Extension
.mil
.mil in short
The .mil domain is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) reserved exclusively for the United States Department of Defense. It is not available to the public — registration is restricted to US military entities and managed by the DoD Network Information Center.
.mil at a glance
Type
sTLD — Sponsored top-level domain
Registry
DoD Network Information Center
Launched
1985
Country / scope
United States (military)
Restrictions
Restricted — US Department of Defense only
Typical price
Restricted
Example sites
army.mil
Source: IANA root zone database & registry data · methodology
How to obtain a .mil domain
.mil is a restricted extension that is not available through ordinary domain registrars. Eligibility is limited to the community described below, and names are assigned through the sponsoring authority's own process rather than a public checkout. If you do not qualify, a generic extension such as .com or .org is the appropriate alternative.
tldlist.us is an independent reference and not a registrar. Restricted-TLD eligibility and processes are determined by the sponsoring authority.
What does .mil mean?
The .mil extension is short for military, and it is one of the original top-level domains created in 1985 alongside .com, .net, .org, .edu and .gov. Unlike those, .mil never opened to the public. It is a sponsored, restricted domain reserved entirely for the United States Department of Defense and its components — the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and associated agencies.
Because of this exclusivity, .mil is one of the strongest trust signals on the internet. If a website ends in .mil, it is, by definition, an official US military property. There is no ambiguity and no consumer registration market — the extension exists to clearly and securely identify Department of Defense resources.
Who uses .mil?
.mil is used solely by US military organisations: the armed services, defense agencies, military commands, bases and official programmes. Public-facing examples include army.mil and the recruiting and informational sites of the various branches, while a large number of .mil resources are internal and not reachable from the open internet at all.
No business, individual or foreign government can obtain a .mil name. Civilian US government bodies use .gov instead, and non-US militaries operate under their own national country-code domains. For everyone outside the US Department of Defense, .mil is simply off-limits by design.
.mil registration rules and requirements
.mil is closed to public registration. It is administered by the DoD Network Information Center (DoD NIC) under the authority of the US Department of Defense, and names are assigned internally to authorised military entities only. There is no registrar, no price and no application process for outside parties. The restriction is a security and identity measure: limiting .mil to the DoD guarantees that the extension can always be trusted as genuinely military.
Can you buy a .mil domain?
No — .mil is a restricted extension and is not sold to the public. It is reserved for the eligible community described above, so there is no open price or registrar checkout. The table below summarises who may hold a .mil name and who administers it.
| Aspect | .mil status |
|---|---|
| Public registration | Not available |
| Eligible registrants | US Department of Defense only |
| Administered by | DoD Network Information Center |
.mil pros and cons
Pros
- Absolute trust — every .mil site is verifiably US military.
- Closed registry eliminates impersonation and abuse.
- Clear separation from civilian .gov government resources.
- Stable, security-focused administration by the DoD.
Cons
- Completely unavailable to the public, businesses or individuals.
- Restricted to the US Department of Defense only.
- No pricing or registration path for outside parties.
- Not relevant to non-US militaries, which use national ccTLDs.
Example .mil websites
- army.mil — the official website of the United States Army.
- Each US armed service runs official informational and recruiting sites under .mil.
- Many .mil resources are internal Department of Defense systems not reachable from the public internet.
.mil — frequently asked questions
What is the .mil domain?
The .mil domain is a sponsored, restricted top-level domain reserved exclusively for the United States Department of Defense. It identifies official US military websites and systems and is administered by the DoD Network Information Center.
Can the public register a .mil domain?
No. .mil is closed to public registration. Only the US Department of Defense and its authorised components may hold .mil names, which are assigned internally. There is no registrar, price or application process for outside parties.
What is the difference between .mil and .gov?
.mil is reserved for the US military (the Department of Defense), while .gov is for civilian US government bodies at federal, state and local level. Both are restricted and verified, but they cover different parts of the US government.
Do other countries use .mil?
No. .mil is specific to the United States Department of Defense. Militaries in other countries operate under their own national country-code domains (often a military sub-domain of the country's ccTLD) rather than under .mil.