Domain .gov - gTLD

.gov domain information

The .gov domain is a restricted sponsored top-level extension (sTLD) reserved exclusively for official United States government entities. Managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), this extension provides a highly secure and verified digital space for U.S. federal, state, local, and tribal government organizations, establishing immediate trust and official authority for public sector services.

Registration rules, strict eligibility, and manual setup

The registry enforces strict qualification criteria and manual verification procedures for all .gov domain requests:

Strict eligibility restrictions

Restricted strictly to official U.S. government entities, including federal agencies, state departments, county/city local governments, and federally recognized Native Sovereign Nations/Tribes. Private companies, non-profits, and non-US governments are strictly ineligible.

Manual verification required

Registrations cannot be activated instantly. Requests require formal authorization letters from an authorized government official and background validation by CISA.

Lifecycle terms

The minimum registration and renewal period is 1 year.