The top-level domain (TLD) .LV is the internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Latvia. It is administered by the University of Latvia Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science’s Department of Network Solutions (DNS).
The .LV domain was introduced in 1993 and is reserved chiefly for entities connected with Latvia. In the internet’s domain name system (DNS), a top-level domain (TLD) is one of the domains at the highest level. .LV, as a ccTLD, represents a specific country or a dependent territory, in this case, Latvia.
Technically, the .LV domain operates in an unrestricted manner, meaning that anyone, not just Latvian residents or entities, can register a domain with this TLD. However, private persons usually get second-level domains in the .id.lv, .net.lv, .org.lv, .asn.lv, .conf.lv, and .edu.lv subdomains. The different subdomains represent different sectors of the Latvian community. For example, .edu.lv is mostly used by educational institutions, while .org.lv is used by nonprofits.
For legal entities, the Registry does not provide domain registration services itself. Domain names are to be registered using accredited Registrars or their Resellers. As of 1st of January 2019, Registry will serve only domain renewal requests directly from existing customers.
Generally, the .LV TLD employs DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) protocol, which provides an extra layer of trust on top of the DNS by validating the information a user receives when making a domain name query. This protocol ensures the authenticity and integrity of the DNS data.
From a technical perspective, a .LV domain can utilize both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. The use of IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names), domain names that include non-ASCII characters, is permitted. The .LV Registry follows the guidelines and recommendations of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and other international organizations such as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and the Internet Society (ISOC).
Sources:
1. NIC.lv – Latvian University Network Laboratory (“Sadaļa “Datoru departaments”.” Latvijas Universitāte. Archived from the original on 2006-02-10. Retrieved 2006-10-08)
2. IANA .lv WHOIS information.
3. ICANNwiki – .LV
4. DNSSEC Deployment Initiative
5. University of Latvia Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science Department of Network Solutions
