What is .it?
.it has a second life online. Because of what the letters suggest, it's picked up a following for phrases like "do.it" and "make.it", beyond Italy's borders. Legally it remains Italy's ccTLD.
A little context on Italy: the capital is Rome, the main language is Italian, the currency is the Euro (EUR) and the international dialing code is +39.
Italy shares land borders with 6 countries, so the ccTLDs next door are .at (Austria), .fr (France), .sm (San Marino), .si (Slovenia), .ch (Switzerland) and .va (Vatican City).
IANA lists IIT - CNR as the manager of .it, with an address in Italy. The registry's website is https://www.nic.it. ccTLD managers set their own policies — who can register, which second-level names exist, pricing to registrars — so those rules differ from country to country.
On the technical side, .it is served by 6 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .it, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.it).
.it FAQ
What country is .it?
.it is the country-code top-level domain for Italy, in Southern Europe. Online it's also used for phrases like "do.it" and "make.it".
What does .it mean?
Officially, .it is simply the ISO 3166-1 code for Italy. Online, it's also used for phrases like "do.it" and "make.it" — a "domain hack" that uses the letters for what they spell.
What does .it mean in an email address?
Only that the sender's domain is registered under .it. Because .it is also used for phrases like "do.it" and "make.it", it doesn't necessarily mean the person is in Italy.
Who owns the .it domain?
IANA lists IIT - CNR as the manager of .it: it runs the registry and sets the rules for Italy's ccTLD. Individual .it names belong to whoever registers them.
Can I register a .it domain from the US?
It depends on IIT - CNR's policy. Some ccTLDs are open to anyone in the world, while others require a local address, company or trademark. Check the registry (https://www.nic.it) or an accredited registrar before you buy.
Is .it DNSSEC-signed?
Yes. The root zone has a DS record for .it, so DNSSEC validation works all the way down from the root.
How do I look up who owns a .it domain?
Query the registry's registration data service: the WHOIS server is whois.nic.it. Many registrants use privacy services, so personal details may be hidden.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed December 17, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
