ccTLD

Also known as: ccTLDs, country-code top-level domain

Country-code top-level domain (.au, .uk, .ca, .de, etc.) operated under each registry's own policy, separate from ICANN.

Each ccTLD is run by a national or regional registry (auDA for .au, Nominet for .uk, CIRA for .ca, DENIC for .de). Eligibility, identity, presence, and restricted-second-level-name rules vary per registry. Always verify against the registry’s own published policy page before quoting a client on a ccTLD; registrar summaries can be out of date.