In addition to domain names such as "com.tr" and "org.tr", which are already being allocated in Türkiye, allocation of domain names in the structure of "a.tr" has also become possible as of September 14, 2023. Domain names in the structure of "a.tr" do not include extensions for generic top-level domains (gTLD) such as ".com", ".net", ".org", etc. but have a direct country code extension of ".tr".
The initial allocation of these domain names is carried out by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority within the TRABIS system under three categories on the basis of the sunrise period in order to prioritize the earlier right holders.
In the initial allocation procedures, priority was given respectively to public institutions and organizations, organizations with more than half of their capital belonging to the public, professional organizations having the characteristics of public institutions, public benefit associations and foundations, and professional organizations of workers and employers; as well as to professional organizations with the status of public institutions, public benefit associations and foundations granted with a tax exemption, and professional organizations of workers and employers that have domain names with the extension "org.tr".
Currently in the third phase, extension-based domain name ownership priority is applied and priority is given to the domain names with the extensions "kep.tr", "av.tr", "dr.tr", "com.tr", "org.tr", "net.tr", "gen.tr", "web.tr", "name.tr", "info.tr", "tv.tr", "bbs.tr", "tel.tr", respectively, which are allocated as of August 25, 2023. For the third category applications, the requests are started to be collected as of February 14, 2024 and it was initially decided that May 14, 2024 was to be the end date for the application. However, the Authority decided to extend the application period for the third phase, until August 7, 2024 by expecting to receive more priority application from the existing domain name holders.
Right holders wishing to benefit from the priority under the third category must request an application code from the registrar where the existing domain name is located and apply under the third category through the registrar of their choice using the application code obtained.
It should be emphasized that after the completion of these three priority categories, domain names in the "a.tr" structure will continue to be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Therefore, we strongly recommend the domain name holders who wish to allocate domain names in the structure of "a.tr" to benefit from the third category prioritization (especially holders of the domain name with the extensions such as "com.tr", "net.tr", "gen.tr", etc., which are in widespread use), by taking advantage of the time extension, in order to minimize the risk of being engaged in disputes due to unlawful allocation by third parties by adding ".tr" into the main element of existing domain names in a confusingly similar way.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.