# Domain Registry Jurisdiction Index (2026)

> Registry manager, country, back-end operator and legal framework for 43 domain extensions, from the IANA root zone database, checked October 2026. CC BY 4.0.

- URL: https://panamaregistrar.com/registry-jurisdiction/
- Last updated: 2026-10-19
- Publisher: PanamaRegistrar (https://panamaregistrar.com)

For every extension sold by PanamaRegistrar: who runs the registry, in which country, who operates the database, and which policy framework applies. Each registry keeps its own copy of every registration and answers to the courts of its own country.

**Quick answer — Where are domain registries located, and which law applies to them?**

The **PanamaRegistrar** registry jurisdiction index lists, for each of the 43 extensions we sell, the registry manager, its country, the back-end operator and the policy framework, from the IANA root zone database as of October 2026. 16 registries sit in the United States; the others are spread across 25 other countries and territories.

## The index in figures

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Extensions covered | 43 (23 generic, 20 country codes) |
| Source | IANA root zone database, one delegation record per extension |
| Date of the check | 19 October 2026 |
| Registry managers in the United States | 16 extensions |
| Other extensions with a United States back end | 3 (.tv, .vc, .cc) |
| Countries and territories of registry managers | 26 |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 — reuse with a link |

## Registry jurisdiction of every extension we sell

One row per extension. "Registry manager" and "Back-end operator" are the names in the IANA delegation record. "Dispute policy" is filled only where we confirmed it; "not confirmed" means the registry runs its own policy and we did not verify it.

*Source: IANA root zone database, delegation records checked on 19 October 2026; dispute policies from ICANN, WIPO, DENIC and Nominet (see sources). CC BY 4.0 — reuse with a link to this page.*

| Extension | Registry manager (IANA) | Country of the registry manager | Back-end operator (country) | Policy framework | Dispute policy |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [.com](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/com/) | VeriSign Global Registry Services | United States | VeriSign Global Registry Services, Reston, Virginia (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP |
| [.net](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/net/) | VeriSign Global Registry Services | United States | VeriSign Global Registry Services, Reston, Virginia (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP |
| [.org](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/org/) | Public Interest Registry (PIR) | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP; URS (reported applied to .org since 2021) |
| [.info](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/info/) | Identity Digital Limited | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP |
| [.biz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/biz/) | Registry Services, LLC (GoDaddy Registry) | United States | GoDaddy Registry, Tempe, Arizona (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP |
| [.pro](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/pro/) | Identity Digital Limited | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP |
| [.app](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/app/) | Charleston Road Registry Inc. (Google Registry) | United States | Google, New York, New York (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.dev](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/dev/) | Charleston Road Registry Inc. (Google Registry) | United States | Google, New York, New York (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.xyz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/xyz/) | XYZ.COM LLC | United States | CentralNic, London (United Kingdom) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.online](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/online/) | Radix Technologies Inc. SEZC | Cayman Islands | Tucows.com, Co., Toronto (Canada) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.store](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/store/) | Radix Technologies Inc. | Cayman Islands | Tucows.com, Co., Toronto (Canada) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.tech](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/tech/) | Radix Technologies Inc. | Cayman Islands | Tucows.com, Co., Toronto (Canada) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.cloud](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cloud/) | ARUBA PEC S.p.A. | Italy | Tucows.com, Co., Toronto (Canada) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.link](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/link/) | Nova Registry Ltd. | Malta | Tucows.com, Co., Toronto (Canada) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.blog](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/blog/) | Knock Knock WHOIS There, LLC (Automattic) | United States | Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Ottawa (Canada) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.art](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/art/) | UK Creative Ideas Limited | Isle of Man (IANA: United Kingdom) | CentralNic, London (United Kingdom) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.shop](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/shop/) | GMO Registry, Inc. | Japan | GMO Registry, Inc., Tokyo (Japan) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.club](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/club/) | Registry Services, LLC (GoDaddy Registry) | United States | GoDaddy Registry, Tempe, Arizona (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.live](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/live/) | Dog Beach, LLC (Identity Digital) | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.digital](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/digital/) | Binky Moon, LLC (Identity Digital) | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.media](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/media/) | Binky Moon, LLC (Identity Digital) | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.news](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/news/) | Dog Beach, LLC (Identity Digital) | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.email](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/email/) | Binky Moon, LLC (Identity Digital) | United States | Identity Digital Limited, Bellevue, Washington (United States) | ICANN registry agreement | UDRP + URS |
| [.io](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/io/) | Internet Computer Bureau Limited | British Indian Ocean Territory (technical office: United Kingdom) | Internet Computer Bureau Ltd, Orpington, Kent (United Kingdom) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP variation (WIPO list) |
| [.ai](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/ai/) | Government of Anguilla | Anguilla | Government of Anguilla (IANA); RDAP served by Identity Digital (Anguilla / United States) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP (WIPO list) |
| [.co](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/co/) | Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC) | Colombia | CentralNic, London (United Kingdom) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP (WIPO list) |
| [.me](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/me/) | Government of Montenegro | Montenegro | Center of Information System, University of Montenegro, Podgorica (Montenegro) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP (WIPO list) |
| [.tv](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/tv/) | Ministry of Transport, Energy, Communications and Innovations | Tuvalu | GoDaddy Registry, Tempe, Arizona (United States) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP (WIPO list) |
| [.gg](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/gg/) | Island Networks Ltd. | Guernsey | Island Networks Limited, Alderney (Guernsey) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.pw](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/pw/) | Micronesia Investment and Development Corporation | Palau | Radix Technologies Inc SEZC, Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP (WIPO list) |
| [.vc](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/vc/) | Ministry of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Identity Digital Inc., Bellevue, Washington (United States) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.de](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/de/) | DENIC eG | Germany | DENIC eG, Frankfurt am Main (Germany) | National ccTLD policy | No UDRP: DENIC DISPUTE entry + German courts |
| [.uk](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/uk/) | Nominet UK | United Kingdom | Nominet UK, Oxford (United Kingdom) | National ccTLD policy | Nominet DRS (UDRP variation, WIPO list) |
| [.nl](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/nl/) | SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland) | Netherlands | SIDN, Arnhem (Netherlands) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP variation (WIPO list) |
| [.ch](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/ch/) | SWITCH The Swiss Education & Research Network | Switzerland | SWITCH, Zurich (Switzerland) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP variation (WIPO list) |
| [.pl](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/pl/) | Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK) | Poland | NASK, Warsaw (Poland) | National ccTLD policy | Expedited arbitration (WIPO list) |
| [.be](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/be/) | DNS Belgium vzw/asbl | Belgium | DNS Belgium vzw/asbl, Leuven (Belgium) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.at](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/at/) | nic.at GmbH | Austria | nic.at GmbH, c/o Vienna University Computer Center, Vienna (Austria) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.cz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cz/) | CZ.NIC, z.s.p.o. | Czechia | CZ.NIC, z.s.p.o., Prague (Czechia) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.cc](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cc/) | eNIC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pty. Ltd. (Island Internet Services) | Australia | VeriSign Global Registry Services, Reston, Virginia (United States) | National ccTLD policy | UDRP (WIPO list) |
| [.to](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/to/) | Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, c/o Consulate of Tonga | Tonga (contact address: United States) | Tucows.com, Toronto (Canada) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.fi](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/fi/) | Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom | Finland | Traficom, Helsinki (Finland) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |
| [.nz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/nz/) | InternetNZ | New Zealand | InternetNZ, Wellington (New Zealand) | National ccTLD policy | Registry policy (not confirmed) |

## How do you read the table?

Each row is one extension, linked to its own page. **Registry manager** is the organisation IANA lists as responsible for the extension: the company, foundation, agency or government that holds the delegation. **Country of the registry manager** is the country of the address IANA gives for it. **Back-end operator** is the technical contact in the same IANA record: the company that runs the registry database, the WHOIS host and the RDAP service. Manager and operator are often the same, as for DENIC with .de or Nominet with .uk. They are often different for newer extensions: Radix in the Cayman Islands uses Tucows in Toronto, for example.

**Policy framework** separates two worlds. Generic extensions (gTLDs) such as .com or .app run under a registry agreement with ICANN, which brings ICANN policies such as the UDRP with it. Country codes (ccTLDs) such as .de or .co follow national rules set by the registry or the government, with no ICANN registry contract. **Dispute policy** shows what we confirmed for trademark disputes. For country codes, we used WIPO's list of country-code domains that use its dispute service, and the registries' own pages for .de and .uk.

## Why does the registry's country matter?

The registry holds the authoritative record of every domain in its extension. A registrar sends registrations to the registry and manages them for the customer; for PanamaRegistrar domains, that is our ICANN-accredited registrar partner, shown in the RDAP record. The registry keeps its own copy and can change it directly. For .com and .net, Verisign runs a thin registry: its copy holds the domain, the registrar, the nameservers and the dates, but no registrant contact data. Whatever happens at the registrar, the registry's record is what the internet's DNS follows.

A registry is an organisation located somewhere, and the courts of that place have authority over it. An order addressed to the registry can therefore change a domain without any step by the registrar: a transfer, a deletion, a hold, or a change of nameservers. That is why the choice of extension is also a choice of jurisdiction. 16 of our 43 extensions have their registry manager in the United States, including .com, .net and .org. A further 3 have a United States company as back-end operator, which adds a United States connection we could not fully qualify. The remaining registries sit in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America.

The registry's country is not the only factor. ICANN policies bind every generic extension wherever its registry sits, and a court can also act against the person who runs a website, not the domain. The index answers one narrow question: where is the registry, and therefore which courts can act on the record itself.

## Can a court where the registry sits act without the registrar?

Yes, and in some countries the law says so in writing. Four examples are confirmed in the sources of this page.

- **United States.** The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act lets a trademark owner file an *in rem* action against the domain name itself, in the judicial district where the registrar, the registry or another domain authority is located: 15 U.S.C. §1125(d)(2). It applies when the owner cannot sue the registrant in person or cannot find them after notice. The remedies are forfeiture, cancellation or transfer. Once served, the registry must deposit control documents with the court and leave the domain unchanged during the case. For .com and .net, the registry is Verisign in Reston, Virginia.
- **Germany.** DENIC's domain terms are governed by German law, with exclusive jurisdiction in Frankfurt am Main for legal persons and for holders outside Germany. Under § 7 (2), a final judgment that a registration infringes someone's rights is a ground for DENIC to end the contract. A claimant can also obtain a DISPUTE entry, which blocks transfers for one year, renewable while the case runs.
- **United Kingdom.** Under its Criminal Practices Policy, Nominet can suspend a .uk domain when the police or another law enforcement agency alert it to criminal use. Nominet checks the domain and works with the registrar.
- **Switzerland.** Under Article 15 of the Ordinance on Internet Domains, as OFCOM describes it, the .ch registry may block a domain on reasonable suspicion of phishing or malware, and must block it at the request of an anti-cybercrime service recognised by OFCOM.

For the other registries, we could not confirm a published procedure for court orders, and the index says so. That absence is not a guarantee: any registry must follow a valid order of a court that has authority over it.

## What can PanamaRegistrar do about it, and what can it not do?

PanamaRegistrar controls what our service does. We act on Panamanian court orders, not on unverified complaints. A copyright, defamation, political or competitor complaint needs a decision from a Panamanian court, and a foreign judgment must first be recognised in Panama by exequatur. Phishing, malware, botnets and fraud that takes money from victims are suspended within 24 hours of a well-documented report. With Domain protection, every complaint is also read by a person before any action on the domain. The full steps are in the [takedown procedure](https://panamaregistrar.com/takedown-procedure/) and on the [court orders](https://panamaregistrar.com/court-orders/) page.

PanamaRegistrar does not control the registry, nor our registrar partner, which keeps its own legal duties. We cannot refuse, delay or reverse an order that a court in Virginia, Frankfurt or Oxford addresses to the registry of that country. We cannot move a .com record out of the United States, because there is only one .com registry. [Domain protection](https://panamaregistrar.com/domain-protection/) registers a domain in our company's name, adds a transfer lock and keeps the data we hold to your email, but it does not change the registry's country or its courts.

What we can do is tell you. When we learn of an action taken at the registry level, we tell you, unless the law or the order forbids it. We publish this index so that you can choose an extension with its registry country in view, before you register. And our [transparency report](https://panamaregistrar.com/transparency/) will count the orders and requests we receive, every quarter, starting January 2027.

## Which countries hold the most registries in this index?

By registry manager: the United States holds 16 ([.com](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/com/), [.net](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/net/), [.org](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/org/), [.info](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/info/), [.biz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/biz/), [.pro](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/pro/), [.app](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/app/), [.dev](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/dev/), [.xyz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/xyz/), [.blog](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/blog/), [.club](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/club/), [.live](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/live/), [.digital](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/digital/), [.media](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/media/), [.news](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/news/), [.email](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/email/)). The Cayman Islands hold 3 ([.online](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/online/), [.store](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/store/), [.tech](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/tech/)), all managed by Radix. Every other country or territory holds one: Italy ([.cloud](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cloud/)), Malta ([.link](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/link/)), the Isle of Man ([.art](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/art/)), Japan ([.shop](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/shop/)), the British Indian Ocean Territory ([.io](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/io/)), Anguilla ([.ai](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/ai/)), Colombia ([.co](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/co/)), Montenegro ([.me](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/me/)), Tuvalu ([.tv](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/tv/)), Guernsey ([.gg](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/gg/)), Palau ([.pw](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/pw/)), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ([.vc](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/vc/)), Germany ([.de](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/de/)), the United Kingdom ([.uk](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/uk/)), the Netherlands ([.nl](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/nl/)), Switzerland ([.ch](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/ch/)), Poland ([.pl](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/pl/)), Belgium ([.be](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/be/)), Austria ([.at](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/at/)), Czechia ([.cz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cz/)), Australia ([.cc](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cc/)), Tonga ([.to](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/to/)), Finland ([.fi](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/fi/)) and New Zealand ([.nz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/nz/)).

By back-end operator, the picture changes. Tucows in Toronto operates 6 registries ([.online](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/online/), [.store](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/store/), [.tech](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/tech/), [.cloud](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/cloud/), [.link](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/link/), [.to](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/to/)), and CIRA, also in Canada, operates .blog. CentralNic in London runs [.xyz](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/xyz/), [.art](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/art/), [.co](https://panamaregistrar.com/tld/co/). Verisign in Reston runs .cc next to .com and .net. GoDaddy Registry in Tempe, Arizona runs .tv for Tuvalu, and Identity Digital in Bellevue, Washington is the technical contact for .vc. Those country codes have a government or company abroad as manager, but their database is operated from the United States.

## What does the index not tell you?

The index records where registries are and which framework they follow. It does not predict what any court would decide in a given case. It does not cover the country of your hosting provider, your payment processor or yourself, each of which can matter more than the registry in a dispute. Several registries publish their own rules for court orders and disputes, and where we did not verify them, the table says "not confirmed" rather than guess.

IANA records change. The date of the last update of each record is on its extension page; we checked every record on 19 October 2026 and will update the index when a delegation changes. If you see a change before we do, write to support@panamaregistrar.com.

## Can I reuse this data?

Yes. The index is published under the **CC BY 4.0** licence — reuse with a link to this page. You may copy the table, change it and publish it, including for commercial use, as long as you credit PanamaRegistrar with a link to https://panamaregistrar.com/registry-jurisdiction/. The underlying facts come from IANA's public root zone database, which anyone can check one extension at a time.

## Questions about registry jurisdiction

### Which domain extensions have their registry outside the United States?

In this index, 27 of 43 extensions: every country code we sell, plus .online, .store, .tech (Cayman Islands), .cloud (Italy), .link (Malta), .art (Isle of Man) and .shop (Japan). Some of them still use a United States back-end operator, such as .tv, .cc and .vc. Check both columns before you choose.

### Is the registrar or the registry more important for a seizure?

The registry, for the record itself. A court with authority over the registry can order it to change a domain directly, without the registrar. The registrar matters for everything it controls: the registration, the account data, and what it does on a complaint. For our domains, the registrar of record is our accredited partner, and PanamaRegistrar acts on Panamanian court orders, not on unverified complaints.

### Does an ICANN contract protect a domain from national courts?

No. The ICANN registry agreement adds policies such as the UDRP, which apply to every generic extension. It does not exempt the registry from the courts of its own country. Verisign, for example, is bound both by its ICANN contract and by United States law.

### How often is the index updated?

We checked every IANA delegation record on 19 October 2026. We update the index when a registry, an operator or a dispute policy changes for an extension we sell, and change the date at the top of the page when we do.

> **This is not legal advice.** The index describes where registries are located and which framework they follow, from public sources. For a decision about a specific domain or dispute, ask a lawyer in the relevant country.

## Sources

1. [Root Zone Database (delegation records of every top-level domain)](https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db) — IANA (checked 2026-10-19)
2. [15 U.S.C. § 1125 — in rem civil action against a domain name, subsection (d)(2)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1125) — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (checked 2026-10-19)
3. [ccTLD database: country code domains that use WIPO dispute resolution](https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/cctld/) — WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (checked 2026-10-19)
4. [DENIC Domain Terms and Conditions (§ 3 (4), § 7 (2), § 8)](https://www.denic.de/en/domain-terms-and-conditions/) — DENIC eG (checked 2026-10-19)
5. [DISPUTE entry: block a domain transfer while a claim is pursued](https://www.denic.de/en/services/dispute-procedure/) — DENIC eG (checked 2026-10-19)
6. [Nominet formalises approach to tackling criminal activity on .UK domains](https://nominet.uk/news/nominet-formalises-approach-to-tackling-criminal-activity-on-uk-domains/) — Nominet (checked 2026-10-19)
7. [Domain disputes: the .UK Dispute Resolution Service](https://nominet.uk/uk-registry/domain-disputes/) — Nominet (checked 2026-10-19)
8. [Combating cybercrime: blocking of .ch and .swiss domains (Art. 15 OID)](https://www.bakom.admin.ch/en/combating-cybercrime) — Federal Office of Communications OFCOM (checked 2026-10-19)
9. [Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/help/dndr/udrp-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
10. [Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)](https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/urs) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
11. [URS Now Applies to .org Domain Names](https://giga.law/blog/2021/1/6/urs-org) — Giga Law (6 January 2021)

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PanamaRegistrar: PanamaRegistrar is a domain registration service under Panamanian jurisdiction, paid in crypto with no ID upload: we act on Panamanian court orders, not on unverified complaints.