.ng Domain: Nigeria ccTLD Guide

Updated October 2026

.ng is the country-code top-level domain for Nigeria.

Overview

Extension.ng

Country or territory

Nigeria

RegionAfrica

RegistryNigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA)

Who can registerOpen worldwide

TypeNational country code

Used by Nigerian businesses, organisations and individuals, and increasingly by anyone wanting a Nigerian web identity.

The .ng domain was approved and established on 15 March 1995 and delegated by Jon Postel. After the government recognised the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as delegee in December 2003, ICANN redelegated it to NITDA in 2004. The ICANN Board approved redelegation to the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) on 23 April 2009.

NiRA uses a registry-registrar-registrant model: it does not register names itself, and customers go through NiRA-certified registrars. Open second-level labels are com.ng, name.ng, net.ng, org.ng, mobi.ng and i.ng. The labels edu.ng, sch.ng, gov.ng and mil.ng are closed to general registration.

Names may contain a to z, digits and hyphens, with no leading or trailing hyphen and no all-numeric names. Internationalised names are not currently offered. Offensive names, names suggesting government or military affiliation, and geographic or place names are unavailable. Names infringing Nigerian trademarks may be obtainable only with the owner's consent.

Premium generic names are allocated by competitive bidding or auction, and one- or two-character names are generally rejected but may be auctioned at the second or third level. Registrars give a registration term of one to ten years and a minimum length of three characters. NiRA publishes its dispute resolution policy on nira.org.ng.

Who can register

ICANNWiki describes .ng as an open-use ccTLD where anyone can register, subject to restrictions, and some registrars report no local-presence requirement.

Second-level endings: Mostly under .com.ng and others.

Rules and prices change. This summary is general information, not legal advice: confirm the current policy with the registry before you buy. The registry's website is nira.org.ng. The official record for .ng is in the IANA root zone database.

Before you buy a .ng name

Check the renewal price as well as the first-year price. Our cost calculator shows what a name really costs over time.
Make sure you meet the eligibility rules yourself, without relying on a trustee if you can avoid it.
Search for trademarks and for the same name in .com.
Say the name out loud: will people type it correctly?

Weighing up a specific .ng name? TLD.is gives an AI appraisal that explains a name's strengths and weaknesses.

Frequently asked questions

What country is .ng?

.ng is the country-code top-level domain for Nigeria.

Who runs the .ng domain?

The .ng registry is managed by Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).

Can I register a .ng domain from another country?

ICANNWiki describes .ng as an open-use ccTLD where anyone can register, subject to restrictions, and some registrars report no local-presence requirement.

Does Google treat .ng as a country domain?

Yes. Google normally treats .ng as a signal that a site targets Nigeria.