Country and Territory Names | 12 October 2015
Published 12 October 2015
Specification 5 Section 4 of the 2012 Registry Agreement requires the country and territory names (including their IDN variants, where applicable) contained in the following internationally recognized lists be reserved. Below links are provided for each list for better accessibility. The links are not intended to alter the lists identified in Specification 5 Section 4.
Internationally Recognized Lists
- The short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, as updated from time to time, including the European Union, which is exceptionally reserved on the ISO 3166-1 list, and its scope extended in August 1999 to any application needing to represent the name European Union: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso-3166-1_decoding_table.html; https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/
- The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/pubs/UNGEGN%20tech%20ref%20manual_m87_combined.pdf
- The list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/10th-uncsgn-docs/econf/E_CONF.101_25_UNGEGN%20WG%20Country%20Names%20Document.pdf
Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Notification Requirements List
On 30 July 2015, the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) established a list to facilitate notification of registry requests for release of country and territory names as second-level domains in new gTLDs: "Country and Territory Names as second-level domains in new gTLDs requirements for notification list." The countries/territories identified in the GAC notification requirements list are divided into three (3) categories: Category R, Category B and Category X.
- Category R is comprised of countries/territories that are required to be notified of all requests.
- Category B is comprised of countries/territories that do not require notification of brand TLDs. Additionally, "the country or organization concerned waives its right to authorize the release of the country or territory name under brand TLDs (those who have signed Specification 13 of the Registry Agreement) insofar as the brand TLD continues to be so."
- Category X is comprised of countries/territories that "do not require any notification." Additionally, "the country or organization concerned waives its right to authorize the release of the country or territory name."
To the extent the GAC list indicates an "X" next to the country/territory name, registry operators are considered to have reached agreement. As such, registry operators are authorized to release from reservation and activate those corresponding country and territory names without further approval by ICANN.
Additionally, to the extent the GAC list indicates a "B" next to the country/territory name, a registry operator with an executed Specification 13 of the Registry Agreement is considered to have reached agreement with the applicable government(s). As such, registry operators are authorized to release from reservation and activate those corresponding country and territory names without further approval by ICANN.
To view the definitive list of countries/territories included in the GAC database, please go to: https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Country+and+Territory+Names+as+second-level+domains+in+new+gTLDs+requirements+for+notification+list. ICANN encourages registry operators and other interested parties to continue to check the GAC database as it may be updated from time to time.