About .ac domains

About .ac domains

.AC is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the DNS root zone. It is designated for Ascension Island. The IANA root zone lists the registry manager as Internet Computer Bureau Limited. Registration policies (who may register, local presence, pricing) are set by the registry and its accredited registrars — not by IANA.

The .ac top-level domain is the Internet country code (ccTLD) for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, used primarily for Ascension Island (Saint Helena has its own ccTLD, .sh). It is administered by NIC.AC, a subsidiary of the Afilias-owned company Internet Computer Bureau. Registration for the domain is open to anyone. The registry accepts registrations of internationalised domain names.

Who can register .ac domains?

Eligibility is defined by the registry operator and its registrars. Most gTLDs are open to anyone worldwide. Many ccTLDs are also open globally; some require local presence, citizenship, or trademark rights. Always confirm current policy with the registry or your registrar.

Registration restrictions

Character rules below follow common ICANN LDH conventions. Individual registries and registrars may impose extra eligibility, length, or residency rules.

Length

2 – 63 characters (label before .ac)

Can use

Letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and hyphens (not first/last or consecutive in restricted cases)

Cannot use

Special characters (e.g. & # @) in standard LDH labels

IDNs

Varies by registry — check IDN support with the registry or your registrar

Features

Operational features (privacy, parking, protection) are registrar-level, not defined by the IANA root zone record.

Registry information

Sponsor / manager

Internet Computer Bureau Limited

Registration services

http://www.nic.ac/

WHOIS server

whois.nic.ac

Root zone registration

1997-12-19

Record last updated

2023-03-07