.Kz

.kz

Introduced	September 19, 1994; 29 years ago (1994-09-19)
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Kazakhstan Network Information Center (KazNIC) (Казахский центр сетевой информации)
Sponsor	Association of IT Companies of Kazakhstan
Intended use	Entities connected with  Kazakhstan
Actual use	Popular in Kazakhstan
Registered domains	168,530 (2022-09-30)
Registration restrictions	None for second-level names; some restrictions for third-level names depending on which second-level name they are under
Structure	Registrations are made directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath second-level categories
Documents	Rules
Dispute policies	Dispute resolution policy
DNSSEC	Yes (since 2023)
Registry website	NIC.kz

Registrations can be made directly at the second level or at the third level beneath categories which have specific restrictions, and are generally limited to Kazakhstan-related entities.

Second-level domains

• .com.kz – Commercial organizations; registered trademark protection.
• .edu.kz – Licensed educational organizations.
• .gov.kz – Governmental organizations.
• .mil.kz – Ministry of Defense.
• .net.kz – Licensed networks of data communications.
• .org.kz – Nonprofit organizations.

Enforcement of Internet resources on hardware and software complexes

In March 2018, new Rules went into effect and since at least 2021, these rules are being enforced. Especially Rule 16 subsection 6 is being enforced:

16. Use of a domain name in the space of the Kazakhstan segment of the Internet is suspended when:
/.../
6) placement of Internet resources on hardware and software complexes outside territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Footnote. Point 16 in the editorial office order of the Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 28.09.2020 No. 354/HҚ (put into effect upon expiry of ten calendar days after the day of its first official publication).

Example: DNS for domain www.EXAMPLE.kz cannot point to a web page being hosted in a member country of the EU. In such a case, the registry for EXAMPLE.kz will be suspended a short period and then deleted.

Google

In June 2011, Google redirected all traffic from google.kz to google.com in response to a demand issued by the Kazakh Ministry of Communications and Information that requires all .kz domain names to operate on physical servers within the borders of Kazakhstan. Senior Vice President Bill Coughran said "creating borders on the web raises important questions for us not only about network efficiency but also about user privacy and free expression." By hosting google.kz only on servers inside Kazakhstan, "we would be helping to create a fractured Internet."

During the first half of 2017, google.kz has returned to be generally available.

A second country code top-level domain, .қаз ("qaz") for Kazakhstan is now active. It is used with web addresses using Cyrillic letters. It was launched in March 2012, when the first site, a test site (тест.қаз, "test.qaz"), was activated.

• Communications in Kazakhstan
• Internet in Kazakhstan
• Media of Kazakhstan
• Proposed top-level domain
• .бг
• .рф
• .срб
• .укр