Among them were .INFO and .MOBI, two established generic top-level domains already available internationally.
The approval was significant because it expanded the domain extensions that could be supported through authorized registration services in mainland China.
Updated guidance — October 2026: The historical approval remains relevant, but it does not mean that every .INFO or .MOBI registration automatically qualifies for an ICP filing in mainland China. The domain extension, registrar, registrant information, and hosting arrangements must all meet the applicable requirements.
Considering a .INFO or .MOBI domain for your next website? Explore available .INFO domains or check .MOBI availability at NiceNIC. If you plan to host the website in mainland China, verify its ICP filing eligibility before purchasing hosting or relying on a particular registrar.
Here’s what the original approval meant and how to check the requirements today.
What Did China Approve in 2017?
On April 6, 2017, Afilias announced that MIIT had approved five of its top-level domains for sale in China:
- .INFO — Commonly used for information and reference websites
- .MOBI — Originally associated with mobile-focused websites and services
- .PRO — Associated with professional identities and services
- .RED — A generic extension with branding applications
- .KIM — A generic extension with personal and brand-naming applications
Before receiving the relevant approvals, these extensions could already be registered internationally, but their use through China’s regulated domestic domain registration and hosting environment faced additional limitations.
The 2017 decision helped expand the options available through authorized Chinese domain registration channels.
However, the announcement concerned registry-level approval at that time.
It was not an automatic ICP filing approval for every website using those extensions, nor did it grant every international registrar permission to provide regulated domain registration services in mainland China.
The original announcement is preserved in Afilias' April 2017 press release.
What Does MIIT Approval Mean for .INFO and .MOBI Today?
To understand whether a domain can be used for a mainland China-hosted website, you need to distinguish three different requirements.
1. The Domain Extension Must Be Recognized
China maintains an officially published internet domain system that identifies approved top-level domains.
.INFO and .MOBI appear in MIIT’s published domain system records.
You can check the current information through the MIIT China Internet Domain System.
However, approval records can change. For a new project, always verify the relevant extension against the current government information rather than relying only on an article published in 2017.
2. The Registrar Must Meet Applicable Chinese Licensing Requirements
This is where many international domain owners encounter confusion.
A domain extension may be approved in China while the company managing an individual registration does not have the required mainland Chinese registration-service authorization.
China separately licenses domain registry operators and domain registration service providers.
A TLD being approved does not automatically make every registrar selling that TLD eligible for mainland ICP filing purposes.
MIIT maintains a public directory of approved domain registration service providers.
Before proceeding, check the actual registrar of record and confirm that its authorization covers the relevant TLD.
This distinction also applies to ICANN accreditation.
An ICANN-accredited registrar can provide eligible global gTLD registration services, but ICANN accreditation alone does not establish that the registrar holds the separate authorization required for domestic registration services in mainland China.
3. The Website Must Meet ICP Filing Requirements
ICP filing is a separate process from registering a domain name.
For websites hosted in mainland China, the applicable filing or licensing process generally involves the website operator, domain registration information, hosting provider, and intended internet services.
Depending on the business activity, an ICP filing may not be the only required authorization.
The registered domain holder’s information must also satisfy applicable identity-verification and filing rules.
In other words, MIIT approval of .INFO or .MOBI is only one part of determining whether a website can be hosted compliantly in mainland China.
How to Check Whether Your .INFO or .MOBI Domain Can Be Used for ICP Filing
If you’re planning a website hosted on mainland Chinese infrastructure, complete these checks before launching.
Step 1: Confirm Where Your Website Will Be Hosted
First, determine whether your website will use hosting infrastructure located in mainland China.
A mainland China-hosted website generally requires the relevant ICP filing or authorization before it can provide services.
If your website is hosted outside mainland China, such as in Hong Kong, the mainland ICP filing requirements generally do not apply solely because people in mainland China can visit it.
However, hosting outside mainland China does not automatically exempt the website from other applicable Chinese laws, content requirements, or service-specific obligations.
Clarify the hosting location and intended services first.
Step 2: Check the Domain Extension in MIIT's Published System
Visit the official MIIT domain information platform.
Locate the Chinese internet domain system information and confirm that the extension you’re considering is included.
For this article, the relevant extensions are .INFO and .MOBI.
Do not rely exclusively on older approved-TLD lists found in advertisements, registrar blogs, or archived news.
Step 3: Verify the Current Registrar
Identify the registrar responsible for your domain registration.
You can check the registration information through an appropriate RDAP or registrar lookup service.
Then consult MIIT’s approved domain registration service provider directory and confirm the registrar’s authorization and relevant business scope.
If the registrar is not accepted for your intended ICP filing, you may need to arrange an eligible registration or registrar transfer before proceeding.
Check the applicable transfer restrictions and confirm the requirements with your mainland hosting provider before making changes.
This step is especially important for domains registered through overseas registrar channels.
Step 4: Check Registrant Information
China’s domain and ICP filing rules include requirements for accurate and verifiable registration information.
The information associated with the domain must also meet the applicable relationship and consistency requirements for the filing applicant.
For example, a business applying for ICP filing should not assume it can submit a domain registered under an unrelated person’s name without additional verification or correction.
If registration details have recently changed, allow for the necessary verification and data synchronization before submitting a filing.
Step 5: Complete the Filing Through the Appropriate Channel
Once the domain and registrar requirements have been checked, follow the procedure provided by your mainland hosting or internet access service provider.
The provider will normally explain the applicable identity documentation, website information, and verification steps.
The government filing status can be checked through the MIIT ICP/IP Address/Domain Information Filing System.
A domain being available for registration or appearing in MIIT’s approved TLD system does not guarantee that an individual filing will be accepted.
What if You Already Own a .INFO or .MOBI Domain?
You may not need to register another domain.
If you’re using .INFO or .MOBI for a website hosted outside mainland China, you can generally continue using the existing registration under its applicable registry and registrar rules.
If you now want to move the website onto mainland Chinese hosting infrastructure, review its eligibility before changing hosting providers.
For example, a company might already operate an international information website under yourbrand.info.
Before moving that website to a mainland China server, the company should confirm:
- Whether the current registrar satisfies the applicable filing requirements
- Whether its domain holder information can be verified
- Whether its chosen hosting provider can support the intended ICP filing
- Whether any additional authorization is needed for the planned website activities
The fact that .INFO received approval in 2017 does not remove these checks.
Should You Choose .INFO or .MOBI for a China-Facing Website?
Both extensions can operate as conventional DNS domains, but they communicate different things.
.INFO may suit a knowledge base, reference website, documentation portal, educational project, or other information-focused service.
.MOBI may suit a mobile product, application landing page, or mobile-oriented brand.
However, a .MOBI domain does not automatically make a website mobile-friendly. Responsive design, mobile usability, and website performance still depend on the actual website.
Likewise, neither .INFO nor .MOBI receives an automatic Google ranking advantage simply because it has an established history or past MIIT approval.
For a mainland China-hosted website, regulatory eligibility should be checked separately from domain branding.
For an internationally hosted project, the choice is more likely to depend on the name, audience, long-term registration cost, and business requirements.
NiceNIC provides conventional global registration services for both extensions. You can compare current domain registration and renewal prices before making a decision.
But if mainland ICP filing is essential, confirm the registrar and hosting requirements independently before relying on a NiceNIC registration for that purpose.
What the 2017 Approval Still Means
The 2017 approval of .INFO and .MOBI was an important step in expanding China’s regulated domain-name market.
It helped make additional international domain extensions available through approved domestic registration arrangements.
Almost a decade later, the most important distinction for domain owners is clearer than ever:
Domain extension approval, registrar authorization, and ICP filing are three different requirements.
A domain can be globally valid and available to register without automatically qualifying for every domestic hosting or filing scenario.
Before launching a mainland China-hosted website, verify the current MIIT records, the registrar’s applicable authorization, the registrant information, and the hosting provider’s filing process.
If you're registering a .INFO or .MOBI domain for a website that does not require mainland China hosting, you can explore the available names and current pricing through NiceNIC's .INFO registration service or .MOBI registration service.
Choose the domain for your project—but confirm the regulatory requirements before deciding where and how to operate the website.
