What is .ist?
ICANN's records put the delegation of .ist on July 11, 2015. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on August 28, 2014.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality also runs one other TLD, including .istanbul.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 4 name servers for .ist, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .ist haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.ist).
Same registry, other endings
1 other TLD shares this operator.
.ist FAQ
What does .ist mean?
.ist is a generic top-level domain named for the word "ist", and it's aimed at cities & regions. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .ist used for?
.ist is mostly used for cities & regions. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .ist?
None. .ist is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .ist domain extension?
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality operates .ist as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .ist created?
.ist was delegated to the DNS root zone on July 11, 2015.
Is .ist a valid domain?
Yes. .ist is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2015, so .ist addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .ist domain?
.ist names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's policy if you're unsure.
Is .ist DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .ist.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed August 28, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
