What is .adult?
ICANN's records put the delegation of .adult on December 6, 2014. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on October 16, 2014.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .adult, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .adult haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.adult).
.adult FAQ
What does .adult mean?
.adult is a generic top-level domain named for the word "adult", and it's aimed at adult. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .adult used for?
.adult is mostly used for adult. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .adult?
None. .adult is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .adult domain extension?
ICM Registry AD LLC operates .adult as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .adult created?
.adult was delegated to the DNS root zone on December 6, 2014.
Is .adult a valid domain?
Yes. .adult is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .adult addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .adult domain?
.adult names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read ICM Registry AD LLC's policy if you're unsure.
Is .adult DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .adult.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 14, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
