About .iq domains

About .iq domains

.IQ is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the DNS root zone. It is designated for Iraq. The IANA root zone lists the registry manager as Communications and Media Commission (CMC). Registration policies (who may register, local presence, pricing) are set by the registry and its accredited registrars — not by IANA.

.iq is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Iraq. This domain was in limbo for several years, as the delegated manager was imprisoned in Texas on charges of alleged connections to Hamas (a State Department designated terrorist organization), for which he was later convicted in 2005. Some talk of redelegation and relaunching began taking place at the time of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and in 2005 a redelegation to the National Communications and Media Commission of Iraq was approved by ICANN. Registrations are within these categories:

.iq – general .gov.iq – governmental entities .edu.iq – higher education institutions .sch.iq – public and private schools .com.iq – commercial entities recognised by the Ministry of Trade and/or other relevant authorities .mil.iq – military institutions .org.iq – non-profit organizations .net.iq – network service providers recognised by the Ministry of Trade .name.iq – individuals Whois services can be found at whois.cmc.iq (Archived 2017-05-20 at the Wayback Machine).

Who can register .iq 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 .iq)

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

Communications and Media Commission (CMC)

Registration services

https://registrar.cmc.iq

WHOIS server

whois.cmc.iq