Country-code Top-level Domains (ccTLDs) are two-letter top-level domains especially designated for a particular country or autonomous territory to use to service their community.
Information about the delegation of existing ccTLDs appears in the IANA Root Zone Database, or it may be obtained at the IANA Whois service (port 43 access available at whois.iana.org). This listing contains basic information for the top-level domains for each country, such as the sponsoring organization's name and the technical and administrative contacts. If you desire to register a domain name under one of these top-level domains, you should contact the person(s) listed via e-mail or visit their website if one is listed.
The IANA's ccTLD database contains authoritative information about ccTLDs. This information includes sponsoring organization, administrative contact, technical contact, nameserver information, registration URL, and Whois server address. The following sections give information about the procedures that the IANA follows in maintaining the ccTLD database.
In determining whether new TLDs should be added, the IANA follows the ISO 3166-1 list as published by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency. For more information about establishing new ccTLDs, see the IANA's Procedures for Establishing ccTLDs.
The process of changing the designated manager(s) of a ccTLD is known as redelegation. This process is conducted according to the principles described in ICP-1 and RFC 1591. For a simplifed summary of the process that is followed in implementing these principles, see the ccTLD Delegation and Redelegation Step-by-Step Overview. The IANA Reports listed below illustrate many of the considerations made in the decision whether to redelegate.
The IANA is responsible for receiving and acting on requests by the designated ccTLD managers to change information (name and IP address) about the ccTLD's nameservers in the root zone. Requests should be made by filling out the root-zone modification template and sending it to root-mgmt@iana.org. For more information about the requirements that apply to nameserver-change requests, please see Format and Technical Requirements for Requests to Change TLD Nameservers in the Root Zone. The procedures followed by the IANA in handling these requests (effective 31 March 2003) are described in Procedures for Handling Requests by ccTLD Managers to Change Nameservers.
The IANA is also responsible for receiving and acting on requests by the designated ccTLD managers to change contact information about the ccTLD's designated sponsoring organization, administrative contact, and technical contact. Requests should be made by filling out the root-zone modification template and sending it to root-mgmt@iana.org. For mor information about how to request changes in contact data, see Format, Content, and Technical Requirements for Requests to Change TLD Contact Information.
It is important that all TLD administrators follow the guidelines of and ICP-1 and RFC 1591. TLD administrators should treat this stewardship responsibility as a service to the global Internet community.
For ccTLD managers having agreements with ICANN, the following documents describe operational guidelines and procedures for making requests to the IANA:
ccTLD managers without agreements may also wish to follow the guidance in the above documents.