Which restricted country domains can a US company register?

None of the restricted domains we track accepts a company established only in the United States without some condition. Four come close. The other eight need a trustee or an entity in the country.

Few.The verdict

A US company can hold .de, .hu, .sg and .cn in its own name if it meets a condition, such as a German contact point or a Singapore agent. For .eu, .fr, .it, .no, .ca, .au, .jp and .br it needs a trustee or a local entity.

Every restricted domain, for a US company

Domain	For a company based in the United States	Why	Trustees
.de	Directly, with a condition	Open worldwide. A holder abroad must name an authorised recipient in Germany if DENIC asks.	Compare
.eu	Trustee or local entity	Needs an EU or EEA establishment. An EU citizen can hold one personally.	Compare
.fr	Trustee or local entity	Needs residence or an establishment in the EEA or Switzerland.	Compare
.no	Trustee or local entity	Needs a Norwegian organisation number or national ID. No exceptions.	Compare
.it	Trustee or local entity	Needs citizenship, residence or a registered office in the EEA, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City or the UK.	Compare
.ca	Trustee or local entity	Needs Canadian presence. A registered Canadian trade mark gets you the matching name only.	Compare
.au	Trustee or local entity	Needs Australian presence: an ARBN or ABN, or an Australian trade mark for the exact-match name only.	Compare
.br	Trustee or local entity	Provisional only: a Brazilian legal representative, and a commitment to establish in Brazil within 12 months.	Compare
.cn	Directly, with a condition	Open to foreign applicants with real-name verification. Hosting in China needs an ICP filing.	Compare
.jp	Trustee or local entity	Needs a permanent postal address in Japan.	Compare
.sg	Directly, with a condition	Open to all, but a foreign applicant must appoint a local agent in Singapore as administrative contact.	Compare
.hu	Directly, with a condition	Open to applicants from any country that carry on an activity justifying the name.	Compare

The four that are open with a condition

.de is open worldwide. A holder outside Germany must name an authorised recipient in Germany, but only if DENIC asks, which happens in a dispute. .hu admits applicants from any country that carry on an activity justifying the name. .sg accepts foreign applicants that appoint a local agent in Singapore as administrative contact. .cn is open to foreign applicants who pass real-name verification, though hosting a site in mainland China needs a separate ICP filing.

In each case the company stays the holder of record. Where you pay for a service, it is for a contact point, not for someone to hold the domain, and that is the cheaper and safer product. The comparisons for .de and .sg separate the two.

A US trade mark does not help

Two registries on this list accept a trade mark in place of local presence, and both want their own. CIRA accepts a trade mark registered in Canada, and only for a .ca name containing the mark. auDA accepts an Australian trade mark, pending or registered, and only for the exact match. A US registration counts for neither. Of the European registries, only .hu mentions trade marks, and only ones protected in Hungary.

Note

A foreign branch can count

For .au, a foreign company registered with ASIC, which gives it an ARBN, meets the presence rule. If you are already registered in Australia or Canada for trading reasons, check the country page before buying a trustee.

Your options for the rest

A trustee, compared per extension, for example .eu, .fr, .no and .ca.
One entity in the EEA covers .eu, .fr and .it together, which is often cheaper than three trustees. See the .eu company page.
An EU-citizen founder can hold a .eu personally, which works but ties the domain to one person.

A Norwegian AS is harder from the United States, because its general manager and half its board must live in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland. A Norwegian branch of your US company, a NUF, has no such rule; see the .no company page.

Every restricted country-code domainThe full index, grouped by how the restriction works.Read this Trustee or a local company?How to decide, with a five-year view.Read this Restricted domains for Australian companiesThe same table from the other side of the Pacific.Read this All countriesThe same table for companies elsewhere.Read this

Common questions

Can a US company register a .eu domain?

No. A .eu holder must be established in the EU or EEA, be resident there, or be a citizen of an EU or EEA state. A US company needs an EEA entity or a trustee.

Can a US company register a .de domain?

Yes. DENIC accepts holders from any country. If DENIC asks, which happens in a dispute, you must name an authorised recipient in Germany within two weeks.

Does a US trademark let me register a .ca or .au domain?

No. CIRA only accepts a trade mark registered in Canada, and auDA only an Australian one, each for the matching name.

Sources

Last updated September 2026. Registry rules change. If you spot something out of date, email info@trusteeindex.com.

Restricted domains for US companies