Registro .it

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.

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

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

• Domain name registry
• CcTLD management
• Domain registration services
• DNS infrastructure
• Registrar accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Pisa

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• it.com Domains LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025it.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.
• GoDaddycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025GoDaddy 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.
• NamecheapcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Namecheap is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names, providing end customers with .it domain registration and management services.
• DynadotcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Dynadot is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names.
• PorkbuncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Porkbun is one of 50+ ICANN-accredited registrars authorized to sell .it domain names.
• GMO Internet GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025GMO 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)coreOthers · 1 January 1987Registro .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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/Registroit
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Registroit/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/Registroit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/registro-it

Compliance1 record

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 Registro .it