Skip to content

Country extensionSince 1985

.us domain registration

The United States’ extension: two letters telling your American customer you’re one of them, open only to those with a real link to America: citizens, permanent residents or bodies working there.

Score card

.us in six cells

Our score out of five, as we see it when we help a customer choose.

Trust
4 out of 5
Easy to remember
5 out of 5
Global reach
2 out of 5
Price stability
5 out of 5
Short names available
3 out of 5
Local meaning
5 out of 5

Overview

What is .us

.us entered the internet’s root in 1985 as the United States’ extension, and its manager in the IANA record today is Registry Services, LLC. In October 2026 the US government chose Identity Digital to run it, with the hand-over taking up to nine months.

It is restricted by a link to America: it may be registered by US citizens and permanent residents, by companies or organizations established there, and by foreign bodies that regularly work in America or have an office or facility there. The holder declares their link at registration, and the condition stays with the name throughout its term.

.us doesn’t allow a service hiding the holder’s data, and it supports DNSSEC signing, not names in Arabic. Its price with us is the lowest among the country codes we sell, and fixed every year. But if you have no link to America it isn’t open to you, and whoever registers it without one may lose it on review.

Type
Country extension (ccTLD)
In the root since
February 15, 1985
Name’s origin
United States
Responsible body
Registry Services, LLC
Who may register
Those with a real tie to the United States: its citizens and permanent residents, US organizations, and foreign entities active there
DNSSEC
Supported
Names in Arabic
Not supported

Who it suits

For your field: is .us the best fit?

Every field has an extension that says something about it. Here is what .us says in each, and which extension completes it.

  • An American company

    Excellent · The first choice

    For a company established in the United States, .us tells its customers there it’s one of them; add .com for the rest of the world.

    Register it with.us.com

  • A citizen or resident there

    Good · A good fit

    A US citizen or permanent resident is eligible, so their page or project there carries a name that says “America.”

    Register it with.us.me

  • A foreign company in America

    Good · A good fit with .com

    It’s eligible if it has regular activity or an office there; .com is its address for the whole world.

    Register it with.com.us

  • A local business in Kuwait

    Consider another · Consider .com

    .us is only for those with a link to America, and your customer in Kuwait knows .com and types it out of habit.

    Register it with.com.shop

  • A store selling online

    Consider another · Consider .com

    Without a link to America it isn’t open to you; .com or .store takes you to buyers everywhere.

    Register it with.com.store

  • A blog or personal site

    Consider another · Consider .me

    It’s only for citizens or permanent residents, and doesn’t allow hiding your data; .me is personal and open to all.

    Register it with.me.blog

What it does for you

What you gain when you register it

  • Says “America” in two letters

    Your customer there knows from the extension that your business is established in their country.

  • An extension not open to all

    The link requirement means whoever holds it is a citizen, resident or body working there.

  • Email for your business there

    orders@madhaq-machboos.us is an address telling your American customer the restaurant is close by.

  • Our lowest-priced country code

    Its price is fixed every year, and the lowest among the country codes we sell.

And where its value shows

On the shopfront there

Two letters saying you’re from the country.

In local ads

A link matching the market you address.

On menus and order slips

A short address to write down and order from.

On the business card

An extension matching your American address.

Pros and cons

What you should know before you register

Frankly, as we’d tell a customer who asks us before registering.

Pros

  • 01Says “America” to your customer there
  • 02The link requirement makes it an extension not open to all
  • 03Our lowest-priced country code, and fixed every year
  • 04Two short letters everyone understands
  • 05In the internet’s root since 1985, and supports DNSSEC signing

Cons

  • 01Not open to anyone without a link to America
  • 02Doesn’t allow a service hiding the holder’s data
  • 03Says nothing to a customer outside America
  • 04Doesn’t support names in Arabic

Rules

Registration terms for .us

What the registry requires and what we add, in one place.

Who may register
Those with a real tie to the United States: its citizens and permanent residents, US organizations, and foreign entities active there
Documents
No uploads, but you certify your category of tie to the United States
Name length
Up to 63 characters
Characters
a–z, digits and hyphens, never first or last
Names in Arabic
Not supported
Registration term
1 to 10 years
DNSSEC
Supported
Privacy protection
Prohibited
Transfer
With an EPP code, 60 days after registration

Life cycle

From registration until the name is free again

What happens to your name if it isn’t renewed, and when you can still get it back.

  1. 01Registration1 to 10 yearsThe name is yours from the moment you pay, for the term you chose.
  2. 02Redemption30 daysOnce deleted, it can be redeemed for an extra redemption fee.
  3. 03Final deletion5 daysThen the name is free again for anyone to register.

Tips

Before you register

  1. 1Pick your link to America preciselyAt registration you’re asked what your link is: citizen, permanent resident or a body working there; pick it as it is.
  2. 2.com with it for those outside AmericaPoint .us to your main site, so your customer there reaches you and others find you by .com.
  3. 3A short name, read as it’s writtenIf it needs spelling out on the phone, it’s too long or too complicated.
  4. 4No digits or hyphens that need explainingEvery hyphen or digit has to be said, and what has to be said gets forgotten.
  5. 5Renew automatically, or register for yearsUp to 10 years at once, so you never miss a date.
  6. 6Make sure the name isn’t someone else’s trademarkA registered trademark’s owner can recover the name from whoever registered it first.

Nearby extensions

If your name is taken in .us

FAQ5 questions

Frequently asked questions about .us

Didn’t find your answer? Our technical support team is with you around the clock.

Contact support

  • $14 a year, for the first year and every renewal: the price you see when you search, with no other fees at registration.

  • Those with a real tie to the United States (the Nexus requirement): citizens and permanent residents, organizations formed there, and foreign entities that regularly do business there or have an office there. You certify your category at registration, the registry checks it, and a name that fails is suspended and then canceled.

  • Yes, once 60 days have passed since it was registered: ask your current provider for the transfer (EPP) code and open a transfer request with us.

  • Renew it before it’s due. If the name is deleted, it can be redeemed within 30 days for a redemption fee; then it is deleted for good after 5 days and is free again.

  • No. IANA’s repository of internationalized names (IDN) holds no Arabic table for .us, so names in it use Latin letters, digits and hyphens.

Get your standout domain at unbeatable prices

Start now and choose the perfect domain for your business or brand, with full control and round-the-clock technical support in one place.

Register your domain nowTransfer your domain to us
.com domain per year
$17
Lowest first-year price (.pics)
$3
extensions in the price list
128