ccTLD List: Every Country Code Domain Extension (2026)
Updated: 22 hours ago
A country code top-level domain, or ccTLD, is the two-letter extension assigned to a specific country or territory, like .de for Germany or .jp for Japan. There are roughly 300 of them delegated in the IANA root zone today, and this guide groups the ones you're most likely to search for by region, explains how they're assigned and restricted, and walks through what to check before you register one.
What Is a ccTLD, Exactly?
A ccTLD is a domain extension tied to a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory rather than a general purpose or industry. Most are based on the two-letter codes from the ISO 3166-1 standard, the same reference list used for country codes on passports and currency codes. Germany uses .de, Brazil registers under .com.br, and South Africa uses .za, all pulled straight from that standard.
That puts ccTLDs in a different bucket from generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like .com, .org, and .net, which have no geographic tie and are open to anyone worldwide, regardless of where they live or do business. A ccTLD, by contrast, is meant to signal that a website has some connection, official or otherwise, to a particular place.
Each ccTLD is also managed independently. There's no single global rulebook the way there is for .com. Every country's registry sets its own registration rules, pricing, and eligibility requirements, which is why some country codes are wide open to anyone and others ask for proof of local residency, a local business registration, or a resident administrative contact before they'll process a registration.
How Many ccTLDs Are There in 2026?
Counts vary slightly depending on the source and whether internationalized ccTLDs are counted separately, but most current tallies put the total somewhere between 300 and 320 delegated country codes in the IANA root zone, covering nearly every recognized country and a long list of dependent territories. Together, ccTLDs account for a substantial share, often cited around 35 to 40 percent, of all registered domain names worldwide, so they're far from a niche corner of the internet.
Not every one of those few hundred extensions is something you'll ever need to look up. The list below focuses on the ccTLDs that come up most often, whether that's because they're commonly registered for local businesses, commonly searched by name, or commonly repurposed for branding well outside their home country.
What Is an IDN ccTLD?
Most ccTLDs are two Latin letters, but not all of them are. Starting in 2010, IANA began delegating internationalized country code top-level domains, or IDN ccTLDs, which display in a country's native script rather than the Latin alphabet. Examples include the Russian Federation's Cyrillic extension and China's Chinese-script domain, both of which resolve through a punycode equivalent behind the scenes so browsers and DNS servers can still process them correctly.
IDN ccTLDs exist specifically so that a country's domain name system reflects the script its residents actually read and type in, rather than forcing every registrant to work exclusively in Latin characters. They're a smaller slice of the ccTLD world overall, but they matter a lot for local relevance in markets where the native script isn't Latin-based.
Country Code Domains by Region
Here's a working reference table of the ccTLDs people search for most, organized by region, along with a short note on how open or restricted each one tends to be. This isn't every ccTLD in existence, since a table of all 300-plus would be more IANA registry than blog post, but it covers the extensions that generate the bulk of real-world search volume. If the specific country you need isn't listed here, search for the country name plus "domain extension" to find its registry policy directly.
Europe
| Country | ccTLD | Notes | |---|---|---| | United Kingdom | .uk | Often registered as .co.uk for businesses | | Germany | .de | Requires an administrative contact based in Germany | | France | .fr | Generally requires an EU or EEA connection | | Netherlands | .nl | Open registration, no residency requirement | | Italy | .it | Open to EU residents and businesses | | Spain | .es | Open registration for most applicants | | Switzerland | .ch | No residency requirement to register | | Poland | .pl | Open registration | | Sweden | .se | May require a local contact depending on registrant type | | Belgium | .be | Open registration, with identity verification | | Austria | .at | Open registration | | Ireland | .ie | May ask for a connection to Ireland | | Portugal | .pt | Open registration | | Denmark | .dk | Open registration | | Norway | .no | May require a Norwegian organization number | | Finland | .fi | Generally requires a Nordic connection | | Greece | .gr | Open registration | | Czech Republic | .cz | Open registration | | Romania | .ro | Open registration | | Hungary | .hu | Open registration | | Ukraine | .ua | Open registration | | Russia | .ru | Open registration, with local hosting norms |
Americas
| Country | ccTLD | Notes | |---|---|---| | United States | .us | Requires meeting a US Nexus category | | Canada | .ca | Requires a Canadian presence | | Mexico | .mx | Open registration | | Brazil | .com.br | Registered under .com.br rather than a bare .br | | Argentina | .ar | Open registration | | Colombia | .co | Open worldwide, widely used for "company" branding | | Chile | .cl | Open registration | | Peru | .pe | Open registration | | Uruguay | .uy | Open registration, with some local documentation |
Asia-Pacific
| Country | ccTLD | Notes | |---|---|---| | China | .cn | One of the highest-volume ccTLDs in the world | | Japan | .jp | Some categories require a Japanese address | | India | .in | Open registration | | South Korea | .kr | Open registration | | Australia | .au | Requires an Australian presence or ABN | | New Zealand | .nz | Open registration | | Indonesia | .id | Open registration | | Singapore | .sg | Open registration | | Thailand | .th | Open registration | | Vietnam | .vn | Open registration | | Philippines | .ph | Open registration | | Malaysia | .my | Open registration |
Middle East and Africa
| Country | ccTLD | Notes | |---|---|---| | United Arab Emirates | .ae | Open registration | | Saudi Arabia | .sa | Open registration | | Israel | .il | Open registration | | South Africa | .za | Often registered as .co.za | | Nigeria | .ng | Open registration | | Kenya | .ke | Open registration | | Egypt | .eg | Open registration |
Popular ccTLDs Used Outside Their Home Country
Some ccTLDs have drifted far from their original geographic meaning and are now used almost entirely for branding, a pattern sometimes called a "domain hack." A few of the most common examples:
.io (British Indian Ocean Territory): adopted heavily by the tech and startup world, largely because it reads like "input/output."
.co (Colombia): widely used as a short stand-in for "company" or "corporation."
.me (Montenegro): popular for personal sites, portfolios, and link-in-bio pages.
.tv (Tuvalu): a natural fit for streaming, media, and video-first brands.
.ai (Anguilla): the default extension of choice for artificial intelligence startups.
.fm (Federated States of Micronesia): common among radio stations and podcast networks.
.gg (Guernsey): frequently used in gaming, esports, and streaming communities.
.ly (Libya): shows up in link-shortening and productivity brand names.
.sh (Saint Helena): occasionally used for shell scripting and developer tool projects.
None of these registries require any real connection to their home territory, which is exactly what makes them so flexible for branding, though it's worth noting that a domain hack extension can still carry that country's registry rules and, occasionally, its political or infrastructure risk if the registry changes policy.
Are There Restrictions on Registering a ccTLD?
Yes, and they vary a lot from one country to the next. Some ccTLDs, like .co, .me, .tv, .io, and .uk, are open to anyone in the world with no residency or business requirement at all. Others are considerably stricter:
.ca generally requires the registrant to be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a business with a legal presence in Canada.
.au requires an Australian presence or an Australian Business Number.
.de requires an administrative contact based in Germany, even if the registrant themselves is elsewhere.
.fr generally requires an EU or EEA connection.
.us requires the registrant to meet one of the US Nexus categories and certify a bona fide US presence.
.eu is limited to private individuals residing in the EU and organizations or companies based there.
Before you commit to a specific ccTLD, check its individual registration requirements rather than assuming it works the same way as a generic domain. A quick availability search will usually flag any special conditions before you complete a purchase, and it's worth reading the fine print on a country's registry policy if the domain is going to anchor your brand long-term.
ccTLDs vs gTLDs: What's the Difference?
A gTLD (generic top-level domain) like .com, .net, .org, or newer options like .store and .app has no geographic tie and can be registered by anyone, anywhere, for any purpose. A ccTLD is reserved for a specific country or territory and, depending on the registry, may come with eligibility rules attached.
The practical difference shows up in two main places: local SEO and trust signals. Search engines often treat a ccTLD as a strong indicator that a site's content is relevant to users in that country, which can help local search visibility for a business targeting a specific market. Shoppers in that country may also feel more comfortable buying from a domain that looks local, since it often implies local currency, local shipping, and local customer support. A .com, on the other hand, still reads as the global default and carries broad, general trust regardless of where a visitor happens to be browsing from.
Neither option is universally better. A business targeting a single country often benefits from a ccTLD, while a business aiming for a global, English-speaking, or multi-country audience is usually better served sticking with .com, .net, or a similarly unrestricted extension. Plenty of businesses end up running both: a .com for the global brand and a ccTLD, or several, for individual local markets.
Do You Actually Need a ccTLD to Start?
If you're launching a brand-new website and you're only targeting your home country, a ccTLD can make sense from day one, especially in markets where local buyers strongly prefer a local-looking domain. But if you're still validating an idea, still deciding on a final brand name, or planning to expand beyond a single country eventually, there's a reasonable argument for starting on .com and adding a ccTLD later once you know exactly which markets matter.
The main reason to hold off is flexibility. Switching a live business from one primary domain to another, ccTLD or otherwise, means redirects, updated marketing materials, and a period where search engines and existing customers need to catch up. Registering the matching ccTLD for your name early, even if you don't use it as your primary domain yet, is a common middle ground: it keeps a competitor or squatter from grabbing it while you figure out your longer-term domain strategy.
Running a Business Across Multiple ccTLDs
Larger or fast-growing businesses often don't pick just one domain. A company selling in the UK, Germany, and Australia might run example.co.uk, example.de, and example.com.au side by side, each pointed at a version of the site localized for that market's language, currency, and shipping options. This approach can meaningfully boost local search visibility in each country compared with running a single global .com for every market.
The tradeoff is complexity. Multiple ccTLDs mean multiple renewal dates, multiple registries with their own rules, and in some cases multiple sets of verification documents to keep current. Some registries also require a locally based administrative contact for every renewal cycle, not just the initial registration, which can catch international businesses off guard if nobody is tracking it. Before scaling to more than one or two country codes, it's worth having a clear owner internally for domain renewals and registry compliance, since a lapsed ccTLD in an active market can mean real, immediate downtime for that region's customers.
ccTLD Pricing: What to Expect
Pricing for country code domains is far less uniform than pricing for .com or .net, since every registry sets its own wholesale cost and every registrar adds its own margin on top. As a rough guide, open ccTLDs with light registry requirements, like .co, .me, or .io, tend to land somewhere in a similar range to a standard gTLD, sometimes a bit higher due to demand. More restricted ccTLDs, or ones that require extra verification steps, can carry a noticeable premium because the registry itself charges more, or because the registrar has to handle additional documentation on your behalf.
It's worth comparing pricing for your specific extension directly rather than assuming every country code costs the same. Renewal pricing is also worth checking separately from the first-year price, since some ccTLDs, like some gTLDs, use a lower introductory rate that increases at renewal.
How to Register a Country Code Domain
The process looks a lot like registering any other domain, with one extra step layered in:
Search for your desired name and confirm the ccTLD you want is actually available.
Check whether that specific ccTLD has any eligibility requirements, such as local presence, citizenship, or a resident administrative contact.
Complete the registration, providing any documentation the registry requires. This step is skipped entirely for open ccTLDs like .co, .me, or .tv.
Set up domain privacy protection where it's offered, since not every ccTLD registry supports it the same way generic domains do.
Connect the domain to your website and, if you need one, a professional email address that matches your new domain.
If you're still deciding whether you actually need a country-specific extension or would be better off sticking with .com, it's worth working through how to choose a domain name before you lock in a registration that can be awkward to walk back later. And once you've settled on a name, you can check availability with a domain name search before you commit to a specific country code.
ccTLDs and Trademark Considerations
Registering a ccTLD doesn't give you any trademark protection, and it doesn't automatically clear a name for use, even in the country tied to that extension. A domain registry checks whether a string of characters is available to register, not whether registering it might infringe on someone else's trademark. It's entirely possible to register a ccTLD version of a name that a business in that same country already holds a trademark on, and doing so can expose you to a dispute or a forced transfer later, especially under country-specific dispute resolution policies that many registries maintain alongside the domain itself.
If a ccTLD is going to anchor a serious, long-term brand rather than a side project, it's worth doing a basic trademark search in that country before you register, the same way you'd want to for any domain that's central to your business. This matters more for country-specific extensions than for many gTLDs, since some ccTLD registries run their own dispute processes that can move faster, and with different rules, than the ones you might be used to for .com.
Common ccTLD Terms to Know
A few terms show up repeatedly once you start digging into ccTLD registration policies, and knowing them up front makes the process a lot less confusing:
Registry: the organization officially responsible for managing a specific ccTLD, setting its rules, and maintaining its database of registered domains.
Registrar: the company you actually buy the domain through, which interfaces with the registry on your behalf. Not every registrar sells every ccTLD.
Local presence requirement: a rule requiring the registrant to have some verifiable connection to the country, such as citizenship, residency, or a registered local business.
Trustee service: a service some registrars offer where they act as the local administrative contact on your behalf, letting you register a restricted ccTLD without personally meeting its local presence requirement.
Grace period: the window after a domain expires during which you can still renew it at the standard rate before it moves into redemption.
Redemption period: a later window, usually more expensive to act on, after which an unrenewed domain becomes available for anyone else to register.
WHOIS / registrant data: the ownership and contact information tied to a domain, which some ccTLD registries make public and others allow you to keep private.
Country Code Domains (ccTLDs) FAQ
Can I register a ccTLD if I don't live in that country?
It depends entirely on the individual registry. Some ccTLDs, including .co, .me, .tv, and .uk, place no restriction at all on where the registrant lives. Others, like .ca, .au, and .de, require some form of local presence, citizenship, or a resident administrative contact before they'll process the registration, so check the specific country's policy before you settle on a name.
Is a ccTLD better than .com for SEO?
Not automatically. A ccTLD can give a local SEO boost for a business that's specifically targeting users in that country, since search engines often read it as a strong geographic relevance signal. For a business with a global or multi-country audience, though, .com typically remains the stronger, more broadly recognized, and trusted choice.
What happens if I don't renew a ccTLD?
Most registries follow a similar general pattern: an initial grace period where you can still renew at the standard price, followed by a redemption period where renewal usually costs more, and finally deletion, after which the domain becomes available for anyone to register. The exact timelines and fees differ by registry, so it's worth checking your specific ccTLD's renewal policy well before the expiration date arrives.
Can I transfer a ccTLD to a different registrar?
In most cases, yes, although the process and requirements vary by registry. It typically involves unlocking the domain at the current registrar, obtaining a transfer authorization code, and completing the transfer through the new registrar. Some of the more restricted ccTLDs, or ones with strict local presence rules, add extra verification steps to this process.
Can I use a ccTLD even if my business has nothing to do with that country?
Sometimes. Open ccTLDs like .co, .me, .tv, .io, and .ai have no meaningful connection requirement, which is precisely why they've become popular for branding purposes far outside their home territory. Restricted ccTLDs, like .ca or .de, generally do require some genuine local connection, so an unrelated business typically can't register one just for the branding value.
Are ccTLDs more expensive than .com domains?
It varies widely by extension. Some ccTLDs are priced comparably to a standard .com, while heavily restricted or specialty country codes can carry a premium due to added verification requirements or limited registry capacity. Compare pricing for your specific extension rather than assuming it will match a generic domain, and check the renewal price separately from any first-year discount.
Should a small, local business bother with a ccTLD at all?
Often, yes, particularly for businesses that only ever serve customers in one country, like a local restaurant, a regional service provider, or a shop with no plans to sell across borders. In that situation, a ccTLD can reinforce exactly the kind of local trust and relevance that matters most, sometimes more than a generic .com would. A business that expects to grow beyond its home market eventually may still want to register the matching .com early, even if it isn't the primary domain yet, simply to keep the option open.
What's the difference between a ccTLD and an IDN ccTLD?
A standard ccTLD uses two Latin letters, like .de or .jp. An IDN ccTLD displays in a country's native script, such as Cyrillic or Chinese characters, so residents can register and read domain names in the script they actually use day to day. Behind the scenes, browsers and DNS servers translate an IDN ccTLD into a punycode equivalent so it still resolves correctly across the internet.
Whichever country code ends up making the most sense for your brand, the fastest way to find out if it's actually available is to buy your domain through Wix, where you can register it, connect it to your site, and set up a matching business email address all in one place.
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