.in

Infobox Top level domain
name=.in
background=#CCF


introduced=1989
type=Country code top-level domain
status=Active
registry=INRegistry
sponsor=National Internet Exchange of India
intendeduse=Entities connected with India
actualuse=Was traditionally not very popular as Indians preferred generic TLDs such as .com; liberalization of registration rules in 2005 led to a great increase in registrations (though some are by foreigners)
restrictions=No restrictions on who can register second-level domains or most third-level domains; restrictions under some specialized subdomains
structure=May register at second level or at third level beneath generic-category 2nd level domains
document= [http://www.inregistry.in/policies/ Policies]
disputepolicy= [http://www.inregistry.in/policies/dispute_resolution/indrp .IN Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (INDRP)]
website= [http://www.registry.in/ registry.in] |

.in is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for India. The domain is operated by INRegistry under the authority of NIXI, the National Internet Exchange of India. INRegistry was appointed by the government of India.

As of 2005, liberalised policies for the .in domain allow unlimited second-level registrations under .in. Unlimited registrations under the previously structured existing zones are also allowed:
* .in (available to anyone; used by companies, individuals, and organizations in India)
* .co.in (originally for banks, registered companies, and trademarks)
* .firm.in (originally for shops, partnerships, liaison offices, sole proprietorships)
* .net.in (originally for Internet service providers)
* .org.in (originally for non-profit organizations)
* .gen.in (originally for general/miscellaneous use)
* .ind.in (originally for individuals)

Six zones are reserved for use by qualified organizations in India:
* .ac.in (Academic institutions)
* .edu.in (Educational institutions)
* .res.in (Indian research institutes)
* .gov.in (Indian government)
* .mil.in (Indian military)

Before the more liberal policies for the .in domain, only 7000 names had been registered between 1992 and 2004. By the end of 2006, that number had increased to over 200,000, with names registered by web users in over 150 countries. Roughly 80% of the registrants are from India, Germany, and the United States.

The domain .nic.in is reserved for India's National Informatics Centre, but in practice most Indian government agencies have domains ending in .nic.in.

ee also

* Drop registrar
* Domain name registry
* Independent Domain Registries

External links and references

* [http://www.iana.org/root-whois/in.htm IANA Whois information]
* [http://www.inregistry.in/ .in whois information] from the .IN Registry: India's Official .IN Domain Name Registry
* [http://www.inregistry.in/policies/ Policies] from the INRegistry website
* [http://www.inregistry.in/accredited_registrars List of Accredited registrars for .in]