.az Domain Registration – Complete Guide (2026)

What is a .az domain and why choose it for Azerbaijan business?

The .az domain is the official country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and should be the first choice for anyone addressing a local audience. For companies operating in Baku and the regions, .az is both a trust signal and a strong SEO factor. Google gives preference to ccTLDs in local searches targeted at Azerbaijan.

According to industry data, more than 70% of users in Azerbaijan trust a .az site over an unfamiliar .com. As ONE Studio we have been helping brands entering the Azerbaijani market build their TLD strategy for more than 16 years, and we consistently observe conversion rates 20-30% higher on a .az domain compared with a generic .com equivalent in Baku traffic.

How do I register a .az domain?

Registering a .az domain takes five simple steps: availability check, document preparation, choosing an accredited registrar, selecting a term, and DNS configuration. The whole process typically takes 1-3 business days. The official .az registry is nic.az, which publishes the list of accredited registrars.

Step 1: Choose a name and check availability

The domain name should be short, easy to pronounce, and consistent with your brand. Once you have selected a name, verify availability through nic.az or your registrar's control panel. Our recommendation for Baku entrepreneurs is to register the frequently misspelled variants alongside the main .az name to prevent typosquatting attacks.

Step 2: Prepare documents

Unlike most international TLDs, .az registration requires identity verification. This policy prevents speculation and fake registrations.

• Legal entities: TIN (VÖEN), state registration extract, director's ID.
• Sole proprietors: TIN and ID card.
• Individuals: ID card only.
• Foreign companies: documents of the Azerbaijani representative office or partner.

Step 3: Choose a registrar

About 30 accredited .az registrars operate in Azerbaijan. Among them, Online.az (registrar #12) is one of the oldest partners of the official .az registry. The comparison table below covers the main options available in Baku.

Which .az registrar is cheapest?

In terms of price, all accredited registrars apply nearly the same tariff (30 AZN/year for a standard .az). The real difference lies in DNS panel quality, support response times, and included value-added services. Online.az offers stable support thanks to its long presence in the market, while business-oriented providers like ONE Studio bundle DNS tuning and mail configuration.

Registrar	Registry ID	.az price (year)	Payment / renewal	DNS panel
Online.az	#12	30 AZN	Card, account	Basic
Hosting registrar A	#8	35 AZN	Card, terminal	Extended
Hosting registrar B	#28	32 AZN	Card	Basic
ONE Studio (partner)	–	30-40 AZN	Invoice, card	Managed

.az vs .com.az vs .net.az – price and usage differences

Azerbaijan has three main second-level zones: .az (general), .com.az (commercial), .net.az (network/technology), plus the rarer .org.az, .edu.az and .gov.az. For most businesses the plain .az extension delivers the highest value because it is short, memorable and comes first in the hierarchy.

Extension	Best for	Price (year)	Documents required	SEO weight
.az	Any business or brand	30 AZN	TIN + ID	Highest
.com.az	Commercial when .az is taken	25-30 AZN	TIN + ID	High
.net.az	Technology, internet	25-30 AZN	TIN + ID	Medium
.org.az	NGO, non-profit	25-30 AZN	Charter	Medium
.edu.az	Educational institutions only	Special	Ministry approval	High (niche)

For most of our clients in Baku and Ganja, the ONE Studio playbook is: register the main .az, also grab the .com and .com.az defensively, and 301-redirect them to the primary domain.

How do I set up DNS?

After registration you must configure DNS records to bring your domain online. ONE Studio handles this automatically as part of our web hosting service, but if you manage it yourself, the table below summarises the essentials.

Step	Record type	Example value	Purpose
1	A	@ → 204.168.197.60	Point root domain to hosting IP
2	CNAME	www → example.az	Alias www to root
3	MX	mail.example.az (priority 10)	Email reception
4	TXT (SPF)	v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all	Email spoofing protection
5	TXT (DKIM)	selector._domainkey → ...	Email signing
6	TXT (DMARC)	v=DMARC1; p=quarantine;	Email policy
7	NS	ns1.registrar.az / ns2.registrar.az	Zone delegation

DNS changes propagate inside Azerbaijan in 30 minutes to 4 hours and globally within 24-48 hours. Use dig example.az or nslookup to verify propagation.

What is the SEO impact of a .az domain?

The .az extension is treated by Google's local search algorithm as an implicit geographic signal for Azerbaijan. That means, all else equal, a .az site outranks a generic .com for searches originating in Azerbaijan. Under ICANN rules ccTLDs carry automatic country geo-targeting that generic TLDs do not.

If you plan international expansion, the ONE Studio recommendation is to keep .az as the primary site and use .com as a redirect or alternate-language hub. For international standards you can review the ICANN guidelines.

What happens when the domain expires?

.az domains are registered for terms between 1 and 10 years. After expiration a 30-45 day grace period allows normal-price renewal. Then a 30-day redemption phase begins with recovery fees 5-10 times higher. Finally, the domain returns to full public availability and anyone can register it.

Many of our clients in Baku forget to renew because of daily workload, then spend thousands of manats trying to recover domains taken by competitors. ONE Studio manages all client domains under auto-renewal and sends reminders 60, 30, and 7 days before expiry.

Long-term registration: 1 year vs 5 years vs 10 years

When planning your registration term, weigh two factors: cost efficiency and SEO signal. A longer term tells Google that the brand is serious and hedges against price hikes driven by inflation. The table below compares three scenarios for a standard .az domain purchased in Baku.

Term	Total cost (approx.)	Average annual cost	SEO signal	Non-renewal risk
1 year	30 AZN	30 AZN	Weak	High
3 years	85 AZN	28 AZN	Good	Medium
5 years	140 AZN	28 AZN	Very good	Low
10 years	270 AZN	27 AZN	Highest	Minimal

Based on 16 years of ONE Studio experience in Baku, a five-year registration is the optimal balance. For a start-up phase business three years is enough, but once a brand has established itself, moving to a ten-year term is a smart investment.

Which hosting should I pair with a .az domain?

After registering the domain it is equally important to choose the right hosting. For an Azerbaijani audience the ideal scenario is either local data-centre hosting or a European server close to Baku (Istanbul, Frankfurt, Amsterdam). Local hosting delivers both speed and regulatory compliance advantages. When you order a bundle with ONE Studio's web hosting service, domain registration is free and DNS setup is automated.

How do I transfer a .az domain?

If your domain is already registered with another registrar and you want to move it to ONE Studio or any other accredited registrar, the transfer process takes 5-7 business days. From our Baku experience, the most common bottleneck is delay in obtaining the Auth Code (EPP key) from the losing registrar. For that reason we recommend starting a transfer at least 30 days before expiry.

The steps are: request the Auth Code from your current registrar, place a transfer order at the new registrar, click the confirmation link sent to your WHOIS email, pay the invoice, and wait five days. During the transfer the domain keeps working – if DNS records are configured correctly, your website and email will run without interruption.

What security measures should I take for a .az domain?

A domain is the most valuable digital asset of your brand and must be protected against theft and hijacking. ONE Studio applies three layers of protection to every .az domain we manage: Registrar Lock, DNSSEC, and 2FA-enabled account support.

• Registrar Lock: prevents unauthorised transfers. Must be unlocked manually when a legitimate transfer occurs.
• DNSSEC: cryptographically signs DNS responses and prevents cache-poisoning attacks.
• WHOIS Privacy: the .az registry in Azerbaijan applies certain limits on private registration, but contact email is masked.
• 2FA: always enable two-factor authentication on your registrar account.
• Email security: if the email listed in WHOIS is hacked, your domain can be stolen too.

Most common mistakes and how to avoid them

Based on 16 years of experience in the Azerbaijani market, these are the most frequent .az registration mistakes we see. Each of them can end up costing thousands of manats down the line, so pay attention.

1. Only 1-year registration: short-term registration sends an amateur signal to SEO algorithms. Minimum three years.
2. Personal name registration: never register a company domain under the director's personal name – if they leave, you may lose it. Always use the legal entity.
3. Keeping DNS at the registrar: if the registrar suspends DNS service, your site goes down. Move to Cloudflare or an independent DNS provider.
4. Corporate email as WHOIS contact: if the WHOIS email is info@example.az and the domain lapses, email breaks too. Use a personal Gmail as backup.
5. No SPF/DKIM/DMARC: most of your outgoing emails will land in spam folders.
6. No auto-renewal: 30 days of inattention can destroy your brand.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Can a foreign citizen register a .az domain? Foreign companies need an Azerbaijani representative office or local partner. Individual foreign nationals face some restrictions.

How fast is .az registration? Once documents are complete, 1-3 business days. Registrations handled by ONE Studio typically complete the same day.

Can I register the same .az name twice? No, each name is unique. However you can register the same name under different TLDs (.com, .net).

Are registration fees refundable? Usually not. The .az registry treats the registration fee as non-refundable.

Can I change registrars later? Yes, transfer is possible after the first 60 days.

.az domain registration with ONE Studio

ONE Studio has been operating in the Azerbaijani market for 16+ years and manages hundreds of .az domains for clients across Azerbaijan and abroad. We do not just register – we deliver the complete package: TLD strategy, accredited registrar liaison, DNS setup, corporate email configuration, SSL certificate, auto-renewal, and 24/7 technical support. Our Baku-based team understands local paperwork and TIN procedures perfectly.

Whether you need to register a new domain, transfer an existing one, or recover a lapsed domain, contact us. We check availability within one business day, prepare the paperwork together with you, and take the entire technical process off your shoulders.