What is .trade?
ICANN's records put the delegation of .trade on March 19, 2014. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on January 23, 2014.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .trade, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .trade haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.trade).
.trade FAQ
What does .trade mean?
.trade is a generic top-level domain named for the word "trade", and it's aimed at shopping & e-commerce. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .trade used for?
.trade is mostly used for shopping & e-commerce. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .trade?
None. .trade is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .trade domain extension?
Elite Registry Limited operates .trade as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .trade created?
.trade was delegated to the DNS root zone on March 19, 2014.
Is .trade a valid domain?
Yes. .trade is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .trade addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .trade domain?
.trade names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Elite Registry Limited's policy if you're unsure.
Is .trade DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .trade.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed May 11, 2024. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
