What dotBERLIN does

dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German registry operator headquartered in Berlin that holds the exclusive ICANN license to operate the .berlin top-level domain, launched commercially in February 2014 after a multi-year application process dating back to the company's founding in 2005. The company builds and operates the technical backbone of the TLD, including DNS infrastructure, RDAP and WHOIS query services compliant with ICANN and GDPR requirements, domain lifecycle management, and dispute resolution procedures (UDRP/URS), and partners with DOTZON for daily automated anti-abuse monitoring.

The core product is .berlin domain registration, priced at 25–60 EUR per year at retail and sold exclusively through a network of ICANN-accredited registrars (including Strato, 1&1, InterNetX, Vautron, and Key Systems), with periodic releases of higher-priced premium addresses. A cooperation agreement with the State of Berlin (since March 2012) underwrites a special 39 EUR gross annual price for Berlin residents and secures a revenue share for Land Berlin. Registration requires at least one of three contacts to have a Berlin address, and approximately 46,000 domains were registered by end-2023 across individuals, SMBs, cultural institutions, and international Berlin-affiliated entities.

dotBERLIN is organized as a GmbH & Co. KG (limited partnership) owned by a community of Berlin associations, foundations, businesses, and citizens, with CEO and founder Dirk Krischensowski leading the company and a headcount of 1–10. Its business model is structurally a B2B2C wholesale subscription: dotBERLIN monetizes via wholesale fees per registered domain from registrars, while end-customer acquisition, billing, and support are handled entirely by the registrar channel. The company complements registry operations with content marketing (blog, quarterly newsletter via Mailchimp), a monthly website award (dotBerliner des Monats), and policy-shaping activity through ICANN and the founder-led GeoTLD Group.

Name

dotBERLIN

Legal name

dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://dot.berlin

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG operates the .berlin top-level domain under an exclusive ICANN license, selling wholesale registrations through accredited registrars to approximately 46,000 Berlin-based individuals, SMBs, and institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Domain Registration Fees: dotBERLIN generates revenue through annual registration fees for .berlin domain names. Registrars pay wholesale fees to dotBERLIN for each registered domain, while end customers pay registrars approximately 25-60 euros per year. Berliners can purchase a .berlin domain for 39.00 euros (gross) under a special arrangement with the State of Berlin.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG operates as the registry operator for the .berlin top-level domain, providing technical operation of the TLD under a license from ICANN. The company sells .berlin domain registrations to ICANN-accredited registrars on a wholesale basis; registrars then resell to end customers (individuals, businesses, organizations) at €25–€60 per year, with a special €39.00 rate for Berliners. Supporting services include RDAP and WHOIS data lookup, anti-abuse monitoring, premium address releases, and domain dispute resolution (URS/UDRP).

Product overview

dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG operates the .berlin top-level domain (TLD), offering domain registration services through a network of accredited registrars. The core product is .berlin domain registration, with premium address options available. Supporting services include WHOIS and RDAP lookup services for domain data access, dispute resolution procedures (URS and UDRP), and quarterly newsletters distributed via Mailchimp. The company provides comprehensive registration guidelines and policies in German and English, along with a domain checker tool on the homepage. The registry has been operational since February 2014 following ICANN licensing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• .berlin Domain Registration Core registry product enabling Berlin-based individuals, freelancers, businesses, and organizations to register a .berlin internet address through ICANN-accredited registrars at €25–€60 per year; at least one of three contacts (owner, administrative, or technical) must have a Berlin address.
• .berlin Premium Addresses Higher-value .berlin domain names — shorter, more memorable, or otherwise higher-perceived-value addresses — released periodically and announced via the .berlin newsletter.
• WHOIS Service Public WHOIS lookup for .berlin domain registration information; under GDPR, personal registrant data is not publicly displayed, but data can be requested via an official form for legitimate interests, investigative authority orders, or court orders.
• RDAP Service Registration Data Access Protocol service for .berlin domains; ICANN gTLD RDAP-profile compliant, returns JSON-formatted responses, and serves as the successor to the WHOIS protocol under defined Terms of Service.
• Domain Dispute Resolution (URS and UDRP) ICANN-aligned dispute resolution services covering the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) procedure and the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) for trademark holders facing abusive .berlin registrations such as cybersquatting.
• Domain Checker Tool Real-time online availability checker embedded on the dot.berlin homepage that lets visitors test whether a desired .berlin domain name is available before contacting a registrar.

Quantifiable outcome

• SEO benefit: Google estimates that over 55% of search queries have local intent
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Land BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2012Since March 2012, dotBERLIN has a cooperation agreement with the State of Berlin for the operation of .berlin. This agreement secures regular revenue for Land Berlin and ensures that Berliners can purchase .berlin domains for 39.00 euros (gross). The agreement also protects the interests of Land Berlin, berlin.de, and the Berlin public.
• DOTZON GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationDOTZON provides active monitoring services for .berlin domains, enabling dotBERLIN to quickly respond to cases of abusive domain usage including botnets, spam, and phishing. DOTZON is a consulting company supporting top-level domain projects for cities, regions, and organizations.
• ICANNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerdotBERLIN operates under an ICANN registry agreement with a 10-year license for the operation of .berlin. The company participates in ICANN working groups and committees, contributing to technical internet development and global participation in internet governance.
• eco – Verband der deutschen InternetwirtschaftminorOthersdotBERLIN is a member of eco, contributing to discussions around internet governance, cybersecurity, and digitalization in Germany.
• BITKOM – Bundesverband InformationswirtschaftminorOthersdotBERLIN is a member of BITKOM, contributing to discussions around internet governance, cybersecurity, and digitalization in Germany.
• ISOC – Internet Society German ChapterminorOthersdotBERLIN is a member of ISOC, contributing to discussions around internet governance, cybersecurity, and digitalization in Germany. dotBERLIN's CEO Dirk Krischensowski serves as a cash auditor for ISOC.DE.
• Grüner HirschminorOthersdotBERLIN is a member of the local sustainability initiative Grüner Hirsch, which advocates for sustainable business practices in areas including energy and climate protection, digitalization, education, and strengthening local networks.
• GeoTLD GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerdotBERLIN is founder and member of the GeoTLD Group at ICANN, which advocates for geographic top-level domains worldwide. The group develops shared guidelines and best practices for city and region TLDs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Identity Digital: Operates a large portfolio of gTLDs (.info, .mobi, .pro, and others) and provides registry back-office services to multiple TLD operators — directly comparable back-end registry services to what dotBERLIN runs in-house for .berlin.
• VeriSign: Operates .com and .net, the dominant generic TLDs by registration volume. VeriSign is the closest broad incumbent to dotBERLIN — same registry-operator business model, vastly larger scale, and the default competitor for any new gTLD.
• Afnic: French registry operator of .fr and several legacy and new gTLDs — directly comparable registry business model with deep ICANN/governance involvement analogous to dotBERLIN's ICANN posture.
• DENIC eG: Germany's registry for .de, the dominant TLD in dotBERLIN's home market. Comparable national registry operator with mandate, technical infrastructure, and registrar distribution identical to dotBERLIN's, but at country scale and as dotBERLIN's primary substitute TLD.

Direct peers

• Limex (dotLondon Registry): UK-based registry operator for the .london city TLD, structurally analogous to dotBERLIN: a city-specific namespace operated as a community-based registry with recurring registration revenue via accredited registrars.
• GMO Registry (.tokyo): Operator of the .tokyo city TLD and other geographic/brand gTLDs; runs a portfolio that overlaps directly with dotBERLIN's city-TLD strategy and registry-operations model.
• .paris (Afnic / City of Paris): City TLD for Paris, operated under a public-sector partnership similar to dotBERLIN's arrangement with Land Berlin — comparable in mission, structure, and geographic-restriction policy.
• .NYC Registry (ZCZC LLC): Operator of the .nyc city TLD, the closest US comparability to dotBERLIN — a geographic gTLD with similar reliance on registrar distribution, local-identity branding, and city-restricted registrant rules.

Others

• IONOS (1&1): Major European registrar listed among dotBERLIN's accredited registrar partners. Relevant as the downstream distribution channel through which .berlin domains reach end-customers — comparable as a peer in the domain-registration value chain, not in registry operations.

Regional players

• dotWien (.wien GmbH): Austrian registry operating the .wien city TLD; a regional geographic TLD peer to .berlin — same city-TLD model, DACH-region adjacency, comparable regulator (city government) backing and registrar distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dotberlin-gmbh-co-kg
• Xx.com/dotberlin
• Facebookfacebook.com/dotberlin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dotBERLIN