Before you request a .gov domain

You must be a government employee, or be working on behalf of the government, to request a .gov domain.

If you’re ready to request your domain then let’s get started. You don’t have to complete the process in one session. You can save what you enter and come back to it when you’re ready.

Start a .gov domain request

Purpose of the domain request form

We’ll use the information you provide to verify your organization’s eligibility for a .gov domain. We'll also verify that the domain you request meets our guidelines.

Steps to take before you request your .gov domain

Complete your request as quickly as possible by taking these actions.

Eligibility: Make sure your organization is eligible to have a .gov domain.
Domain name: Choose an available .gov domain that complies with our requirements.
Authorizing official: Find out who your authorizing official is and make sure they approve your request.
Request form: Gather all the information you’ll need to complete your domain request.
Account: Create a Login.gov account. You’ll need a Login.gov account to request a .gov domain. Login.gov provides a simple and secure process for signing into many government services with one account.

Completing the request form might take 15 minutes

If you have your Login.gov account and have gathered all the information you need, completing your domain request might take around 15 minutes.

Information you’ll need to complete the domain request form

We’ll ask you questions about your organization and the domain you want. Here’s what you’ll need to know to complete the form. There’s more information about each of these sections below.

Type of government organization you represent
Organization name and mailing address
Name, role, and contact information for your authorizing official
Purpose of the .gov domain
Current website for your organization (if you have one)
.Gov domain you want
Other employees from your organization

Type of government organization you represent

You’ll choose from the list below.

Federal: an agency of the U.S. government's executive, legislative, or judicial branches
Interstate: an organization of two or more states
State or territory: one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands
Tribal: a tribal government recognized by the federal or a state government
County: a county, parish, or borough
City: a city, town, township, village, etc.
Special district: an independent organization within a single state
School district: a school district that is not part of a local government

Organization name and mailing address

We’ll ask you the name and mailing address for the organization you represent. Your organization might be part of a larger entity. If so, enter information about your part of the larger entity. Once your domain is approved, the name of your organization will be publicly listed as the domain registrant.

Authorizing official

Your authorizing official is a person within your organization who can authorize your domain request. This person must be in a role of significant, executive responsibility within the organization. Read more about who can serve as an authorizing official.

What we’ll need to know about your authorizing official:

Name
Role in your organization
Email address
Phone number

After you submit your request, we’ll contact your authorizing official to double check that they approve it.

Purpose of the .gov domain

We’ll ask you to explain how you plan to use your .gov domain. Will you use it for a website and/or email? Are you moving your website from another top-level domain (like .com or .org)? Read about activities that are prohibited on .gov domains.

Current website for your organization

We’ll ask about your organization’s current public website. We can better evaluate your domain request if we know about domains you’re using. If you already have any .gov domains please include them.

.Gov domain you want

Here’s the part where you’ll tell us the .gov domain you want. We’ll try to give you your preferred domain. We first need to make sure your request meets our requirements. We’ll work with you to find the best domain for your organization.

Your domain name must:

Be available (Check availability)
Be unique
Relate to your organization’s name, location, and/or services
Be clear to the general public. Your domain name must not be easily confused with other organizations.

Other employees from your organization

We’d like to contact other employees in your organization about your domain request. For example, they could be involved in managing your organization or its technical infrastructure. This information will help us assess your eligibility for a .gov domain. These contacts should be in addition to you and your authorizing official. They should be employees of your organization.

What happens after you request your .gov domain

We’ll review your request. This usually takes 20 business days. During this review we’ll verify that your:

Organization is eligible for a .gov domain
Authorizing official approves your request
Domain meets our naming requirements

Once your domain is approved we’ll ask you for information about:

Points of contact who will help manage your domain
Security email for public use
Domain name server information

More about domain name servers

A name server is a server within the Domain Name System (DNS) that answers queries about a domain name. DNS is the internet service that translates your domain name into an IP address. This makes it possible for people to access your online service by using a name instead of a numbered address.

Before your approved .gov domain can be used, you’ll need to connect it to your DNS hosting service. At this time, we don’t provide DNS hosting services. We manage the authoritative name servers for the .gov zone.