • ACE representation: xn--90ae (used in DNS operations).
    • Transliteration: in Bulgarian the string transliterates to "bg".
    • The sources note that no firm policy was defined early on beyond the Cyrillic restriction; detailed registration periods, character sets beyond Bulgarian Cyrillic, and other eligibility specifics are not provided in the supplied content.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Early objections to .бг focused on visual similarity to .br (Brazil) and potential for user confusion or phishing; this motivated ICANN reviews and objections from Brazil.
    • EPSRP's finding in 2014 that .бг is not confusingly similar to ISO 3166-1 entries removed that major barrier to delegation.
    • As an IDN ccTLD in native script, .бг can strengthen local brand presence and user recognition for Bulgarian-language audiences by providing domain names in Cyrillic.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Two ICANN rejections (2010 and 2011) based on similarity concerns to .br.
    • EPSRP approval (2014) that the string was not confusingly similar, leading to delegation.
    • Delegation added to the Root Zone on 5 March 2016 and formal delegation to Imena.BG Plc by ICANN Board on 25 June 2016.
    • The first accessible Cyrillic site under the domain was http://имена.бг (reportedly accessible as of 12 July 2016).

    Operator

    Imena.BG AD

    Whois

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

domain:       бг
domain-ace:   XN--90AE

organisation: Imena.BG AD
address:      91, Alexander Malinov str, Office 303
address:      Sofia 1715
address:      Bulgaria

contact:      administrative
name:         Dragomir Slavov
organisation: Imena.BG AD
address:      91, Alexander Malinov str, Office 303
address:      Sofia 1715
address:      Bulgaria
phone:        +359 2 9037212
fax-no:       +359 2 9037211
e-mail:       dhs@digsys.bg

contact:      technical
name:         Daniel Kalchev
organisation: Imena.BG AD
address:      91, Alexander Malinov str, Office 303
address:      Sofia 1715
address:      Bulgaria
phone:        +359 2 9037213
fax-no:       +359 2 9037211
e-mail:       daniel@digsys.bg

nserver:      A.NIC.BG 192.92.129.99 2a02:6a80:0:0:192:92:129:99
nserver:      B.NIC.BG 193.68.3.232 2a02:6a80:0:0:193:68:3:232
nserver:      C.NIC.BG 193.68.99.99 2a02:6a80:0:0:193:68:99:99
nserver:      D.NIC.BG 194.0.32.1 2001:678:3c:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      E.NIC.BG 185.143.80.1 2a02:6a80:530e:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      P.NIC.BG 2001:500:14:6110:ad:0:0:1 204.61.216.110
ds-rdata:     55126 8 2 0669c2eb01c870dae3ef098917da83562b431531334a531e9814f117557509d7

whois:        whois.imena.bg

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.imena.bg

created:      2016-03-05
changed:      2023-03-07
source:       IANA

    Registrars