.al
.al is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Albania. It is administered by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority of Albania (AKEP).
| Introduced | 1992 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) |
| Sponsor | Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) |
| Intended use | Entities connected with  |
| Actual use | Very popular in Albania, also used elsewhere. Sometimes used in the State of Alabama. |
| Registration restrictions | Free for anyone, some restrictions apply only on second level domains (ex: .com.al) which are allowed only for Albanian Citizens and Businesses registered in Albania |
| Dispute policies | Disputes must be with registrant alone; NIC disclaims all legal responsibilities |
| Registry website | .al AKEP |
AKEP recommends that .al domain registrations be performed with one of the AKEP accredited registrars.[1] There are also international registrars that resell .al domains.[2] Domain names should be between 2 and 63 characters. Although the Albanian language has a number of special characters, the registry has not enabled the use of IDN characters.
2nd level registrations
In the past, registrations were not permitted directly at the second level, but a few existing names were "grandfathered"; they were uniti.al, tirana.al, soros.al, upt.al and inima.al.
In 2012 registrars started to resell .al domain names widely making them popular outside Albania as domain hacks.
In November 2014 the registry released two character domain names allowing for free landrush.
3rd level registrations
Registrations used to be only beneath the second-levels, i.e., .com.al, .net.al, .org.al, and .edu.al labeled appropriately for the type of organisation, but many now exist directly below .al.
Whois servers
The .al zone has never provided whois service due to privacy concerns.[3]
Domain figures
The table below lists the total registration figures as of December 2017.
| Type | Registrations |
| .al | 18,493 |
| .com.al | 990 |
| .gov.al | 338 |
| .org.al | 156 |
| .edu.al | 143 |
| .net.al | 56 |
| .mil.al | 2 |
List of authorized hosts
| Host | Total |
| AKEP | 3,200 |
| Albtelecom | 72 |
| ShqipëriaCom | 7,992 |
| Webhost | 6,227 |
| Keminet | 1,309 |
| Studio Driar | 680 |
| Digicom | 0 |
| Ederhost | 698 |
References
- "Domains Application Form". www.akep.al (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 2018-07-21. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- "Domain .al Domains". Retrieved 2019-04-19.
- "Official Whois for .al Albanian Domains". 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
External links
- IANA .al whois information
- AKEP Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP)
