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Retired Country-Code Domains: .yu, .zr, .tp and More
Countries change, and so do their domains. Here is what happens when a country code disappears, and the extensions that have already gone.
Why country codes are retired
Country-code domains follow the ISO 3166-1 list of country codes. When a country splits, merges, changes its name or ceases to exist, its code can be withdrawn from that list. IANA then expects the domain to be wound down, usually with a transition period so that websites and email can move to the new extension.
ICANN's country-code community has adopted a formal retirement policy for these cases, with a default transition of about five years that can be extended in some circumstances.
Country codes that have been retired
| Extension | Was for | What happened |
|---|---|---|
.cs | Czechoslovakia | Removed in the mid-1990s after Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic (.cz) and Slovakia (.sk). |
.zr | Zaire | Replaced by .cd when the country was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo; removed in 2001. |
.um | U.S. Minor Outlying Islands | Removed from the root zone in 2008 after falling out of use. |
.yu | Yugoslavia | Phased out after the country dissolved; names moved to .rs (Serbia) and .me (Montenegro), and .yu was removed in 2010. |
.tp | East Timor (Portuguese Timor) | Replaced by .tl (Timor-Leste) and removed in 2015. |
.an | Netherlands Antilles | Retired after the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010; replaced by .cw, .sx and .bq, and removed in 2015. |
The survivors
Not every orphaned code disappeared quickly. .su, created for the Soviet Union in 1990, outlived the country by decades and is still in use. .uk never matched the UK's ISO code (GB) at all, but ISO reserves "UK" for it.
Codes that exist but are not used
Some codes are in the root zone but are not open for registration, such as .bv (Bouvet Island), .sj (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) and .gb. Others, such as BL (Saint Barthélemy), MF (Saint Martin), BQ (Caribbean Netherlands) and EH (Western Sahara), are on the ISO list but have no active domain in the root zone.
What it means for domain owners
A retirement is rare, slow and announced years ahead. But it is a real risk for extensions tied to territories whose status is disputed or changing. If your business depends on such a name, keep an eye on the news and have a backup domain. See .io for a current example.
Keep reading
What Is a ccTLD?
The complete guide to country-code top-level domains.
ccTLD vs gTLD
How country-code and generic extensions differ, and when each fits.
Domain Hacks
How .io, .ai, .tv and friends became words, and a tool to find your own.
Choosing an Extension
A step-by-step method for picking the right ending.