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Domain requests

Request your .gov domain

Ready to request your .gov domain?

Start your .gov domain request

Before you request your .gov domain

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

Follow these steps to complete your request as quickly as possible.

  • Eligibility: Make sure your organization is eligible to have a .gov domain.
  • Domain name: Choose a .gov domain that complies with our naming requirements.
  • Authorizing official: Find out who your authorizing official is and make sure they approve your request.
  • Request form: Gather the information needed to complete the request form.
  • Account: Create a Login.gov account.

Eligibility: make sure your organization is eligible to have a .gov domain

Government organizations at all levels are eligible for .gov domains. These include:

  • 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

After you request a .gov domain, we'll review the information you provided about your organization. We use the U.S. Census Bureau’s criteria for classifying governments to help determine eligibility. In some cases, we'll request more information (such as legislation, a charter, or bylaws) to verify eligibility.

Domain name: choose a .gov domain name that complies with our naming requirements

.Gov domain names must be available, unique, and clear

Your domain name represents your organization and your services to the world online. Good domain names are memorable, easy to say out loud (like over the phone or in a presentation), and must follow the general naming requirements and specific rules for your type of organization.

While internet domain names must be unique, names of government organizations can be similar or even identical. Our domain naming rules aim to prevent confusion.

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.

See domain name requirements and domain examples for different types of organizations.

Authorizing official: find out who your authorizing official is and make sure they approve your request

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.

When you request a .gov domain, we'll ask for information about your authorizing official (role, contact information). We typically don’t reach out to them, but if contact is necessary, our practice is to coordinate first with you, the requestor.

See examples of authorizing officials for different types of organizations.

Request form: gather the information needed to complete the 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.

  • 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

Read more about what you’ll need to complete the request form.

Account: create a Login.gov account

You 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.

Follow these steps to create your Login.gov account.

Change a domain request you already submitted

You can make changes to your domain request after you submit it. To change your request you have to withdraw it, make your changes, and submit it again. Changing your request might add to the wait time for the .gov to review it.

Follow these steps to make changes.

  1. Sign in with your Login.gov account.
  2. Click the “Manage” link for the domain you want to change. This takes you to the domain overview page.
  3. Click the “Withdraw request” button to withdraw your request.
  4. Confirm that you want to withdraw your request. This takes you back to the domain management page.
  5. Click the “Manage” link for the domain you want to change. This takes you to the domain overview page.
  6. Go to the section of the request you want to change. Make your changes.
  7. Save your changes.

You will receive an email notification about your changes.

Check the status of your domain request

You can check the status of your domain request at any time. Sign in with your Login.gov account. This will take you to the domain management page. The status of your domain request will be on this page under “Active domain requests.”

The statuses for domain requests are:

  • Started: Your domain request has been started.
  • Received: Your domain request has been completed and submitted.
  • In review: Your domain request is being reviewed by the .gov team.
  • Withdrawn: Your domain request has been withdrawn and will not be reviewed by the .gov team.

Withdraw your domain request

You can withdraw your domain request after you submit it. Withdrawing your request means that the .gov team will not review your domain request application. No action on your request will be taken.

Follow these steps to withdraw your domain request.

  1. Sign in with your Login.gov account.
  2. Click the “Manage” link for the domain you want to change. This takes you to the domain overview page.
  3. Click the “Withdraw request” button to withdraw your request.
  4. Confirm that you want to withdraw your request. This takes you back to the domain management page. The status of your request will say “Withdrawn.”

You will receive an email notification that you withdrew your request.

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