- Category
- Country code
- IANA type
- Country Code
- Country
- South Africa
- Manager
- ZA Domain Name Authority
- Script
- Latin
- DS in root
- 1 record(s)
- Algorithm
- 8 · RSASHA256
- Second-level
- 18 suffixes
- IDN names
- no IDN tables at IANA
- WHOIS
- none (RDAP only)
- RDAP
- not in IANA's RDAP list
Checked 26 Oct 2026 by our weekly check.
Is a .za name registered?
Looked up from your browser in the registry's RDAP service; if that does not answer, in DNS. Nothing is stored on dnssec.in.What this means
The root zone holds a DS record for .za, so the extension is signed and anchored. A domain under .za can use DNSSEC with a full chain of trust: it needs to be signed at its DNS host and have its own DS at the registrar. .za is the country code for South Africa; its registry sets who can register.
Second-level suffixes under .za (18)
You can register names directly under .za or under these suffixes, for example example.co.za. Some are restricted to certain users (government, education, banks). Source: the Public Suffix List.
- .ac.za
- .agric.za
- .alt.za
- .co.za
- .edu.za
- .gov.za
- .grondar.za
- .law.za
- .mil.za
- .net.za
- .ngo.za
- .nic.za
- .nis.za
- .nom.za
- .org.za
- .school.za
- .tm.za
- .web.za
IDN names under .za
No IDN tables for .za at IANA: names are usually ASCII only (a–z, 0–9 and hyphen).
Length
DNS limits are the same everywhere: each label is 1 to 63 characters, the whole name at most 253, letters, digits and hyphens, not starting or ending with a hyphen. IDN labels count their xn-- form, so fewer native characters fit. A registry can set a higher minimum (often 2 or 3 characters) or reserve short names: that is in its own policy.
WHOIS and RDAP
This extension is not in IANA's RDAP list. There is no classic WHOIS server (port 43): since January 2025 ICANN lets gTLD registries offer RDAP only.
Lifecycle and drop
Country code extensions set their own lifecycle: grace periods, redemption and release dates differ from country to country and are not covered by ICANN's gTLD policies. Read the registry's rules: http://www.zadna.org.za/.