Quick answer
Which rules apply to each domain extension in 2026?
The DotAlmanac domain extension rules 2026 table covers 225 extensions. As of 29 October 2026, 176 are open to anyone, 23 forbid WHOIS privacy, and only .ai imposes a 2-year minimum. Among the 94 country codes, 52 accept registrants from anywhere; the other 42 set a local, ID or trademark condition, or lack a reliable source.
The table in five numbers
176 of 225
extensions open to anyone, with no residency, presence or eligibility rule (78%)
23
extensions where WHOIS privacy is forbidden or not available
52 of 94
country-code extensions open to registrants from any country
1
extension with a 2-year minimum term: .ai
219 of 225
extensions signed with DNSSEC in the root zone
About this dataset
| Publisher | DotAlmanac, operated by DomaineGoat LLC |
|---|---|
| Entries | 225 extensions: 10 legacy gTLDs, 121 new gTLDs, 94 country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) |
| Fields | Registry, type, who can register, WHOIS privacy, minimum and maximum years, DNSSEC, IDN support, sources |
| Source quality | 155 entries checked against registry or registrar sources; 70 entries from secondary sources, marked "Secondary" in the tables |
| Dates | Sources read in October 2026 (DNSSEC records on 8 October 2026); counts computed on 29 October 2026 |
| Temporal coverage | October 2026 |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International) |
Who can register? The 225 extensions by rule
| Rule | Extensions | Share | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open to anyone | 176 | 78% | .com, .net, .org, .io, .ai, .co, .de, .uk, most new gTLDs |
| Local presence (address, company number or local contact) | 14 | 6% | .au, .br, .jp, .no, .sg, .berlin |
| Residency or citizenship | 6 | 3% | .eu, .fr, .ca, .it, .hu, .hr |
| Identity check by the registry | 4 | 2% | .cn, .ru, .in, .dk |
| Nexus (a documented link to the place) | 2 | 1% | .us, .nyc |
| Professional or community eligibility | 5 | 2% | .music, .law, .bank, .insurance, .ngo |
| Trademark | 1 | 0.4% | .ua |
| Not documented | 17 | 8% | .tr, .pt, .gr, .il, .vn, .th |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
Shares are of the 225 extensions in the table and are rounded. "Not documented" means we found no reliable source; we never guess a rule.
What do the 2026 rules show?
Most extensions are open to anyone, but country codes carry most of the conditions. DotAlmanac is a domain extension guide and registrar: compare every extension, then register it with no KYC and pay in crypto. We publish the rules we check before we list an extension.
- Generic extensions are almost all open. Of the 49 extensions with a known or possible condition, 7 are new gTLDs: .music, .law, .bank, .insurance, .ngo, .nyc and .berlin.
- Country codes are split. According to DotAlmanac's table of 225 extensions, 52 of the 94 ccTLDs accept anyone, 25 set a condition and 17 are not documented.
- Registries hide data themselves in Europe. All 31 extensions where the registry hides personal data on its own are country codes, such as .de, .uk, .nl, .ch and .se.
- Privacy bans and access rules often go together. 13 of the 23 extensions that forbid WHOIS privacy also restrict who can register, such as .us, .cn and .au.
- Terms are short for a few ccTLDs. Nine extensions allow only 1 year at a time, and .co, .es, .au and .fi stop at 5 years.
Which country codes restrict who can register?
The 25 country-code extensions with a known condition. The 52 open ones are listed on can you register a country domain without living there. The 17 undocumented ones are .tr, .pt, .tw, .gr, .sk, .il, .id, .vn, .th, .lu, .ke, .pk, .kz, .eg, .bz, .sc and .ms.
| ccTLD | Country | Rule | Condition | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .eu | European Union | Residency | EU/EEA citizens wherever they live, or residents and organisations established in the EU/EEA | Checked |
| .fr | France | Residency | Individuals resident in the EU/EEA or organisations established there; AFNIC eligibility and reachability checks | Checked |
| .ca | Canada | Residency | Canadian Presence Requirements: citizens, permanent residents, Canadian entities, trademark holders | Checked |
| .it | Italy | Residency | Citizens, residents or organisations of the EEA, UK, Switzerland, San Marino or Vatican; tax or ID number | Checked |
| .hu | Hungary | Residency | Persons and companies in Hungary or the EU | Secondary |
| .hr | Croatia | Residency | Croatian citizens, residents and organisations | Secondary |
| .cn | China | ID check | Real-name check by CNNIC; foreigners show a passport, firms a company certificate | Checked |
| .ru | Russia | ID check | Identity check through the Gosuslugi portal since 1 September 2026; Russian registrars only | Checked |
| .in | India | ID check | e-KYC within 7 days of registration or renewal; non-residents need a business link with India | Checked |
| .dk | Denmark | ID check | Open to foreigners, but photo ID, proof of address or a selfie can be required on a risk basis | Checked |
| .us | United States | Nexus | US citizens or residents, US organisations, or foreign entities with a bona fide US presence | Checked |
| .ua | Ukraine | Trademark | Direct .ua needs a matching Ukrainian trademark; .com.ua is open | Secondary |
| .au | Australia | Local presence | Citizen or resident, an ABN/ACN entity, or an exact-match Australian trademark | Checked |
| .br | Brazil | Local presence | Brazilian CPF or CNPJ number; foreign companies need a local attorney | Checked |
| .jp | Japan | Local presence | Japanese postal address; registrar local-presence services exist | Secondary |
| .kr | South Korea | Local presence | Korean address; foreigners use a registrar trustee service | Secondary |
| .sg | Singapore | Local presence | Singapore-based admin contact verified through SingPass | Checked |
| .no | Norway | Local presence | Norwegian organisation number or national ID plus address | Checked |
| .ie | Ireland | Local presence | A documented real and substantive connection with Ireland | Checked |
| .ar | Argentina | Local presence | A contact with an Argentine address; the registrant may be foreign | Secondary |
| .my | Malaysia | Local presence | Malaysian presence | Secondary |
| .bg | Bulgaria | Local presence | Registrant in Bulgaria or a local representative | Secondary |
| .ae | United Arab Emirates | Local presence | Local presence or documents for co.ae, net.ae and similar | Secondary |
| .sa | Saudi Arabia | Local presence | Saudi presence, a local representative or a Saudi trademark | Secondary |
| .ma | Morocco | Local presence | Based in Morocco or a legal representative | Secondary |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
"Checked" = the entry was checked against registry or registrar sources. "Secondary" = it rests on a secondary source such as Wikipedia. DotAlmanac sells none of these 25 extensions.
Which extensions forbid WHOIS privacy?
WHOIS privacy hides the owner's contact data behind a service. In DotAlmanac's table of 225 extensions, 135 allow it, 31 have data hidden by the registry itself, 23 forbid it or offer no way to use it, and 36 are unknown. These are the 23.
| Extension | Type | Who can register | Privacy note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .cn | ccTLD (China) | ID check | Privacy services not offered by major registrars | Checked |
| .br | ccTLD (Brazil) | Local presence | Privacy protection not supported | Checked |
| .au | ccTLD (Australia) | Local presence | Registrant name stays public; no privacy service | Checked |
| .in | ccTLD (India) | ID check | Registry does not support proxy privacy | Checked |
| .us | ccTLD (United States) | Nexus | usTLD policy bans privacy and proxy registrations | Checked |
| .es | ccTLD (Spain) | Open to anyone, ID or company number required | Privacy services not supported | Checked |
| .jp | ccTLD (Japan) | Local presence | Not offered by international registrars | Secondary |
| .dk | ccTLD (Denmark) | ID check | Public under Danish law; name and address protection only for Danish residents | Checked |
| .za | ccTLD (South Africa) | Open to anyone under .co.za | .co.za privacy not available | Secondary |
| .sg | ccTLD (Singapore) | Local presence | Privacy protection not supported | Checked |
| .hk | ccTLD (Hong Kong) | Open to anyone at second level | Privacy service not available | Secondary |
| .tw | ccTLD (Taiwan) | Not documented | Privacy service not available | Secondary |
| .ar | ccTLD (Argentina) | Local presence | .com.ar privacy not supported | Secondary |
| .cl | ccTLD (Chile) | Open to anyone | Privacy protection not supported | Checked |
| .ph | ccTLD (Philippines) | Open to anyone | Privacy service not available | Secondary |
| .si | ccTLD (Slovenia) | Open to anyone | Privacy service not available | Secondary |
| .li | ccTLD (Liechtenstein) | Open to anyone | Privacy service not available | Secondary |
| .ng | ccTLD (Nigeria) | Open to anyone under .com.ng | Privacy service not available | Secondary |
| .im | ccTLD (Isle of Man) | Open to anyone | Privacy not supported | Checked |
| .music | New gTLD | Music-community members only | Privacy service not available | Checked |
| .nyc | New gTLD | New York City nexus | Privacy and proxy registrations not allowed | Checked |
| .berlin | New gTLD | Berlin address required | Privacy not supported | Checked |
| .ngo | New gTLD | Proof of non-profit status | Privacy service not available | Checked |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
At DotAlmanac, WHOIS privacy costs nothing on every extension whose registry permits it, and each registry decides what remains visible. Verisign's .com and .net are thin registries: they receive no registrant contact data at all.
What are the minimum and maximum registration terms?
Most extensions can be registered for 1 to 10 years. These 15 depart from that rule.
| Extension | Minimum | Maximum | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| .ai | 2 years | 10 years | Every registration and every renewal covers at least 2 years |
| .co | 1 year | 5 years | You can prepay up to 5 years, not 10 |
| .es | 1 year | 5 years | You can prepay up to 5 years |
| .au | 1 year | 5 years | You can prepay up to 5 years |
| .fi | 1 year | 5 years | You can prepay up to 5 years |
| .im | 1 year | 2 years | You can prepay up to 2 years |
| .de, .nl, .ch, .be, .gg, .jp, .it, .ac, .ru | 1 year | 1 year | Renewed one year at a time; no multi-year registration |
| The other 210 extensions | 1 year | 10 years | Standard range; 82 of these 210 use the default value and are not confirmed |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
Terms come from Amazon Route 53's page for each extension, which exists for 143 of the 225. Route 53 describes one registrar's rules, which can be stricter than the registry's. Planning a long registration? Read should you register a domain for 10 years.
What else does the table record?
Each entry also records security and script support, which matter for some projects.
- DNSSEC: 219 of the 225 extensions have a DS record in the root zone, read on 8 October 2026. The six without one are .so, .to, .im, .ae, .pk and .eg.
- IDN: 164 of the 225 accept domain names in non-ASCII characters, such as accented letters or Cyrillic.
- HTTPS required: .app, .dev and .page are on the browser HSTS preload list, so a site on them works only over HTTPS.
- Risk notes: .io works normally in 2026. The open question is who will hold the Chagos Islands; the UK–Mauritius treaty was shelved in 2026.
The same data feeds our extension guides and the restrictions column of our price list.
How was the table built?
We combined automatic reads of public registries with targeted research, and wrote "unknown" wherever no source was solid.
- Registry name: from the IANA root zone database, one page per extension.
- DNSSEC: a lookup of the DS record of each extension in the root, over DNS-over-HTTPS, on 8 October 2026.
- IDN: the IDN tables filed at IANA, or "IDN supported" on the Route 53 page, with manual fixes for a few ccTLDs.
- Terms: Amazon Route 53's page for each extension, available for 143 of them; the rest use 1 to 10 years by default.
- Who can register and WHOIS privacy: registry policies and registrar help pages for about 40 extensions, registrar lists of extensions without privacy, and a Wikipedia cross-check.
- Counts: computed from the finished table on 29 October 2026. Every entry keeps its source URLs.
What are the limits of this table?
The table is reliable for the popular extensions and weaker for small ccTLDs. Know its limits before you rely on one row.
- 70 of the 225 entries rest on secondary sources. They are marked "Secondary" in the tables above. Check them with the registry before you buy.
- Route 53 describes a registrar, not always the registry. It is stricter than DENIC for .de, for example, where it asks for a German contact up front.
- Regulated new gTLDs may need a licence. Some finance, legal or health extensions can require one in their registry terms. We did not check those.
- European rules are tightening. The NIS2 directive led AFNIC, Punktum and other registries to verify registrant data more strictly in 2025 and 2026.
- Two points stay open: the minimum term of .to (2 years in one source) and the eligibility of .so (older texts mention a link with Somalia).
Found an error? Write to us through the contact page with a source, and we correct the row.
Domain extension rules: FAQ
Which domain extensions do not allow WHOIS privacy?
23 of the 225 extensions in our table, as of 29 October 2026. They include .us, .es, .cn, .in, .au, .br and .dk among country codes, and .music, .nyc, .berlin and .ngo among new gTLDs. At DotAlmanac, WHOIS privacy is free wherever the registry allows it.
Which country domains can anyone register?
52 of the 94 country codes in the table, including .io, .ai, .co, .me, .tv, .gg, .de, .uk, .nl and .ch. The full list, with what to check for each one, is on can you register a country domain without living there.
Which extension has a minimum registration of 2 years?
.ai is the only one in the 225-extension table. Every .ai registration and renewal covers at least 2 years. At DotAlmanac, .ai costs $84.49/year, billed 2 years at a time.
Can every domain be registered for 10 years?
No. In our table, 211 of the 225 extensions allow 10 years, 82 of them by default value. .co, .es, .au and .fi stop at 5 years, .im at 2, and nine ccTLDs, including .de, .nl and .ch, accept only 1 year at a time.
How reliable is this table?
155 of the 225 entries were checked against registry or registrar sources; 70 rest on secondary sources and are marked as such. Where no source was solid, the table says "unknown" rather than guessing.
Sources (12)
- Root Zone Database — IANA (checked 2026-10-08)
- IDN tables repository — IANA (checked 2026-10-08)
- Domains that support privacy protection — Amazon Route 53 (checked 2026-10-08)
- Domains where privacy is not allowed dynadot.com/help/question/domain-privacy-not-allowed — Dynadot (checked 2026-10-08)
- Rules for .eu domains — EURid (checked 2026-10-08)
- usTLD privacy services policy — about.us (usTLD registry) (checked 2026-10-08)
- .ru ready to crash as draconian new rules come in — Domain Incite (checked 2026-10-08)
- Domain name news, June 2026 (.in e-KYC) — Hogan Lovells (checked 2026-10-08)
- Data and ID verification of registrants — Punktum dk (checked 2026-10-08)
- Domain Name Eligibility and Allocation Policy Rules — auDA (July 2024, checked 2026-10-08)
- .io safe for now as Trump puts Chagos deal on ice — Domain Incite (checked 2026-10-08)
- HSTS preload and Google Registry kb.porkbun.com/article/96-hsts-preload-and-google-registry — Porkbun (checked 2026-10-08)
Pick an extension with known rules
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