.hk

.hk

Introduced	3 January 1990
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Ltd.
Intended use	Entities connected with: British Hong Kong (1990–1997) Hong Kong (1997–present)
Actual use	Popular in Hong Kong
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	Eligibility & required documents Registration policies & procedures Registration agreement
Dispute policies	Dispute resolution policies & procedures (HKIRC) How to raise a dispute (HKDNR)
Registry website	www.hkdnr.hk/en/home/

.香港

Introduced	2011
TLD type	Internationalized country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Ltd.
Intended use	Entities connected with  Hong Kong
Actual use	Used in Hong Kong
Documents	See .hk
Dispute policies	See .hk
Registry website	hkdnr.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.

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 but can contain English letters as long as there is at least 1 Chinese character while English domain names must not contain any Chinese characters. All domain names could contain alphanumeric characters and hyphens.^[8] Chinese domain names ending in .hk but not in .香港 are not available for registration since mid January 2011. However, the registered domains in these categories can still be used and renewed.^[9]

Accredited registrars

As of July 1, 2018.^[10]

Local registrars

• HKDNR (wholly owned subsidiary of HKIRC)
• UDomain Web Hosting Company Limited
• Eranet International
• HKT
• Speedy Group
• Hu Yi Global

International registrars

See also

• .mo (ccTLD for Macau)
• .cn (Mainland China)
• Communications in Hong Kong
• Internationalized domain name
• Telecommunications industry in Hong Kong

Notes

References

External links

• Joint University Computer Centre
• Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited
• root-zone whois information for .hk
• .HK Domain Registration and Information Service