by-domain Domain

.by is the country specific Top Level Domain from Byelorussia (Belarus).

This Top Level Domain was introduced on 10.05.1994. The reason for the creation of this specific country code was the independence of about 10 million citizens of Russia. Until 2008 the TLD was administered by the Ministry of Information Security in Belarus. Since the dissolution of the ministry, the company Open Contact Ltd. has taken over the administration.

The country-specific domain can only be registered at the second level. Exceptions to this rule exist for the government of Belarus. It may also register domains ending in .by at the third level and use them as names for its websites. The country-specific domain ending enables the geographical allocation of offers at the first go.

The .by extension is perfectly suited for marketing specific offers. It strengthens the trust of users from Belarus in the offerings of a website. Registering a domain with the .by extension is also recommended to foreign companies doing business in Belarus, in order to draw the attention of approximately 10 million consumers to their offers.

The registry requires private individuals who wish to register a domain ending in .by to provide their identity card number. Registration is conveniently possible online. Companies do not have to provide any special proof or meet any requirements. The allocation of this TLD currently takes up to 6 weeks.

With the domain extension .by interesting and internet names can be created, for example for private homepages and blogs. By using this top level domain, the ranking of websites after a regional search can also be improved. Experienced search engine optimizers therefore recommend the registration of a Belarusian TLD. The higher level of trust in a website with a Belarusian domain ending is also an advantage if sensitive personal data, such as payment information and personal details, have to be transmitted online.

Companies that want to operate on the Belarusian market are recommended to use an Internet address with the ending .by in order to address potential customers in Belarus in a targeted manner. It enables goods and services to be specifically targeted at Belarus. The registration is also suitable for creating a so-called short URL for an existing Internet address.

The landlocked state of Belarus borders on Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine and Poland. The official languages are Belarusian and Russian.