.ch
 | |
| Introduced | 1987 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | SWITCH Information Technology Services |
| Sponsor | SWITCH Information Technology Services |
| Intended use |
Entities connected with  Switzerland |
| Actual use | Very popular in Switzerland |
| Registration restrictions | Two letter domain names are restricted to cantons |
| Structure | Registrations permitted at second level |
| Documents | Terms and conditions |
| Dispute policies | Dispute Resolution Proceedings |
| Website | www.nic.ch |
| DNSSEC | yes |
.ch is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Switzerland in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is administered by SWITCH Information Technology Services.
The domain ch derives from Confoederatio Helvetica (Helvetic Confederation),[1] the Latin name for the country, which was used because of its neutrality with regard to the four official languages of Switzerland. CH is the ISO 3166-2 code for Switzerland and also is used on vehicle plates.
Second-level domain names must be at least three letters long. Two-letter subdomain names are restricted to the Swiss cantons, as well as the domain ch.ch of the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland. The only exception has been the former domain of the Expo.02 which was held in Switzerland, www.expo.02.ch.
Registrations of internationalized domain names have been accepted since March 2004.
References
- ↑ From the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland