Which Country Domains Require Local Presence? (2026 list)

A local presence requirement is a rule of a domain registry under which the holder of a domain, or one of its contacts, must have a residence, a company, an address or another tie in the country, region or city of the extension before the registry accepts the registration.

Country code domains (ccTLDs), such as .fr, .ma or .eg, are based mainly on the two-letter codes of the ISO 3166-1 standard. The IANA Root Zone Database names the manager of each one that is delegated, and the registries cited in this guide each publish their own registration rules. Some are open to all: Qatar's Communications Regulatory Authority lists .qa as "Open for all". Others reserve the extension to people and organisations connected with the country, and say so in their registration policy. This guide explains what those rules look like and how to read them, and lists the two-letter country code domains of our catalogue whose extension page says that the registry requires a local presence.

What counts as a local presence

There is no single definition. Each registry decides what proof of a connection it wants, and the wording changes from one country to the next. On our extension pages, the requirement comes in a few recurring forms:

• Residence of the holder. A natural person must live in the country, or in a group of countries. This is the rule of .fr and of .re, .yt, .pm, .wf and .tf, the extensions covered by Afnic's Naming Policy, described below.
• A local company or establishment. A legal person must be registered in the country, or have its registered office or main establishment there.
• A tie with the country. Some registries ask for ties with the country: for .es, the holder must have ties with Spain.
• A local contact. Some registries leave the holder free but require the administrative contact of the domain to be local. On our local presence page, .ma is the example: only the admin contact must be local. Article 27 of the decision of 5 February 2024 by ANRT, the Moroccan regulator in charge of .ma, says the same: the holder may live in Morocco or abroad, but the administrative contact must be established in Morocco.
• A local trademark. A few registries accept a trademark registered in the country in place of a local address.
• A different rule for each level. The top-level extension and its second-level extensions can have different rules: .qa is open, while .com.qa requires a local presence.

A local presence is not the same thing as the documents a registry may ask for. A registry can require a local company and, in addition, a copy of its registration certificate, or a trademark certificate for a name that matches a brand. Both conditions apply together, and a local presence service does not replace the documents.

How registries word the requirement

The best way to understand a local presence rule is to read it in the registry's own words. Three examples show how different the rules can be.

Residence in a region: .fr and the Afnic extensions

Afnic, the registry of .fr, applies one Naming Policy to .fr and to the French overseas extensions .re, .yt, .pm, .wf and .tf. Article 5.1 of the version dated 6 July 2026 states that the registration or renewal of a domain name "can be requested by any natural person residing and any legal person having its registered office or main establishment" in one of the European Union member states, or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. The same eligibility rules apply to the administrative contact (article 5.2). The criterion is residence or establishment, not nationality: a French citizen living outside these countries does not meet it, while a company with its registered office or main establishment in Germany does. The policy is drafted in French and in English, and in case of difficulty of interpretation only the French version prevails (article 9.2).

Citizenship or residence: .eu

EURid, the registry of .eu, has widened eligibility over time: on 19 October 2019 it opened .eu to all EU citizens, wherever they live. Its rules today admit citizens of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway wherever they live, residents of those countries, and undertakings and organisations established there. A .eu holder can therefore qualify by residence, by establishment or by citizenship, which is a different rule from the one Afnic applies to .fr.

Conditions for foreign holders: .eg

Some rules do not refuse foreign holders outright but set conditions. The .eg registry states that entities, companies or organisations without a physical presence in Egypt can register a domain, "provided they have an authorized representative or agent in Egypt", and its price list has a separate category, EG Global, "Available to foreign companies and entities".

The 2026 list: country code domains whose registry requires a local presence or sets its own condition

The table below lists the two-letter country code extensions of our catalogue whose extension page says that the registry requires a local presence or sets its own condition. Some conditions apply only to second-level domains, which they then name (as for .al or .hk). Extensions whose page starts with No, such as .qa or .ae, are not in this list even where some of their second-level domains are restricted; their pages give the detail. For each one it gives the country, the condition as the extension page states it, and what Domgate provides. It is built from the same records as our extension pages, so an extension enters or leaves the list when its page changes, and the figures in its caption are counted from the rows themselves.

The last column reads as follows. Provided by Domgate means that we provide a local presence for that extension, with a published price, ordered with the domain. Provided on request means that we provide one on request: the link leads to the extension's row on our local presence page, which gives the way to ask. Not provided by Domgate means that the registry requires a local presence and that we do not offer one for that extension. See the extension page means that the condition is particular and that the extension page gives the detail.

The list is limited to two-letter country code extensions. Second-level extensions such as .com.br, internationalised country code extensions written in non-Latin scripts, and city or region extensions such as .paris often have rules of their own; they are listed with the others on our local presence page.

How to read a condition in the list

The condition column repeats the wording of the extension page. A few patterns come back often:

• A plain "Yes" means that the holder must meet the local presence rule of the registry, whatever form it takes. The extension page then gives the other rules of the registration, under Registration.
• A condition that names a group of countries, such as the European Union, means that a holder anywhere in that group qualifies. The holder does not need to be in the country of the extension itself.
• A condition that names only the administrative contact, as for .ma, means that the holder can be anywhere as long as the admin contact is local. When the condition adds another requirement, both apply.
• A condition that names a company or a trademark, such as "Yes (or local trademark)" for .au, means that a local trademark can stand in for a local presence. auDA, the .au registry, accepts it only for a domain name that is an exact match of the words of the trade mark.
• A condition that differs between an extension and its sub-domains applies only to the level it names.

When the wording leaves a doubt, the registry's own policy is the reference. The IANA Root Zone Database names the manager of each delegated country code extension.

Requirements that sit beside a local presence

Our extension pages describe each registration in a set of fields under Registration. Several of them matter as much as the local presence itself:

A local presence answers the question of where the holder or the contact is established. These fields answer the other questions a registry can ask, and they apply whether or not a local presence is used.

What to do when you have no presence in the country

A holder without a presence in the country can still register many restricted extensions. The steps are the same everywhere:

1. Read the condition on the extension page, or in the list above, and check whether you meet it on your own. A company with its registered office or main establishment in the European Union already meets the rule of .fr and of .re, .yt, .pm, .wf and .tf.
2. Check what Domgate provides for that extension in the last column of the list.
3. Order the local presence with the domain where the list says Provided by Domgate, or ask for it where the list says Provided on request. Depending on the registry rules, we act as the local administrative contact, as the local address of the holder, or as the registrant of record. In every case a written agreement records that the domain is registered for you or for your client, who keeps its use and the right to have it transferred.
4. Prepare the documents the registry asks for, if any. A local presence does not replace a trademark certificate or a company registration when the rules require them.

Some extensions remain reserved to local companies whatever the arrangement; we say so on the extension page rather than promise a registration we cannot deliver. Where a registry accepts a local trademark, our trademark registration service can be the way in.

Why registries require a local presence

A country code domain stands for a country or a territory, and its registry usually works within a national framework. Afnic, for instance, adopted its Naming Policy under the French Post and Electronic Communications Code and its agreement with the French State, and states that domain names are assigned and managed in the general interest. Afnic's policy also requires the holder and the administrative contact to be reachable, with a working telephone number and email address and accurate identity information kept up to date for as long as the domain is active (article 5.1).

The rules also change. Afnic states that the enforceable version of its policy is the one in force on the date its departments receive the registration request (article 1.3), and EURid widened .eu to EU citizens abroad in 2019. A list of local presence requirements is therefore a snapshot, which is why the one in this guide is rebuilt from our extension pages instead of being written once.

Frequently asked questions

Does a local presence requirement mean I need an office in the country?

Not always. Depending on the registry, the requirement can be met by residence, by a company, by a local administrative contact, by a local trademark or by ties with the country. Where we provide a local presence, we act as the local contact, the local address or the registrant of record under a written agreement, so you do not need your own office.

Is my nationality enough to register a country code domain?

It depends on the registry. Afnic looks at residence or establishment, not nationality, for .fr, .re, .yt, .pm, .wf and .tf. EURid accepts citizens of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway wherever they live for .eu. The registry's own policy gives the rule for each extension.

Who owns a domain registered with a local presence service?

When we act as the registrant of record, a written agreement records that the domain is registered for you or your client, who keeps its use and the right to have it transferred.

What does "Not provided by Domgate" mean in the list?

It means that the registry requires a local presence and that we do not offer one for that extension.

Can the requirement change after I register?

Yes. Registries update their policies, and some apply the new version to existing domains. Afnic, for instance, applies a new version of its policy to existing domain names when an administrative operation is requested or when they are renewed (article 1.3).

Sources

• Afnic Naming Policy, version dated 6 July 2026 (articles 1.3, 5.1, 5.2 and 9.2; the French version prevails)
• Afnic, Naming policies
• EURid, New eligibility criteria, 19 October 2019
• EURid, Rules for .eu domains
• .eg registry, eligibility page and price list (English version)
• Communications Regulatory Authority of Qatar, domain registrants (.qa and .com.qa)
• auDA, .au Licensing Rules, June 2026 (Australian trade marks)
• IANA, ccTLD delegation (ISO 3166-1 codes)
• IANA Root Zone Database (the manager of each delegated country code extension)
• ANRT, Decision ANRT/DG/N°02/2024 of 5 February 2024 on the management of domain names (article 27, in French)
• Domgate, Local presence (the full list, second-level extensions included)