This extension works well for tour operators, restaurants, shops, and event organizers based in or focused on Istanbul. It also suits members of the Turkish diaspora who want a web address that reflects their roots, and cultural or community groups promoting the city abroad. If your audience already associates your brand with Istanbul, a .ist domain reinforces that connection the moment someone sees your URL.

Pricing typically starts at a promotional first-year rate, with a standard renewal rate applying each year after that. Because rates can change and vary by term length, the most accurate way to see current pricing is to search for the name you want and check the .ist domain price shown before you complete registration. There are no hidden setup fees added on top of the listed registration price.

Search engines treat .ist the same way they treat most extensions. It's the content, structure, and relevance of your site that determine rankings, not the extension itself. That said, this extension can help with click-through rates and local relevance when your audience is searching for Istanbul-specific businesses or information, since the address matches their intent right away.

No. This extension is open to individuals, businesses, and organizations worldwide, with no residency or local address requirement. Names can run from 3 to 63 characters and may include letters, numbers, and hyphens, though a hyphen can't appear at the very start, end, or in the third and fourth positions. There's no need for a Turkish trademark or business license to register one.

You can't directly convert an existing domain's extension, since .com and .ist are separate registrations. Instead, you'd register a new name under .ist and point it to your current site, or move your whole site over to the new address. If you're transferring a domain you already own from another registrar, our team can walk you through moving it into your HostPapa account without losing your existing setup.

Yes. Once your registration is complete, you can point your existing website to it or launch a fresh site under the new address. If you're moving an entire website, not just the domain, our migration team can handle the move for you, including files, databases, and settings, so your site stays live while everything gets set up under your new address.

Like most domain extensions, registration runs for a set term, typically one year, and needs to be renewed to keep the domain active. If it isn't renewed in time, the .ist extension enters a 40-day grace period. We'll send renewal reminders ahead of your expiration date so you don't lose the address you've built your site around.

Yes. This extension works the same as any other domain once it's registered. You can connect it to HostPapa's Web Hosting to build your site, or set up a matching Business Email address so your inbox reflects your Istanbul-focused brand. Everything is managed from the same account, so there's no separate setup process required to bring your domain, hosting, and email together.