Enschede, 17 September — The Twente region is set to get its own geographic domain extension: .twente. Domain extension operator Dotlocal has officially submitted its application to ICANN, the international organisation responsible for domain extensions. If the application successfully passes the evaluation process, residents, businesses and organisations will be able to register domain names ending in .twente. This will make .twente the Netherlands’ next local domain extension after .amsterdam and .frl (Friesland).
The last time companies and organisations were able to apply for their own domain extension was in 2012. At the time, more than 1,900 applications were submitted worldwide, including .amsterdam and .frl. This year, applications could once again be submitted between 30 April and 12 August. More than 1,600 new domain extensions have been applied for worldwide, including .twente in the Netherlands.
Local organisations, brands and residents will be given the first opportunity to register a domain name. Registration will then be opened up more broadly, although .twente will remain primarily an extension representing the Twente identity. As .twente is entirely new, many short and attractive domain names are still available.
“.twente is a truly special extension. It is rare for a region to have its own domain extension, and it is great that Twente will soon have its own place on the internet,” says Siemen Roorda of Dotlocal. “We are proud to have worked on this at Dotlocal and to have now been able to officially apply for .twente.”
In addition to being the applicant for .twente, Dotlocal owns .frl and manages the .amsterdam domain on behalf of the City of Amsterdam. As part of the development of .twente, Dotlocal is in regular contact with Twente Board, which brings together the fourteen municipalities of Twente, educational institutions and businesses.
“.twente is a great fit with the strong sense of connection that people and businesses feel with this region,” says Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, Chair of Twente Board. “It is great that businesses, organisations and residents will soon be able to clearly show online that they are from Twente. This will help make Twente even more recognisable and visible as a region.”
Before .twente becomes available, the application must first go through ICANN’s evaluation process. A lottery is expected to take place later this year to determine the order in which the more than 1,600 applications will be processed. If .twente is among the applications processed early, the first domain names could potentially be registered in late 2027 or early 2028.
A select number of providers are already offering pre-registration for .twente domain names, with more expected to follow later this year. Once the extension goes live, these domain names can be formally applied for through all participating web hosting providers. A .twente domain name is expected to cost from approximately €30 per year.
Dotlocal is an initiative within the Online division of The Sharing Group that supports regions, cities and networks in claiming and managing their own digital identity through domain extensions. Dotlocal provides support with strategy, technology and community building to help make local digital infrastructure stronger and more independent.