NIC.LV
NIC.LV is the official registry for the .LV country-code top-level domain, operated since 1993 as a non-profit department of the University of Latvia's Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science. It sells wholesale .LV domain registrations to 100+ accredited registrars globally and runs DNSSEC, WHOIS, and the AI-powered DOMENĪMI domain-suggestion tool.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersRiga, Latvia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NIC.LV does
NIC.LV (the Network Solutions Department of the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Latvia) is the official registry for the .LV country-code top-level domain, a role it has held since 1993. Operating from Raiņa bulvāris 29 in Riga, the organization runs the authoritative registry infrastructure for the .LV ccTLD, supporting traditional ASCII domains, Latvian-character domains with diacritics (ā, ē, ī, ū, ō, ķ, ļ, ņ, ģ, ŗ, š, č, ž), and second-level domains under .com.lv, .org.lv, .edu.lv, .net.lv, .asn.lv, .conf.lv, and .id.lv. The technology stack includes an EPP-based provisioning system, a public WHOIS lookup refreshed four times daily, DNSSEC signing infrastructure, a recursive DNS resolution service, ENUM telephone-number mapping, and an online customer portal for account administration and billing.
The registry monetizes through annual wholesale fees charged to accredited registrars: EUR 12.00 per traditional .LV domain and EUR 8.40 per Latvian-character domain, structured as multi-year subscriptions up to five years with volume discounts (EUR 7.80 and EUR 5.46 respectively) for registrars managing more than 50 domains, plus promotional discounts of 50% in year one and 35% on renewals for DNSSEC-signed names. Distribution flows through a network of more than 100 accredited registrars globally, including Gandi SAS, Namecheap, Dynadot, Key-Systems, http.net, Safenames, Abion, and a cluster of Latvian resellers such as AmberBit, Dualnode, and Mozello; direct registration is also available through the NIC.LV online portal. In 2016, NIC.LV launched DOMENĪMI, an AI-powered domain-suggestion tool built with the University of Latvia AI Laboratory, using word2vec embeddings trained on Latvian-language corpora to recommend semantically related available .LV domains.
As a department within a state university, NIC.LV is structurally a non-profit public-service entity rather than a commercially traded business. Its strategic priorities evident in source data include security feature promotion (DNSSEC), regulatory compliance (GDPR-aligned WHOIS implemented May 2018), registrar-channel expansion, and research-driven product innovation via university collaboration. The organization operates with a lean staff of 1-10 employees, consistent with the operational profile of a small national ccTLD registry whose revenue is generated from a single-digit-million-EUR wholesale fee base against the Latvian addressable market.
NIC.LV firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NIC.LV
- Legal name
- Latvijas Universitātes Matemātikas un informātikas institūta Tīkla risinājumu daļa (NIC.LV)
- Website
- https://nic.lv
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NIC.LV is the official registry for the .LV country-code top-level domain, operated since 1993 as a non-profit department of the University of Latvia's Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science. It sells wholesale .LV domain registrations to 100+ accredited registrars globally and runs DNSSEC, WHOIS, and the AI-powered DOMENĪMI domain-suggestion tool.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where NIC.LV is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Riga
- HQ country
- Latvia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
NIC.LV business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Domain Name Registration Fees: NIC.LV charges registrars annual fees for .LV domain name registration and renewal. Traditional domain names cost EUR 12.00 per year (new price from Nov 2023), Latvian domain names cost EUR 8.40 per year. Multi-year registration available up to 5 years with volume discounts for registrars managing over 50 domains.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Traditional .LV domains for registrars with <50 domains |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Latvian (diacritic) .LV domains for registrars with <50 domains |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Traditional .LV domains for registrars with >50 domains |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Latvian (diacritic) .LV domains for registrars with >50 domains |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | DNSSEC-signed traditional domains for small registrars |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | DNSSEC-signed Latvian domains for small registrars |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
NIC.LV product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NIC.LV is the official registry for the .LV country-code top-level domain (ccTLD), operating as a department of the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Latvia since 1993. It provides .LV domain name registration and renewal services to accredited registrars and direct customers, along with supporting services including DNSSEC, WHOIS lookup, recursive DNS resolution, and ENUM telephone number mapping.
Product overview
NIC.LV operates as the official registry for the .LV country code top-level domain, managed by the Latvian University Mathematics and Computer Science Institute (LU MII). The core offering is .LV domain name registration services, which include traditional ASCII domain names, Latvian domain names with diacritics, and third-level domains under second-level domains (.com.lv, .org.lv, .edu.lv, etc.). Supporting services include DNSSEC for domain security, WHOIS for domain lookup, and a recursive DNS server. The registry also offers an innovative AI-powered domain name generator called DOMENĪMI, developed in collaboration with LU MII's AI Laboratory, which generates semantically similar available .LV domain alternatives based on user input. An online customer portal handles account administration and billing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DOMENĪMI: A domain name generator tool developed in collaboration with LU MII AI Laboratory that generates alternative available .LV domain names based on word similarity, considering Latvian language cases and diacritic marks.
Products and services
- .LV Domain Name Registration Domain name registration service for the .LV country code top-level domain (ccTLD), including support for traditional, Latvian (with diacritics), and third-level domains. Distributed through a network of over 100 accredited registrars and via the NIC.LV direct online system.
- DNSSEC Domain Name System Security Extensions service that cryptographically signs .LV domain names to protect against DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks. DNSSEC-signed domains receive a 50% discount for the first year and 35% discount for subsequent years.
- WHOIS Domain name lookup and information service providing publicly accessible registration data for .LV domains. Data is refreshed 4 times daily and has been adapted for GDPR compliance since May 25, 2018.
- DOMENĪMI AI-powered domain name generator tool developed in collaboration with the University of Latvia's AI Laboratory. Generates available .LV domain name alternatives based on semantic similarity to user-provided names, preserving Latvian language cases and diacritic marks.
- Recursive DNS Server Recursive DNS resolution service provided for .LV domain operators and internet service providers.
- ENUM Telephone number mapping service that links E.164 numbers to DNS for internet-based communications services.
Companies that use NIC.LV
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NIC.LV technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature2 records
NIC.LV partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LU MII Mākslīgā intelekta laboratorija (IMCS UL Artificial Intelligence Laboratory)coreCollaboration with the University of Latvia's Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science AI Laboratory to develop DOMENĪMI, the first AI-powered domain name generator that considers Latvian language cases and diacritic marks. The tool uses word2vec neural networks trained on Latvian language corpus.
- ICANNcoreNIC.LV operates under ICANN coordination as the .LV country-code top-level domain registry, following ICANN policies and technical requirements for domain name systems.
- SEB bankaminorOne of the banking partners for receiving payments from registrars. IBAN: LV46UNLA0002220609628
- Swedbank ASminorOne of the banking partners for receiving payments from registrars. IBAN: LV56HABA0001407058518
- AmberBitminorLatvian-based domain registrar offering .LV domain registration services, also supports DOMENĪMI project
- DualnodeminorLatvian domain registrar offering .LV domain registration services, also supports DOMENĪMI project
- MozellominorLatvian website builder and domain registrar supporting .LV domains and DOMENĪMI project
- CloudHostingminorLatvian cloud hosting provider and domain registrar supporting .LV domains and DOMENĪMI project
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NIC.LV competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NIC.LV social profiles
Digital presenceNIC.LV financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NIC.LV leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
NIC.LV funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NIC.LV 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 NIC.LV
What does NIC.LV do?
NIC.LV is the official registry for the .LV country-code top-level domain (ccTLD), operating as a department of the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Latvia since 1993. It provides .LV domain name registration and renewal services to accredited registrars and direct customers, along with supporting services including DNSSEC, WHOIS lookup, recursive DNS resolution, and ENUM telephone number mapping.
Is NIC.LV a public or private company?
NIC.LV is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was NIC.LV founded?
NIC.LV was founded in 1993. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is NIC.LV based?
NIC.LV is headquartered in Riga, Latvia, in the Europe region.
How does NIC.LV make money?
One revenue line is on record: domain Name Registration Fees.
Does NIC.LV have an API?
No public API is recorded for NIC.LV.