.hk
.hk is the designated Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Hong Kong. It is administered by the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC), the only organization endorsed by the Hong Kong Government to undertake the administration of 'hk' domain names. Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC) is a non-profit making, non-statutory, member-based corporation established in 2001.
Introduced | 1990 |
---|---|
TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
Status | Active |
Registry | Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Ltd. |
Intended use | Entities connected with:
|
Actual use | Popular in Hong Kong, but also used by some Russian 2ch style imageboards |
Registration restrictions | Second-level registrations open to all Generic '.hk' domain categories; Specific third-level registrations require identity documents depending on varying rules for each sector; DNSSEC is not available on most local registries. |
Documents | Rules for .hk domains and subdomains |
Dispute policies | Dispute resolution policy |
Registry website | www |
Introduced | 2011 |
---|---|
TLD type | Internationalized country code top-level domain |
Status | Active |
Registry | Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Ltd. |
Intended use | Entities connected with |
Actual use | Used in Hong Kong |
Documents | Rules for .香港 domains and subdomains |
Dispute policies | Dispute resolution policy |
Registry website | www |
History
From its inception in 1990 until 2002, the domain was administered by the Joint University Computer Centre.[1] In 2002, through a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the Hong Kong government, HKIRC took over the administration of '.hk',[2] while the Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Corporation Limited (HKDNR), its wholly owned subsidiary of HKIRC, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the registration service [3] for Specific '.hk' Domain Names and Generic '.hk' Domain Name (e.g., www.myname.hk). '.hk' domain names can be registered at both the second and third level.
On June 25, 2010, ICANN approved the use of the internationalized country code top-level domain .香港 (hongkong in simplified Chinese characters and traditional Chinese characters; DNS name: .xn--j6w193g) by HKIRC.[4] This TLD was added to the DNS in July 2010. The Pre Launch Priority Registration for .香港 was started on February 22, 2011.[5] The first .香港 domain was activated on March 23, 2011.[6] 香港 domain categories were opened for public registration since May 31, 2011.[7]
Usage outside Hong Kong
Some Russian 2ch style imageboards use .hk webnames, such as iichan.hk and 2ch.hk.
Domain categories
A Chinese domain name must contain at least one Chinese character while English domain names must not contain any Chinese characters. All domain names could contain alphanumeric characters and hyphens.[8]
For English domain names | For Chinese domain names | Eligible applicant | |
---|---|---|---|
.hk | .hk[note 1] | .香港 | Local or overseas individuals or entities |
.com.hk | .公司.hk[note 1] | .公司.香港 | Commercial entities registered in Hong Kong |
.org.hk | .組織.hk[note 1] | .組織.香港 | Non-profit organisations registered or approved by the Hong Kong Government |
.net.hk | .網絡.hk[note 1] | .網絡.香港 | Network service providers with a licence from the Communications Authority |
.edu.hk | .教育.hk[note 1] | .教育.香港 | Educational institutions or registered schools in Hong Kong |
.gov.hk | .政府.hk[note 1] | .政府.香港 | Departments or Bureaux of the Hong Kong Government |
.idv.hk | .個人.hk[note 1] | .個人.香港 | HKID cardholders aged 11 or above |
Accredited registrars
As of July 1, 2018.[9]
Local registrars
- HKDNR (wholly owned subsidiary of HKIRC)
- UDomain Web Hosting Company Limited
- Eranet International
- HKT
- Speedy Group
- Hu Yi Global
International registrars
- Instra Corporation
- Alibaba Cloud
- Foshan Yidong
- Chengdu West Dimension
- Shenzhen Internet Works
- Shanghai Meicheng
- TopNets Technology
- Bizcn.com
- Ascio Technologies
- SafeBrands
- united-domains
- 1API
- InterNetX
- EuroDNS
- Web Commerce Communications (Singapore)
- Hosting Concepts
- IP Mirror
- AB Name ISP
- Net-chinese
- Crazy Domains
- Safenames
- 101 Domain
- MarkMonitor
- Marcaria.com
- CSC Corporate Domains
See also
Notes
References
- "Joint University Computer Centre". Jucc.edu.hk. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Ltd". Hkirc.hk. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Corporation Limited". Hkdnr.hk. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "ICANN.org". ICANN.org. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "Pre Launch Priority Registration Period Rules for .香港 Domain Names" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "Pre-Launch Priority Registration of .香港 for Existing .hk Customers" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- https://www.hkirc.hk/company_info/pressrelease.jsp?item=433
- "Domain Name Registration Policies, Procedures and Guidelines for .hk and .香港 domain names (V1.0)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- "Accredited Registrars". Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation.