What is .pay?
ICANN's records put the delegation of .pay on August 10, 2016. 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 27, 2015.
Amazon Registry Services, Inc. operates a large portfolio of 51 TLDs, including .amazon, .audible, .author, .book and .bot.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 8 name servers for .pay, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .pay haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP.
Same registry, other endings
50 other TLDs share this operator.
.pay FAQ
What does .pay mean?
.pay is a generic top-level domain named for the word "pay", and it's aimed at finance, money & crypto. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .pay used for?
.pay is mostly used for finance, money & crypto. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .pay?
None. .pay is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .pay domain extension?
Amazon Registry Services, Inc. operates .pay as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .pay created?
.pay was delegated to the DNS root zone on August 10, 2016.
Is .pay a valid domain?
Yes. .pay is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2016, so .pay addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .pay domain?
.pay names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Amazon Registry Services, Inc.'s policy if you're unsure.
Is .pay DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .pay.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed February 14, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
