Domain - .COOP

Thank you for your interest in registering your .coop domain names with Domain Bank, the only North American authorized .coop registrar.

What is .coop?

.Coop is a new top-level domain (TLD) exclusively for cooperatives. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved .coop in November 2000, along with six other new TLDs. DotCOOP, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Washington, D.C.-based National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), is the sponsor for .coop.

.Coop works just like the more traditional .com, .net or .org domains, but because it is new, there are vastly more available domain names that can be registered. Cooperatives can register .coop domain names, when available, and use them for their email and web sites.

.coop Restrictions

Only cooperatives, cooperative support organizations, and businesses owned by cooperatives are eligible to register a .coop domain name. Though all cooperatives follow seven cooperative principles, the structure and legal definitions of cooperatives vary around the globe. To account for that, DotCOOP will work with country and regional cooperative membership organizations to verify eligibility.

Eligibility requirements

To be approved to register and use a .coop domain name, an applicant must qualify under at least one of the following criteria:

• members of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA);
• members of the International Cooperative Alliance(ICA);
• organizations formed as and/or considered cooperatives under applicable local law;
• associations comprised of cooperatives;
• organizations that are committed to the seven cooperative principles;
• organizations that are controlled by cooperatives;
• entities whose operations are principally dedicated to serving cooperatives; and
• for no more than 5,000 registrants, persons or entities whose use of a .coop domain name would, in the opinion of the DCLLC Board, advance the interests of the cooperative sector in general or would assist in the development of cooperatives worldwide.

When registering, registrants will be asked to identify two cooperative organizations to which they belong or which may be able to affirm their cooperative status. Some registrants will be verified automatically by the system while others may be asked to submit additional documentation.

For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.