Treaty-based organizations are the only ones that are eligible for a restricted “.int” top-level domain. This domain top level is administered by IANA under contract with the US government, and was originally created for NATO. According to IANA’s instructions:

.INT Policy & Procedures: Eligibility for a .INT domain

To register in the .int domain, the applicant must be an intergovernmental organization that meets the requirements found in RFC 1591. In brief, the .int domain is used for registering organizations established by international treaties between or among national governments. Only one registration is allowed for each organization. There is no fee for registering an .int domain name.

Please consider the following three elements before applying for an .int domain name. These qualifications must be met before an .int domain name can be granted.

• An international treaty between or among national governments must be provided. We should be able to look up the international treaty in the UN online database of treaties, or you should provide us a true certified copy of the treaty. Please be sure what you provide is a treaty, not the constitution or bylaws of the organization. We recognize as organizations qualified for domain names under the .int top-level domain the specialized agencies of the UN, and the organizations having observer status at the UN General Assembly.

• The treaty submitted must establish the organization applying for the .int domain name. The organization must be established by the treaty itself, not by a council decision or similar.

• The organization that is established must be widely considered to have independent international legal personality and must be the subject of and governed by international law. The declaration or the treaty must have created the organization. If the organization created is a secretariat, it must have a legal personality. For example, it must be able to enter into contracts and be party to legal proceedings.

Accordingly, not all intergovernmental organizations or indeed intergovernmental universities are eligible for a “.int” domain. For instance, OSCE, UNU, WMU among others do not qualify.