Country extension · Hong Kong SAR China
.hk domain name
What you need to know about .hk: who can register it, which details are required and how transferring works.
Specifications
The key details of .hk
- Country
- Hong Kong SAR China
- Registry
- hkirc.hk
- Registration period
- 1 to 3 years, 5 years or 10 years
- Renewal period
- 1 to 3 years or 5 years
- Domain name length
- 2 to 63 characters
- Time to registration
- up to 3 working days
- Transfer time
- 10 days
- Renewal on transfer
- no
- Transfer code length
- 6 to 16 characters
- Transfer lock available
- no
- Number of nameservers
- 2 to 13
- Quarantine after deletion
- 30 days
Features
- DNSSEC: yesYou can secure your domain name with DNSSEC.
- IPv6: yesThe nameservers for this extension can also be reached over IPv6.
- Special characters: yesDomain names with letters such as é, ü or ø (and sometimes other scripts) are possible.
- Whois privacy: no
- Trustee: no
Requirements
Who can register a .hk?
- According to the terms and conditions, the registrant must have a local presence in Hong Kong. However, for a domain name directly under .hk, applications from organisations and individuals both in Hong Kong and abroad are accepted.
- The registrant registers as a natural person or as an organisation. All contacts for the domain name must fall into the same category as the registrant.
- You may only register names containing the words government, bank, assurance or insurance, or variations of them, if you provide additional documents justifying their use.
- You may only register under the com sub-extension of .hk if you're a commercial business registered in Hong Kong. It must be the head office, not a branch.
- You may only register under the org sub-extension of .hk if you're a charity or other non-profit organisation, such as an association, trade union, owners' corporation, hospital or childcare centre.
- You may only register under the edu sub-extension of .hk if you're a recognised school, a statutory educational institution, a registered course provider or a childcare centre providing pre-school education.
- You may only register under the net sub-extension of .hk if you hold a licence from Hong Kong's telecoms regulator as an internet service provider or network provider.
- You can only register under the gov sub-extension of .hk with approval from the Office of Government Chief Information Officer of Hong Kong.
- You may only register under the idv sub-extension of .hk if you live in Hong Kong. For the Chinese version for individuals, the domain name must be your legal name.
Additional details for registration
- You state whether you're registering as a natural person or as an organisation.
- Organisations provide a registration number, for example from the commercial register. They also state what type of document it is, such as a business registration, certificate of incorporation, school registration or a document from a government department.
- Individuals provide the number of an identity document, such as a Hong Kong identity card, a foreign identity document, a passport or a birth certificate.
- With the identity or registration document, you also state the country of issue.
- As an individual, you state whether you're 18 or older.
Documents
- For a domain name directly under .hk, you only need to send documents if asked. Organisations then provide proof of their registration, and individuals a copy of their identity card or passport.
- You send documents by email as a single PDF file of no more than 10 MB. The registrar will help you prepare the required forms.
- For the com sub-extension: a copy of the business registration from Hong Kong's tax authority, a certificate of registration as a foreign company, or proof for another sub-extension along with a letter explaining why you've chosen com.
- For the org sub-extension: for example, an exemption letter from the tax authority, a certificate of registration as an association, trade union, owners' corporation, hospital or childcare centre, or articles of association showing that no profits are distributed to shareholders.
- For the edu sub-extension: a certificate of registration for a school, course or childcare centre from Hong Kong's Education Bureau, or the legislation under which your institution was established, along with an application letter.
- For the net sub-extension: a copy of your licence as an internet service provider, fixed network provider or network operator, issued by Hong Kong's telecoms regulator.
- For the idv sub-extension: a copy of your Hong Kong identity card or other proof that you live in Hong Kong.
Transfer
Transferring a .hk
- To transfer a domain, you need a transfer code. As the registrant, you request it from your current registrar.
- If you're transferring your domain name to a different registrar, you'll need a special transfer code. You request it directly via the HKDNR website.
The transfer code
- A transfer code is required. The registrant of the domain name requests it from the current registrar.
- To transfer to a different registrar, request a special transfer code directly via the HKDNR website.
Owner
Change of registrant
Change of registrant
- You can't change the name of the registrant or organisation with a regular update of details. That requires an official change of registrant.
- For a change of registrant, you fill in a special form. You send that form and all supporting documents together by email as a single PDF.
- If the current registrant is a company in Hong Kong, it provides an extract from the commercial register that is no more than 30 working days old, counted from the date of the application letter.
- If the current registrant is a company outside Hong Kong, it provides the signed form DCTNR1, along with recent proof, no more than 30 working days old, that the signatory is a director, partner or owner.
- If the current registrant is an individual in Hong Kong, they provide a copy of their identity card or passport. For a registrant aged 11 to 18, the identity documents of the parents or guardian and a birth certificate or guardianship document must also be included.
- An individual registrant outside Hong Kong provides the signed form DCTNR2, with a copy of their passport or identity card.
- The new registrant must prove that they exist and meet the requirements of the sub-extension. For com, for example, a business registration in Hong Kong or a registration as a foreign company is required.
- If the new registrant is a company in Hong Kong, it provides a recent extract from the commercial register that is no more than 30 working days old, plus a copy of the business registration.
- If the new registrant is a company outside Hong Kong, it provides the signed form DCTNR1, with recent proof that the signatory is a director, partner or owner.
- A new registrant who is an individual provides a copy of their identity card or passport if they live in Hong Kong. If they live outside Hong Kong, the signed form DCTNR2 must also be included.
- HKDNR may ask for additional documents, which you must provide within the specified deadline. HKDNR may reject the application if documents are missing or not in order.
Renewal, cancellation and quarantine
- A cancelled domain name is permanently deleted within 7 days.
- A request to restore a domain name is handled manually. You'll be notified of the outcome by email.
More information
Registry rules and links
- Registry website hkirc.hk
- Registry whois registrar.hkirc.hk
- Dispute resolution policy hkirc.hk
- Registry terms and conditions hkirc.hk
Compiled from the registry's rules. Registries sometimes change their rules; if in doubt, the registry's terms take precedence. Updated on 11/11/2026.