.iq Domain: Iraq's Country Zone and Its Registration Rules
.iq is the country-code domain of the Republic of Iraq, entered in the root zone on 9 May 1997. The zone is managed by the Communications and Media Commission (CMC), an independent body founded in June 2004 that reports to no ministry and runs domain matters through a dedicated internal unit, the Iraqi Domain Department. Registrations go through accredited registrars, and the Commission gives the final approval.
Second-level .iq is the most open zone in the Iraqi namespace. Article 12.1 of the Terms and Conditions says applicants need not submit any documents nor meet any eligibility requirement beyond those stated in the policy, and it opens the zone to individuals, businesses, government and institutions alike. The same article then reserves the Commission's eligibility requirements for certain classes — commercial entities, banks, telecom companies and natural persons resident in Iraq — so documents can be requested in practice.
Anyone applying from abroad should note one deadline. Article 15 of the Non-Governmental Registration Procedure gives registrants outside Iraq six months to have the required documents legalised at Iraqi embassies and consulates; miss it and the name is deleted, with no claim against the Commission. The name is issued straight away, in other words, while the legalisation clock runs behind it. Check your name on the domain search page.
.IQ Domain at a Glance
- Registry Communications and Media Commission (CMC) — Baghdad; Iraqi Domain Department
- Delegated 9 May 1997 (IANA root zone record)
- Governing rules Terms and Conditions of Domain Registration, version 1.0, issued 13 June 2023
- Processing time Electronic application; registration completes within 24 hours, at most 72 working hours
- Legalisation window abroad Six months — documents certified at Iraqi embassies and consulates
- Sibling zones com.iq, net.iq, org.iq, name.iq, edu.iq, gov.iq, mil.iq, krd.iq and Arabic .عراق
- Document Requirement View required documents
- Country Iraq
- Character Length 3 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 10 servers
.iq Domain Prices — No Surprise Fees
Registration, transfer and renewal fees are listed separately. The renewal price can differ from the first-year price, so you see both up front.
-
New Registration
$379.00 /year -
Transfer
$379.00 /year -
Renewal
$416.90 /year
Included With Every .iq Domain
-
Free DNS management
Change A, MX, TXT and CNAME records yourself from the panel — no waiting on anyone when you move a site or mailbox.
-
Domain forwarding
Point the domain at your existing site, a campaign page or a social profile — at no extra cost.
.iq Domain Lifecycle
What happens day by day after it expires
Day 0 is the domain's expiry dateIn short: for .iq the post-expiry timeline is set by the registry, so it differs from one extension to the next. The diagram below shows the windows that actually apply to .iq, day by day. One thing never changes, whichever extension you hold: renewing before the expiry date is always the cheapest and safest route.
Domain Is Available (Available)
A .iq address at this stage has not been taken yet, and it goes to whoever registers first. Check the name you have in mind — if it is free, it can be yours within minutes.
Domain Is Active (Active Period)
Once registration is complete, the domain is registered to you for the term you selected. You can renew at any point before it expires to keep it active, or switch on auto-renewal so you never have to watch the date.
Redemption Period (Redemption Period)
The domain is not released the moment it expires — during this window it is still yours and can be recovered. Some extensions charge an extra restore fee at this stage, so renewing before expiry is always the cheaper route.
Domain Is Available Again
Once deletion completes, the domain leaves the system and anyone can register it — popular names are often taken the same minute by someone watching. Keep auto-renewal on so a name you care about never gets this far.
.iq Domain Specifications and Registration Rules
Registration conditions, supported features and the registry's own timelines in a single table.
.iq Domain Registration
- Document Requirement View required documents
- Country Iraq
- Character Length 3 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 10 servers
.iq Domain Support
- IDN Support No
- Transfer Support Yes
- Late Renewal Support No
Documents Required for a .iq Domain
In order to register in this extension, the domain owner must meet one or more of the following requirements:
- If the owner is company, must provide a scanned copy of the certificate of registration of his company and a scanned copy of the CEO's passport; or
- If the owner is natural person, must provide scanned copy of his passport.
iq Registration Application Form
Domains with 2-3-4 characters are premium on the .iq Registry side, and the transaction is made after the price is approved by the Registry.
Frequently Asked Questions About .iq Domains
The questions people actually ask before registering — answered plainly.
-
Yes. Article 12.1 of the Terms and Conditions opens second-level .iq to «any applicant» and states that such names are available through all accredited registrars; there is no residency requirement. Article 15 of the Non-Governmental Registration Procedure does add a separate duty for registrants abroad: documents requiring legalisation must be certified at Iraqi embassies or consulates within six months, otherwise the name is deleted.
-
The answer differs between two paragraphs of the same article. The first says applicants for second-level .iq need not provide any documentary evidence. The last reserves the Commission's eligibility requirements for commercial entities, banks licensed by the Central Bank, telecom and IT companies, natural persons resident in Iraq, and non-profits. Article 9.3.4 also lets a registrar ask for documents at any time, and if they are not supplied within 7 days, every request including renewal is suspended.
-
The Non-Governmental Registration Procedure gives two concrete figures: registration completes within 24 hours and at most within 72 working hours, and the name becomes active once the DNS update is made. Article 3.1.9 of the Terms and Conditions sets a separate limit on the registrar: absent grounds for refusal, it must register the name within three working days. The application is entirely electronic and the Commission gives final approval in its own registry system.
-
Article 11 of the Terms and Conditions explicitly applies the rules to all names at the second or third level: each label is at least 2 and at most 63 characters; only letters a-z, digits 0-9 and the hyphen may be used; the name begins and ends with a letter or a digit; it may neither begin nor end with a hyphen; it may not contain hyphens in the third and fourth positions; and it may not include a space.
-
You get a recovery window, but the Commission's three documents describe its length differently. The Lifecycle Policy sets out a 48-hour suspension on day one, then redemption at the normal price, then redemption with a late fine of half the domain fee, and deletion at 60 days. The Non-Governmental Procedure speaks of a 50-day freeze period. The Terms and Conditions describe a 30-day period at unchanged price. Confirm the exact figure before you order.
-
Article 13 of the procedure settles the question in one sentence: the domain belongs to its owner, not to the registrar that manages it or through which it was registered, and the owner may move it to another accredited registrar at any time. The gaining registrar submits the request through the registry system, and an incomplete request lapses after three days. A transfer counts as a new registration and extends the name by one year. Start on the domain transfer page.
-
UDRP does not apply. Article 2.12 of the Terms and Conditions gives anyone who believes their trademark, trade name or other intellectual property right is infringed two routes: a complaint to the registrar and court proceedings. Article 2.11 forbids the registrar from deciding third-party claims on its own. You can look up a registrant record on the whois search page.
Ready to Claim Your .iq Domain?
Type a name and see in seconds whether it is free on .iq. If it is taken, we list close alternatives right away.
Get Help for .iq Domain Registration
Need help registering a .iq domain? Our team is ready to assist.