From a university desk to a national system
For decades, .tr was administered from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, with registrations handled directly by the university's NIC. In September 2022 that changed: management moved to BTK, Türkiye's ICT regulator, and registrations moved to TRABIS, a registrar-based system similar to how most of the world's TLDs work.
Second-level spaces
Like many ccTLDs, .tr has long used category spaces such as .com.tr, .org.tr, .gen.tr, .edu.tr and .gov.tr. Some of them, especially the institutional ones, require documents proving eligibility. If you're a business outside Türkiye, talk to an accredited registrar about which options are open to you.
Good for
- Businesses and brands serving the Turkish market
- Turkish organizations, schools and public bodies (via their second-level spaces)
Watch out for
- Some second-level spaces (like .gov.tr or .edu.tr) require documentation
- Rules are set by Turkish regulation and BTK
.tr by the numbers
.tr is the internet country code for Türkiye. It's one of Western Asia's ccTLDs, the two-letter domains reserved for countries and territories.
A little context on Türkiye: the capital is Ankara, the main language is Turkish, the currency is the Turkish lira (TRY) and the international dialing code is +90.
Next door on the map, you'll find .am for Armenia, .az for Azerbaijan, .bg for Bulgaria, .ge for Georgia, .gr for Greece, .ir for Iran, .iq for Iraq and .sy for Syria.
IANA lists Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu (BTK) as the manager of .tr, with an address in Türkiye. The registry's website is http://www.trabis.gov.tr. 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.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 8 name servers for .tr, 4 of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .tr haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.trabis.gov.tr).
.tr FAQ
Who manages .tr?
IANA lists Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu (BTK), Türkiye's Information and Communication Technologies Authority, as the TLD manager.
What is TRABIS?
TRABIS is the national .tr registration system that BTK launched in 2022. Since then, .tr names are registered through accredited registrars rather than directly with a university-run registry.
What country is .tr?
.tr is the country-code top-level domain for Turkey (Türkiye), in Western Asia.
What is Turkey's domain extension?
Turkey's website extension is .tr, its country-code top-level domain. "TR" is its ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
Can I register a .tr domain from the US?
It depends on Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu (BTK)'s policy. Some ccTLDs are open to anyone in the world, while others require a local address, company or trademark. Check the registry (http://www.trabis.gov.tr) or an accredited registrar before you buy.
Is .tr DNSSEC-signed?
Yes. The root zone has a DS record for .tr, so DNSSEC validation works all the way down from the root.
How do I look up who owns a .tr domain?
Query the registry's registration data service: the WHOIS server is whois.trabis.gov.tr. Many registrants use privacy services, so personal details may be hidden.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 21, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
