.im Domain
The Isle of Man's Digital Identity
Register your .im domain from just £13.99/yr. Free DNS management, email forwarding, and 10GB mailbox included, plus free Nominet WHOIS privacy for UK individuals.
This domain has registration restrictions
Anyone anywhere can apply for a .im, but every application is screened by a Designated Official, and the Isle of Man Government can withdraw a name it considers undesirable. Read the full eligibility rules.
What is a .im domain?
The .im domain is the country code for the Isle of Man, a self-governing Crown dependency with a reputation for financial services and technology. At just two letters, it's one of the shortest domain extensions available. Beyond its geographic purpose, .im has been adopted by tech companies and startups who read it as "I'm" in English, giving it a personal, conversational tone.
Who should register .im?
Isle of Man businesses, tech startups playing on the "I'm" pronunciation, e-gaming operators, and Manx residents.
Why choose .im?
- Two-letter domain, maximum brevity
- Doubles as "I'm" in English
- Strong Manx financial services presence
- Recognised Crown dependency TLD
Who runs .im, and since when
Registry data from the .im delegation record held by IANA, which maintains the internet's root zone. Eligibility comes from the registry's own policy, and the prices are ours.
- Extension type
- Country-code (ccTLD)
- Registry operator
- Isle of Man Government
- The organisation that runs the extension
- In the root zone since
- 1996
- Delegated 11 September 1996
- Who can register
- Open to anyone, but every application is screened and can be withdrawn
- Checked against the registry's own policy
- Our price
- £13.99 a year
- Ex VAT. Renews at the same price
- Transfer in
- £13.99
- Adds a year to whatever is left on the domain
Every .im application is screened before it sticks
The .im extension is the cheapest thing in this category and it comes with more official oversight than any of the others. IANA records the Isle of Man Government as the manager of the country code; Domicilium (IOM) Limited runs it day to day from the Isle of Man Datacentre at Ronaldsway.
The published rules, dated 5 July 2023, are clear that the registry will not vet who may apply, how many names you may hold, or which names may be held by you. There is no residency test and registration is first come, first served. What is vetted is the string itself. Every application is reviewed by a Designated Official. There is a reserved list and a blacklist, and a separate referral list of words connected to activities regulated on the Island, which for a jurisdiction built on finance, insurance and e-gaming covers a fair amount of vocabulary. Those lists are maintained with the Isle of Man Government, are not in the public domain, and change without notice.
The consequence is the part worth reading twice. The Isle of Man Government keeps the right to withdraw any name deemed undesirable within two working days of application, and to review, suspend or withdraw one at any later point if the name is being used for an improper purpose, including anything illegal, defamatory, or detrimental to the good name of the Isle of Man. A registrant can challenge that through the Manx dispute resolution procedure.
Two practical notes that catch people out. Internationalised names are not offered, so accented characters are out. And when a .im is transferred away from the registry, the NS, A, CNAME and MX records go with it, so settle where the DNS will live before you start.
Who is allowed to register .im?
Anyone anywhere can apply for a .im, but every application is screened by a Designated Official, and the Isle of Man Government can withdraw a name it considers undesirable.
- Who may register
- No residency, nationality or business test. The rules state that applications will not be vetted to restrict who may apply, which domain names may be held by you, or how many you may hold, and that names are allocated first come, first served.
- Every name is screened
- All domain names are reviewed by a Designated Official against a reserved list and a blacklist. An application referred for approval is considered within two working days, and a referral usually brings a request for more information rather than an outright refusal.
- Words tied to regulated activity
- Terms connected to activities regulated on the Isle of Man sit on a referral list maintained with the Isle of Man Government. That list is not published and is subject to change without notice, so a name can be referred with no warning to you beforehand.
- Withdrawal after registration
- The Isle of Man Government retains the right to withdraw any name deemed undesirable within two working days of the application, and may review, suspend or withdraw one at any time afterwards where it considers the name is being used for an improper purpose, including anything illegal, defamatory or detrimental to the good name of the Isle of Man. The registrant may lodge a complaint through the Manx dispute resolution procedure.
- What the name may contain
- Only the twenty-six unaccented Roman letters, the ten western digits and hyphens are permitted, and a name may not begin or end with a hyphen. Internationalised names beginning xn-- are not accepted because IDNs are not currently offered, and the complete name is capped at sixty-four characters.
Rules taken from the .im Rules of Registration and Use of Domain Names. Registry policy can change, so check before you buy if the answer matters to you.
Not sure whether you qualify? Ask us before you order and we will check the registry rules with you. We would rather answer the question than take an order the registry will refuse.
Is .im the right choice for you?
We would rather sell you the right extension once than the wrong one twice.
.im works well if
- You are an Isle of Man business and want the address that identifies you as one to Manx customers, suppliers and regulators.
- Your brand or product name ends in a way that turns the extension into a word, which is why so many messaging and personal-page projects use it.
- You want a two-letter extension without the price tag the more fashionable two-letter codes now carry.
- You are registering defensively alongside a main domain and want the shortest sensible option at a low annual cost.
Look elsewhere if
- Your business touches anything regulated on the Island, such as finance, insurance or gaming, in which case expect your application to be referred and to be asked for supporting information.
- You need accented characters in the name. Internationalised names are not offered on this extension at all, so there is no workaround.
- You want certainty that the name is yours for good. The Isle of Man Government can withdraw an undesirable name after registration, a power few registries reserve so plainly.
No Manx connection and no wordplay in the name? A .co.uk will serve a UK business better for a similar annual cost. See .co.uk pricing.
.im vs .co.uk: which should you register?
Unusually for this category, price is not the argument. A .im renews for a figure in the same territory as a .co.uk, so the decision is about what the address says and who controls it.
.co.uk gives you a UK association that Google reads automatically, near instant transfers because .uk domains move on an IPS tag rather than an authorisation code, free WHOIS privacy for a UK individual under Nominet rules, and no content screening of the name itself. .im gives you two letters instead of six, a Manx identity if you have one, and the wordplay that makes the extension useful to projects with nothing to do with the Island.
The screening is the real difference. Nominet does not review a .co.uk against an unpublished list of sensitive words before it is registered. The Isle of Man does, and reserves the right to withdraw afterwards. For an ordinary business that is a non-event, and for anything near a regulated sector it is worth planning around.
| .im | .co.uk | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Country-code | UK country-code |
| In the root since | 1996 | 1985 |
| Name screening | Every application reviewed | None before registration |
| Accented characters | Not offered | Supported |
| Transfer speed | Hours to a few days | Near instant |
.im domain questions, answered
What people ask us before registering a .im domain.
Can't find what you're looking for?
Ask us directlyYes. The published rules say the registry will not vet applications to restrict who may apply, which names may be held by you, or how many you may hold, and there is no residency or nationality test. Names go first come, first served. The screening that does happen is about the name itself rather than about you, so an ordinary word applied for by an overseas registrant is treated exactly like one applied for from Douglas.
Yes, and the rules say so plainly. The Isle of Man Government retains the right to withdraw a name deemed undesirable within two working days of the application, and to review, suspend or withdraw one at any time afterwards where it considers the domain is being used for an improper purpose, including anything illegal, defamatory or detrimental to the good name of the Isle of Man. A registrant can challenge the decision through the Manx dispute resolution procedure.
Because the name contains a word on the referral list, which covers terms connected to activities regulated on the Isle of Man. Given the Island economy, that means anything reading like banking, insurance, investment, trusts or gambling is a candidate. Referred applications are considered within two working days and normally lead to a request for supporting information rather than a refusal. The list is not published and can change without notice, so you cannot check in advance.
The records go with the domain. The registry rules state that when a .im is transferred from the .im Registry to another registrar, any records associated with the name, including NS, A, CNAME and MX, are removed, and the registry accepts no liability for the resulting interruption. The fix is preparation: have the receiving DNS zone built and ready before the transfer starts, so the records can be put back the moment it completes rather than after the email has stopped.
Included with Your .im Domain
DNS Management
Full DNS zone editor to manage A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and all record types.
Email Forwarding
Set up professional email addresses and forward to any inbox.
Auto-Renewal
Never lose your domain with automatic renewal protection.
Free 10GB Mailbox
One 10GB mailbox (POP3/IMAP) included with every domain, on any TLD.
Other UK Domains Extensions
Register your .im domain today
Secure your .im domain from just £13.99/yr. Free DNS management, email forwarding, and 10GB mailbox included.
