About .ss domains

About .ss domains

.SS is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the DNS root zone. It is designated for South Sudan. The IANA root zone lists the registry manager as National Communication Authority (NCA). Registration policies (who may register, local presence, pricing) are set by the registry and its accredited registrars — not by IANA.

.ss is the designated country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for South Sudan in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is derived from the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for South Sudan, which is SS. According to CIO East Africa, the TLD was allocated on 10 August 2011 following the country's declaration of independence from Sudan. The TLD was registered on 31 August 2011, but not added to the DNS root zone and was thus not operational. It was approved at the ICANN Board meeting on 27 January 2019 and was added to the DNS root zone on 2 February 2019. Before .ss was successfully registered, the country's Undersecretary for Telecommunications had initially been concerned about the ccTLD request's possible rejection due to SS also being an abbreviation for the Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary force of Nazi Germany. Before the independence of South Sudan, the applicable domain was .sd, Sudan's top-level Internet domain. Registration of .ss second-level domain names launched in three phases starting 1 June 2020, with general availability starting 1 September 2020. In July 2024 the registry announced registration directly under .ss would open for all applicants on 1 November 2024.

Who can register .ss 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 .ss)

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

National Communication Authority (NCA)

Registration services

https://nic.ss/

WHOIS server

whois.nic.ss

RDAP server

https://rdap.nic.ss