Not available for public registration under any circumstancesReserved exclusively for official bodies of the Holy SeeBarely twenty active .va domains in total

.va Domain

.va is the ccTLD of Vatican City, registered with IANA on September 11, 1995, and managed by the Holy See. It is not available for public registration: it is reserved exclusively for official Vatican bodies, with barely 20 active domains.

1995 Year created
ccTLD Extension type (IANA)
On request Registration price / year
Yes Registration restrictions

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About the .VA domain

What is the .VA domain?

The .va is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) of Vatican City, registered in the IANA database on September 11, 1995, with the Holy See itself — through the Governatorato S.C.V., the Governorate of Vatican City State — managing the registry.

Unlike virtually any other ccTLD, .va is not available for public registration under any circumstances: it is reserved exclusively for official bodies of the Holy See, such as institutions, departments, and administrative offices of the Vatican itself. Neither individuals nor external companies can register a .va domain, and the restriction extends even to excluding Catholic organizations outside the Church's central administration: dioceses, parishes, religious congregations, or Catholic charities cannot access this extension, reserved strictly for the central governing and communication bodies of the Holy See. Assignment of new .va domains is always an internal process, managed by the Vatican Internet Service for qualifying offices, never going through commercial registrars or a public application process. The result is an extremely small zone: barely twenty active .va domains worldwide.
Registration restrictions

.va is not available for public registration under any circumstances: it is reserved exclusively for official bodies of the Holy See, such as institutions, departments, and offices of the Vatican. Neither individuals, external companies, nor even Catholic organizations outside the central administration — dioceses, parishes, religious orders, or charities — can register a .va domain. Assignment is always internal, managed by the Vatican Internet Service, with barely twenty active domains in total.

Extension .VA
IANA type ccTLD
Created in 1995
Registry Governatorato S.C.V. (Governorate of Vatican City State), Holy See
Country / territory Vatican City
Restrictions Yes
Registration On request
Renewal On request

Uses of .VA

Who is the .VA domain for?

These are the most common situations where .VA is the ideal extension.

Institutions, departments, and offices of the Holy See

The only possible use: official internal Vatican bodies.

Public registration unavailable under any circumstances

No individual, company, or external Catholic organization can access .va.

Historical and institutional reference interest

A case study on the most restrictive and smallest ccTLDs on the entire internet.

.VA vs other extensions

Which extension suits you best?

Each extension has its own profile. Here we compare .VA with the most common alternatives to help you choose.

Extension Best for Restrictions Registration price
.va This page Only official bodies of the Holy See Exclusively internal registration, no public access Not available
.com Any project with no eligibility restrictions None $14.99/yr

Registration process

How to register your .VA domain at miHosting

01

Check availability

Type the name you want in the search bar. We show you in seconds whether it's available or if you need to look for alternatives.

02

Complete registration

Fill in the registrant details and choose whether to add hosting. The entire process takes less than 5 minutes.

03

Your domain is live

Within minutes your .VA domain is active and visible from anywhere in the world. DNS propagates in under 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions about the .VA domain

Can I register a .va domain?

No. .va is not available for public registration under any circumstances, with no exceptions.

Can Catholic dioceses or parishes register a .va?

No. The restriction also excludes Catholic organizations outside the Holy See's central administration.

How many .va domains exist?

Barely twenty, all managed internally by the Vatican Internet Service.

Who manages the .va domain?

The Holy See, through the Governatorato S.C.V. It was registered with IANA on September 11, 1995.

Is there any commercial route to get a .va?

No, there are no commercial registrars for this extension; assignment is always an internal Vatican process.

What alternative does miHosting recommend for a Catholic project?

A generic extension like .com or .org, or open ccTLDs with no restrictions. Contact our team to weigh your options.

Register your .VA today

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The .va domain is the ccTLD of Vatican City, registered with IANA on September 11, 1995. It is not available for public registration under any circumstances: it is reserved exclusively for official bodies of the Holy See. Contact our team about alternatives such as our professional hosting.