.ax
| Ålands Landskapsregeringen | |
| Introduced | 2006 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Landskapsregeringen |
| Sponsor | Landskapsregeringen |
| Intended use | Entities connected with the  Åland Islands |
| Actual use | Popular on the Åland Islands |
| Documents | IANA delegation report |
| Registry website | Registration site |
.ax is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of the Åland Islands, introduced in 2006. Previously, most Åland websites were under the .aland.fi subdomain.
History
On February 17 2006, the Finnish parliament approved a modification of the laws regulating Finnish domain names to include the .ax top-level domain. During a three year period, the aland.fi subdomain will be phased out while .ax will be used in parallel; no new registrations under the aland.fi subdomain will be accepted, and all current owners of domains under the aland.fi subdomain will receive registrations for the corresponding .ax domain.[1]
On March 17 2006, Finnish president Tarja Halonen signed the bill into law, effective as of March 27, 2006.[2] The government of Åland began accepting registrations immediately following the changing of the law.
On June 9, ICANN approved delegating the .ax top-level domain to the government of Åland.[3] The .ax domain was added to the root zone on June 21, 2006, and became active on August 15, 2006.[4]
Registration requirements
Domain names can be granted to:
- A legal person with a set place of business or who is registered on the Åland Islands.
- A public sector entity, government owned business, independent public institution or public association that is acting on the Åland Islands or has been registered here.
- A person, at least 15 years of age, whose home municipality is on the Åland Islands or who has the Right of Domicile as defined in the Autonomy Act.[5]
References
- ^ Adopted Resolutions, special meeting of the board of ICANN
- ^ IANA Report on Delegation of the .AX Top-Level Domain, from IANA website
- ^ Ansökan om domännamn, The government of Åland's domain registration website
- ^ Axventure.com English translation of the rules for ax. domain names