What is .museum?
.museum is one of the older generic TLDs: ICANN records its delegation as November 1, 2001, long before the 2012 expansion.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 3 name servers for .museum, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .museum haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.museum).
.museum FAQ
What does .museum mean?
.museum is a generic top-level domain named for the word "museum", and it's aimed at government & institutions. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .museum used for?
.museum is mostly used for government & institutions. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .museum?
None. .museum is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .museum domain extension?
Museum Domain Management Association (MuseDoma) operates .museum as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .museum created?
.museum was delegated to the DNS root zone on November 1, 2001.
Is .museum a valid domain?
Yes. .museum is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2001, so .museum addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .museum domain?
.museum names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Museum Domain Management Association (MuseDoma)'s policy if you're unsure.
Is .museum DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .museum.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed August 4, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
