Registro .it
Registro .it is Italy's official country-code top-level domain registry, operated by the National Research Council's Istituto di Informatica e Telematica in Pisa. It manages registration of .it, .edu.it, and .gov.it domains exclusively through 50+ accredited ICANN registrar partners globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersPisa, Italy
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Registro .it does
Registro .it is the official registry for Italy's country-code top-level domain (.it), operated since 1987 by the Istituto di Informatica e Telematica (IIT) of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR — Italy's National Research Council) and headquartered at the CNR Research Area in Pisa. It holds a statutory monopoly on the issuance of .it, .edu.it, and .gov.it domain names, providing the authoritative infrastructure for Italy's national internet identity and serving individuals, businesses, government entities, and educational institutions.
The registry's core technology is built on the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), which enables real-time synchronous domain name registration, modification, and deletion, replacing the legacy paper- and fax-based processes that preceded 2009. Proprietary components include a dispute resolution framework (guidelines v.3.2), DBNA and WHOIS data policies (v.2.0), and a publicly accessible real-time statistics portal (stats.nic.it). Technical guidelines (current version 3.1) define synchronous provisioning procedures, registrar accreditation requirements, and assignment regulations. The registry is ISO 9001:2015 certified by SGS.
Commercially, Registro .it does not sell directly to end customers. It operates exclusively through a network of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrar partners — including GoDaddy, Namecheap, Dynadot, Porkbun, and GMO Internet Group — who resell .it domains globally at their own pricing. The registry charges registrars a flat 4 EUR + VAT per registration, modification, or redemption operation, and 3.30 EUR + VAT per annual renewal. New registrars pay a 2,200 EUR + VAT contract-signing fee plus a 300 EUR + VAT accreditation fee and an initial 4,000 EUR + VAT prepaid balance. The current registrar contract runs from May 2025 to October 2026. Beyond the registry business, the organization publishes quarterly research (.it Quarter), trend analyses (DOT – Domains, Opinions, Trends), and digital content series (Digital Tomorrow podcast, Digital Talks, the 'What a digital world' animated series), and runs the '.it Factor' campaign celebrating Made in Italy in the digital age.
Registro .it firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Registro .it
- Legal name
- Registro .it - Istituto di Informatica e Telematica del CNR (National Research Council of Italy)
- Website
- https://nic.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Registro .it is Italy's official country-code top-level domain registry, operated by the National Research Council's Istituto di Informatica e Telematica in Pisa. It manages registration of .it, .edu.it, and .gov.it domains exclusively through 50+ accredited ICANN registrar partners globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Registro .it industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Domain Name Registry Services
- NAICS
- Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Directory Services & Identity Data Platforms (BPAMAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA) (HDADAFAH), Privacy Governance & Consent Management (HDADAIAI)
Keywords
Where Registro .it is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pisa
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Registro .it business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Domain Registration and Renewal Fees: Registro .it charges registrars 4 EUR + VAT per registration operation, modification, or redemption from pendingDelete/Redemption Period. Annual renewal is billed at 3.30 EUR + VAT. Revenue flows through accredited registrar intermediaries who set their own end-customer pricing.
- Registrar Accreditation and Contract Fees: One-time onboarding fees include a 2,200 EUR + VAT contract signing fee, a 300 EUR + VAT accreditation process fee, and an initial prepaid balance of 4,000 EUR + VAT covering 1,000 operations. Ongoing contract periods are 18 months (current contract: May 2025 – Oct 2026).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Domain registration operation (per transaction) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual renewal |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Initial registrar onboarding |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Contract period |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Registro .it product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Registro .it manages the registration, modification, renewal, and deletion of .it country-code top-level domains as Italy's official ccTLD registry. The organization operates the authoritative registry via EPP synchronous provisioning and provides dedicated .edu.it and .gov.it domain services. Distribution to end users is exclusively conducted through a global network of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrar partners.
Product overview
Registro .it is Italy's official country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry, managed by the Institute of Informatics and Telematics (IIT) of the National Research Council (CNR). The registry operates a Registrar model where accredited third-party providers handle end-user domain registration. Core offerings include .it, edu.it, and gov.it domain registration services supported by technical tools like Web Whois, DNS Check, and Drop Time. The organization also publishes research through .it Quarter and DOT reports, and produces digital content including the Digital Tomorrow podcast and Digital Kit resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- edu.it Domains: Educational institutions domain service
- gov.it Domains
Quantifiable outcome
- Real-time synchronous registration replaced legacy paper/fax processes, enabling instant domain provisioning
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Registro .it
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Registro .it technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Registro .it partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- it.com Domains LLCcoreit.com Domains LLC formally integrated with Italy's Registro .it registry, positioning .it domains within Europe's established national domain ecosystem. This partnership enables it.com Domains to offer .it domain registrations through its platform, complementing its .it.com domain offerings. The integration contributed to it.com Domains surpassing 150,000 active registrations with 50% growth since October 2025.
- GoDaddycoreGoDaddy is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names. As a global registrar, GoDaddy provides end customers with .it domain registration, renewal, and management services.
- NamecheapcoreNamecheap is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names, providing end customers with .it domain registration and management services.
- DynadotcoreDynadot is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names.
- PorkbuncorePorkbun is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names.
- GMO Internet GroupcoreGMO Internet Group is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names, operating as a major Japanese and international internet services company.
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)coreRegistro .it is operated by the Istituto di Informatica e Telematica (IIT) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). CNR is the parent public research institution under which the registry operates as a public service. The registry is headquartered within the CNR Research Area in Pisa.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Registro .it competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nominet: Nominet operates the .uk ccTLD registry and runs an accredited-registrar model with WHOIS, dispute resolution, and policy frameworks. Directly comparable to Registro .it in business model, product surface, and national-infrastructure mandate.
- DENIC: DENIC operates the .de country-code top-level domain registry for Germany. It is a direct peer to Registro .it as a national ccTLD registry operating a synchronous EPP-based registry system with accredited registrar distribution, similar scale, and similar regulatory/governance role within its country.
- AFNIC: AFNIC is the .fr ccTLD registry for France and a direct peer: a non-profit registry organization managing a national TLD through accredited registrars, with WHOIS/directory services and technical tooling analogous to Registro .it.
- EURid: EURid manages the .eu ccTLD registry under a not-for-profit consortium structure with accredited registrars. Directly comparable to Registro .it in registry operations, EPP-based provisioning, and registrar-channel model.
- SWITCH: SWITCH operates the .ch ccTLD registry for Switzerland and provides registry services through accredited registrars. Comparable to Registro .it as a small-team, country-level ccTLD registry with public-affiliation characteristics and similar tooling (WHOIS, DNS).
Others
- ICANN: ICANN coordinates the global domain name system and accredits the registrars that distribute .it (and other TLDs). It is an enabling/regulatory peer, not a competing registry; Registro .it operates within the framework ICANN administers.
Broad incumbents
- Verisign: Verisign operates the .com and .net registries and provides shared registry services. It is a broad incumbent: a much larger commercial registry operator with overlapping capabilities (registry platform, EPP, WHOIS) but operating as a for-profit across generic TLDs rather than a country-specific ccTLD.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Registro .it social profiles
Digital presenceRegistro .it compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Registro .it financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Registro .it leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Registro .it funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Registro .it M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Registro .it
What does Registro .it do?
Registro .it manages the registration, modification, renewal, and deletion of .it country-code top-level domains as Italy's official ccTLD registry. The organization operates the authoritative registry via EPP synchronous provisioning and provides dedicated .edu.it and .gov.it domain services. Distribution to end users is exclusively conducted through a global network of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrar partners.
Is Registro .it a public or private company?
Registro .it is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Registro .it founded?
Registro .it was founded in 1987. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Registro .it based?
Registro .it is headquartered in Pisa, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Registro .it make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Domain Registration and Renewal Fees are the primary driver. The others are registrar Accreditation and Contract Fees.
Who are Registro .it's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nominet, DENIC, AFNIC, EURid and SWITCH. ICANN is listed as an others. Verisign is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Registro .it have an API?
No public API is recorded for Registro .it.
What industry is Registro .it in?
Registro .it's product category is Domain Name Registry Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAEAG, Directory Services & Identity Data Platforms, with a secondary code of HDADAFAH, Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA). Its NAICS code is 92615.