About .lv domains

About .lv domains

.LV is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the DNS root zone. It is designated for Latvia. The IANA root zone lists the registry manager as University of Latvia, Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, Department of Network Solutions (DNS). Registration policies (who may register, local presence, pricing) are set by the registry and its accredited registrars — not by IANA.

.lv is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Latvia. It was introduced on 29 April 1993, two years after the country's independence. Registration is permitted at the second level, and this is the form of registration currently encouraged by the registry; however, registrations are also accepted at the third level beneath a number of subdomains:

.com.lv - commercial entities .edu.lv - educational institutions .gov.lv - government and semi-government entities. .org.lv - various forms of affiliation groups .mil.lv - defense/military entities of Latvia .id.lv - individuals .net.lv - network infrastructure providers .asn.lv - associations .conf.lv - conferences and exhibitions requiring short duration Internet connectivity Registration is open to foreigners, though the dispute policy says that precedence is generally given to domestic users. There does not appear to be much non-Latvian use of this TLD; exceptions include a few sites apparently using it to suggest Las Vegas—much as .la is used for Los Angeles—or "love"—as in "my.lv," "we.lv," or "true.lv"—and "live"—as in "xbx.lv" used by Microsoft for shortening links to their Xbox Live service—but these types of uses are not widespread. Internationalized domain names may also be registered.

Who can register .lv 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 .lv)

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

University of Latvia, Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, Department of Network Solutions (DNS)

Registration services

http://www.nic.lv/

WHOIS server

whois.nic.lv

Root zone registration

1993-04-29

Record last updated

2025-08-22