.kz

KazNIC
Introduced	1994
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	KazNIC
Sponsor	Association of IT Companies of Kazakhstan
Intended use	Entities connected with  Kazakhstan
Actual use	Popular in Kazakhstan
Registration restrictions	None for second-level names; some restrictions for third-level names depending on which second-level name they are under
Structure	Registrations are made directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath second-level categories
Documents	Rules
Dispute policies	Dispute resolution policy
Registry website	NIC.kz

.kz and .қаз are the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Kazakhstan.

Registrations can be made directly at the second level (with no requirement of Kazakhstan presence) or at the third level beneath categories which have specific restrictions, and are generally limited to Kazakhstan-related entities.

• .com.kz – Commercial organizations; registered trademark protection.
• .edu.kz – Licensed educational organizations.
• .gov.kz – Governmental organizations.
• .mil.kz – Ministry of Defense.
• .net.kz – Licensed networks of data communications.
• .org.kz – Nonprofit organizations.

A minor incident was caused when the right to use the domain name www.borat.kz, the website of Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh character, Borat, was suspended.^[1] The domain-issuing body said that they took this action since false names were given for the site's administrators, and also because the site www.borat.kz was hosted outside Kazakhstan. However, the underlying cause of the action was in order to censor the content of the site: "We've done this so he can't badmouth Kazakhstan under the .kz domain name," Nurlan Isin, President of the Association of Kazakh IT Companies, told Reuters. "He can go and do whatever he wants at other domains."

In June 2011, Google redirected^[2] all traffic from google.kz to google.com in response to a demand issued by the Kazakh Ministry of Communications and Information that requires all .kz domain names to operate on physical servers within the borders of Kazakhstan. SVP Bill Coughran said "creating borders on the web raises important questions for us not only about network efficiency but also about user privacy and free expression." By hosting google.kz only on servers inside Kazakhstan, "we would be helping to create a fractured Internet."

.қаз

Introduced	2012
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	KazNIC
Intended use	Entities connected with  Kazakhstan
Actual use	Many sites.
DNS name	xn--80ao21a
Registry website	NIC.kz

A second country code top-level domain, .қаз ("kaz") for Kazakhstan is now active.^[3] It is used with web addresses using Cyrillic letters. It was launched in March 2012, when the first site, a test site, http://Тест.қаз ("test.kaz") was activated.

Own second level domains are allowed, but there are also the following standardized second-level domains:^[4]

• .мем.қаз – public sector organizations
• .бiл.қаз – education institutions
• .ком.қаз – commercial organizations
• .қау.қаз – non-profit organizations and projects
• .қор.қаз – defense
• .бай.қаз – communications enterprises, networks

Some second-level domains have been reserved in a prioritized manner, such as президент.қаз ("prezident.kaz"). Between May 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012, companies and trademark holders could apply for their names.

• Communications in Kazakhstan
• Media of Kazakhstan
• Proposed top-level domain
• .бг
• .рф
• .срб
• .укр

• IANA .kz whois information
• .kz domain registration website