When does a .nu domain expire and drop?
- Expiry to drop
- 67 days
- Grace
- 60 days
- Redemption
- None
- Pending delete
- 7 days
An expired .nu is released about 67 days after expiry. For about 60 days it is deactivated: it stops resolving but its holder can still renew it. Then it enters a 7-day quarantine nobody can act on, and is then released. .nu is the country code of Niue, run by Internetstiftelsen, and open worldwide.
Watch a .nuThe .nu timeline, stage by stage
The two stages an unrenewed .nu passes through before release.
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Deactivation: about 60 days | Day 0 to 60 after expiry | The name has expired and been removed from the zone, so it no longer resolves. Its holder can still renew it through their registrar. Nobody else can register it. |
| Quarantine: 7 days | Day 60 to 67 after expiry | Nobody can act on the name now. At the end of quarantine it is released and anyone can register it. |
| Released: registrable by anyone | From about day 67 | The name leaves the registry's deletion pipeline and returns to the public pool, registrable at the standard price on a first-come basis through any registrar. Availability monitoring exists to catch this moment. |
.nu at a glance
- Registry
- Internetstiftelsen
- Backend
- Internetstiftelsen
- Type
- ccTLD
- Country
- Niue
- Delegated
- 1997-06-20
- DNSSEC
- Yes
- IDN
- Yes
- Restrictions
- Open
- Label length
- 1–63 chars
- Grace
- 60 days
- Pending delete
- 7 days
- Expiry to drop
- 67 days
A country code read as a word
An unrenewed .nu is deactivated for about 60 days, out of the zone but renewable by its holder, then quarantined for 7 days before release.
"Nu" means "now" in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch, which is why the extension is used far more in those countries than in Niue itself. It runs on exactly the same process as .se.
Who runs .nu, and since when
.nu is the country code of Niue, delegated in 1997. It is run by Internetstiftelsen, which took over its operation and applies the same rules it uses for .se.
The deactivation and quarantine documented here come from the registry's own pages, and our engine re-verifies them against the live record.
How to register a .nu domain
A .nu is open to anyone worldwide with no presence requirement in Niue or anywhere else.
- Open registration: anyone worldwide can hold a .nu domain, with no local-presence requirement.
- Register through any accredited registrar; the registry sells wholesale, not direct to the public.
- Labels run up to 63 characters using letters, digits and hyphens, never starting or ending with a hyphen.
- Registration is annual and renewable; an unrenewed name enters the deletion timeline below.
As with .se, the long deactivation means many lapsed .nu names are renewed late. The quarantine is the signal that release is certain.
.nu technical profile
How .nu publishes registration data, secures its zone, and handles non-Latin names.
WHOIS lookups
Registration data for a .nu domain is queryable over WHOIS at whois.iis.nu. The registry does not publish an RDAP service in the IANA bootstrap, so status and dates are read from WHOIS, which is what our monitoring reads.
DNSSEC
The .nu registry supports DNSSEC, so a domain can publish DS records and let resolvers cryptographically validate its DNS answers against tampering.
Internationalized names
The .nu registry supports internationalized domain names, so labels in non-Latin scripts register as punycode alongside ordinary ASCII names.
- WHOIS
- whois.iis.nu
The registry signs the .nu zone for DNSSEC and supports internationalized names, and each stage shows on the WHOIS record.
Is .nu a good domain?
Where .nu fits, and where it does not.
A word that means "now"
For Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch audiences, a .nu name reads as a call to act now, which suits campaigns and services.
Open to everyone
There is no residency rule, so anyone can register one.
Little meaning elsewhere
Outside those languages the word carries no meaning, so .nu works best for a Nordic or Dutch audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about .nu domains.
What is a .nu domain?
.nu is the country code top-level domain of Niue, delegated in 1997 and run by Internetstiftelsen. It is popular in Scandinavia and the Netherlands because "nu" means "now".
How long does it take for an expired .nu to drop?
About 67 days: about 60 days of deactivation in which the holder can still renew, then 7 days of quarantine, then release.
Who can register a .nu domain?
Anyone, anywhere, through an accredited registrar.
Is .nu the same as .se?
They are separate extensions, but the same registry runs both on the same rules, so their expiry and drop timelines are identical.