ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
Two-letter country codes defined in ISO 3166-1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Two-letter country codes defined in ISO 3166-1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are two-letter country codes defined in ISO 3166-1, part of the ISO 3166 standard[1] published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to represent countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. They are the most widely used of the country codes published by ISO (the others being alpha-3 and numeric), and are used most prominently for the Internet's country code top-level domains (with a few exceptions). They are also used as country identifiers extending the postal code when appropriate within the international postal system for paper mail, and have replaced the previous one consisting one-letter codes. They were first included as part of the ISO 3166 standard in its first edition in 1974.
The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are used in different environments and are also part of other standards. In some cases they are not perfectly implemented.
The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are used in the following standards:
| Short name | Long name | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 3166-2 | Country subdivision code[1] | |
| ISO 3901 | International Standard Recording Code (ISRC)[2] | |
| ISO 4217 | Currency code[3] | |
| ISO 6166 | International Securities Identifying Number (ISIN)[4] | |
| ISO 9362 | Bank Identifier Codes (BIC) | Also known as SWIFT codes[5] |
| ISO 13616 | International Bank Account Number (IBAN)[6] | |
| ISO 15511 | International Standard Identifier for Libraries and Related Organizations (ISIL) | |
| UN/LOCODE | United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations | Implemented by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe[7] |
Starting in 1985, ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes have been used in the Domain Name System as country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority currently assigns the ccTLDs mostly following the alpha-2 codes, but with a few exceptions.[8] For example, the United Kingdom, whose alpha-2 code is GB, uses .uk instead of .gb as its ccTLD, as UK is currently exceptionally reserved in ISO 3166-1 on the request of the United Kingdom.
The WIPO coding standard ST.3 is based on ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes, but includes a number of additional codes for international intellectual property organizations, which are currently reserved and not used at the present stage in ISO 3166-1.[9]
The European Commission generally uses ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes with two exceptions: EL (not GR) is used to represent Greece, and UK (not GB) is used to represent the United Kingdom.[10][11] This notwithstanding, the Official Journal of the European Communities specified that GR and GB be used to represent Greece and United Kingdom respectively.[12] For VAT administration purposes, the European Commission uses EL and GB for Greece and the United Kingdom respectively.
The United Nations uses a combination of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and alpha-3 codes, along with codes that pre-date the creation of ISO 3166, for international vehicle registration codes, which are codes used to identify the issuing country of a vehicle registration plate; some of these codes are currently indeterminately reserved in ISO 3166-1.[13]
IETF language tags (conforming to the BCP 47 standard track and maintained in an IANA registry) are also partially derived from ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes (for the region subtags). The full list of ISO 3166-1 codes assigned to countries and territories are usable as region subtags. Also, the "exceptionally reserved" alpha-2 codes defined in ISO 3166-1 (with the exception of UK) are also usable as region subtags for language tags. However, newer stability policies (agreed with ISO) have been implemented to avoid deleting subtags that have been withdrawn in ISO 3166-1; instead they are kept and aliased to the new preferred subtags, or kept as subtags grouping several countries. Some other region grouping subtags are derived from other standards. Under the newer stability policies, old assigned codes that have been withdrawn from ISO 3166-1 should no longer be reassigned to another country or territory (as has occurred in the past for "CS").
The following is a colour-coded decoding table of all ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes.
| AA | AB | AC | AD | AE | AF | AG | AH | AI | AJ | AK | AL | AM | AN | AO | AP | AQ | AR | AS | AT | AU | AV | AW | AX | AY | AZ |
| BA | BB | BC | BD | BE | BF | BG | BH | BI | BJ | BK | BL | BM | BN | BO | BP | BQ | BR | BS | BT | BU | BV | BW | BX | BY | BZ |
| CA | CB | CC | CD | CE | CF | CG | CH | CI | CJ | CK | CL | CM | CN | CO | CP | CQ | CR | CS | CT | CU | CV | CW | CX | CY | CZ |
| DA | DB | DC | DD | DE | DF | DG | DH | DI | DJ | DK | DL | DM | DN | DO | DP | DQ | DR | DS | DT | DU | DV | DW | DX | DY | DZ |
| EA | EB | EC | ED | EE | EF | EG | EH | EI | EJ | EK | EL | EM | EN | EO | EP | EQ | ER | ES | ET | EU | EV | EW | EX | EY | EZ |
| FA | FB | FC | FD | FE | FF | FG | FH | FI | FJ | FK | FL | FM | FN | FO | FP | FQ | FR | FS | FT | FU | FV | FW | FX | FY | FZ |
| GA | GB | GC | GD | GE | GF | GG | GH | GI | GJ | GK | GL | GM | GN | GO | GP | GQ | GR | GS | GT | GU | GV | GW | GX | GY | GZ |
| HA | HB | HC | HD | HE | HF | HG | HH | HI | HJ | HK | HL | HM | HN | HO | HP | HQ | HR | HS | HT | HU | HV | HW | HX | HY | HZ |
| IA | IB | IC | ID | IE | IF | IG | IH | II | IJ | IK | IL | IM | IN | IO | IP | IQ | IR | IS | IT | IU | IV | IW | IX | IY | IZ |
| JA | JB | JC | JD | JE | JF | JG | JH | JI | JJ | JK | JL | JM | JN | JO | JP | JQ | JR | JS | JT | JU | JV | JW | JX | JY | JZ |
| KA | KB | KC | KD | KE | KF | KG | KH | KI | KJ | KK | KL | KM | KN | KO | KP | KQ | KR | KS | KT | KU | KV | KW | KX | KY | KZ |
| LA | LB | LC | LD | LE | LF | LG | LH | LI | LJ | LK | LL | LM | LN | LO | LP | LQ | LR | LS | LT | LU | LV | LW | LX | LY | LZ |
| MA | MB | MC | MD | ME | MF | MG | MH | MI | MJ | MK | ML | MM | MN | MO | MP | MQ | MR | MS | MT | MU | MV | MW | MX | MY | MZ |
| NA | NB | NC | ND | NE | NF | NG | NH | NI | NJ | NK | NL | NM | NN | NO | NP | NQ | NR | NS | NT | NU | NV | NW | NX | NY | NZ |
| OA | OB | OC | OD | OE | OF | OG | OH | OI | OJ | OK | OL | OM | ON | OO | OP | OQ | OR | OS | OT | OU | OV | OW | OX | OY | OZ |
| PA | PB | PC | PD | PE | PF | PG | PH | PI | PJ | PK | PL | PM | PN | PO | PP | PQ | PR | PS | PT | PU | PV | PW | PX | PY | PZ |
| QA | QB | QC | QD | QE | QF | QG | QH | QI | QJ | QK | QL | QM | QN | QO | QP | QR | QS | QT | QU | QV | QW | QX | QY | QZ | |
| RA | RB | RC | RD | RE | RF | RG | RH | RI | RJ | RK | RL | RM | RN | RO | RP | RQ | RR | RS | RT | RU | RV | RW | RX | RY | RZ |
| SA | SB | SC | SD | SE | SF | SG | SH | SI | SJ | SK | SL | SM | SN | SO | SP | SQ | SR | SS | ST | SU | SV | SW | SX | SY | SZ |
| TA | TB | TC | TD | TE | TF | TG | TH | TI | TJ | TK | TL | TM | TN | TO | TP | TQ | TR | TS | TT | TU | TV | TW | TX | TY | TZ |
| UA | UB | UC | UD | UE | UF | UG | UH | UI | UJ | UK | UL | UM | UN | UO | UP | UQ | UR | US | UT | UU | UV | UW | UX | UY | UZ |
| VA | VB | VC | VD | VE | VF | VG | VH | VI | VJ | VK | VL | VM | VN | VO | VP | VQ | VR | VS | VT | VU | VV | VW | VX | VY | VZ |
| WA | WB | WC | WD | WE | WF | WG | WH | WI | WJ | WK | WL | WM | WN | WO | WP | WQ | WR | WS | WT | WU | WV | WW | WX | WY | WZ |
| XA | XB | XC | XD | XE | XF | XG | XH | XI | XJ | XK | XL | XM | XN | XO | XP | XQ | XR | XS | XT | XU | XV | XW | XX | XY | XZ |
| YA | YB | YC | YD | YE | YF | YG | YH | YI | YJ | YK | YL | YM | YN | YO | YP | YQ | YR | YS | YT | YU | YV | YW | YX | YY | YZ |
| ZA | ZB | ZC | ZD | ZE | ZF | ZG | ZH | ZI | ZJ | ZK | ZL | ZM | ZN | ZO | ZP | ZQ | ZR | ZS | ZT | ZU | ZV | ZW | ZX | ZY | ZZ |
| 242 | Officially assigned: assigned to a country, territory, or area of geographical interest |
| 7 | Officially assigned: formerly either assigned to a different entity or reserved indeterminately, then deleted and later reassigned as above |
| 43 | User-assigned: free for assignment at the disposal of users |
| 13 | Exceptionally reserved: reserved on request for restricted use |
| 30 | Indeterminately reserved: used in coding systems associated with ISO 3166-1 |
| 7 | Transitionally reserved: deleted from ISO 3166-1 but reserved transitionally |
| 14 | Deleted: deleted and free for reassignment |
| 320 | Unassigned: free for assignment by the ISO 3166/MA only |
| 676 | Overall total |
The following is a complete list of the 249 current officially assigned ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes, with the following columns:[1]
| Code | Country name (using title case) | Year | ccTLD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD | Andorra | 1974 | .ad | |
| AE | United Arab Emirates | 1974 | .ae | |
| AF | Afghanistan | 1974 | .af | |
| AG | Antigua and Barbuda | 1974 | .ag | |
| AI | Anguilla | 1985 | .ai | AI previously represented French Afars and Issas |
| AL | Albania | 1974 | .al | |
| AM | Armenia | 1992 | .am | |
| AO | Angola | 1974 | .ao | |
| AQ | Antarctica | 1974 | .aq | Covers the territories south of 60° south latitude Code taken from name in French: Antarctique |
| AR | Argentina | 1974 | .ar | |
| AS | American Samoa | 1974 | .as | |
| AT | Austria | 1974 | .at | |
| AU | Australia | 1974 | .au | Includes the Ashmore and Cartier Islands and the Coral Sea Islands |
| AW | Aruba | 1986 | .aw | |
| AX | Åland Islands | 2004 | .ax | An autonomous county of Finland |
| AZ | Azerbaijan | 1992 | .az | |
| BA | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1992 | .ba | |
| BB | Barbados | 1974 | .bb | |
| BD | Bangladesh | 1974 | .bd | |
| BE | Belgium | 1974 | .be | |
| BF | Burkina Faso | 1984 | .bf | Name changed from Upper Volta (HV) |
| BG | Bulgaria | 1974 | .bg | |
| BH | Bahrain | 1974 | .bh | |
| BI | Burundi | 1974 | .bi | |
| BJ | Benin | 1977 | .bj | Name changed from Dahomey (DY) |
| BL | Saint Barthélemy | 2007 | .bl | |
| BM | Bermuda | 1974 | .bm | |
| BN | Brunei Darussalam | 1974 | .bn | Previous ISO country name: Brunei |
| BO | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 1974 | .bo | Previous ISO country name: Bolivia |
| BQ | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | 2010 | .bq | Consists of three Caribbean "special municipalities", which are part of the Netherlands proper: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (the BES Islands) Previous ISO country name: Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba BQ previously represented British Antarctic Territory |
| BR | Brazil | 1974 | .br | |
| BS | Bahamas | 1974 | .bs | |
| BT | Bhutan | 1974 | .bt | |
| BV | Bouvet Island | 1974 | .bv | Dependency of Norway |
| BW | Botswana | 1974 | .bw | |
| BY | Belarus | 1974 | .by | Code taken from previous ISO country name: Byelorussian SSR (now assigned ISO 3166-3 code BYAA) Code assigned as the country was already a UN member since 1945[14] |
| BZ | Belize | 1974 | .bz | |
| CA | Canada | 1974 | .ca | |
| CC | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 1974 | .cc | External territory of Australia |
| CD | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 1997 | .cd | Name changed from Zaire (ZR) |
| CF | Central African Republic | 1974 | .cf | |
| CG | Congo | 1974 | .cg | |
| CH | Switzerland | 1974 | .ch | Code taken from name in Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica |
| CI | Côte d'Ivoire | 1974 | .ci | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name and previous ISO country name: Ivory Coast) |
| CK | Cook Islands | 1974 | .ck | |
| CL | Chile | 1974 | .cl | |
| CM | Cameroon | 1974 | .cm | Previous ISO country name: Cameroon, United Republic of |
| CN | China | 1974 | .cn | |
| CO | Colombia | 1974 | .co | |
| CR | Costa Rica | 1974 | .cr | |
| CU | Cuba | 1974 | .cu | |
| CV | Cabo Verde | 1974 | .cv | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name and previous ISO country name: Cape Verde, another previous ISO country name: Cape Verde Islands) |
| CW | Curaçao | 2010 | .cw | |
| CX | Christmas Island | 1974 | .cx | External territory of Australia |
| CY | Cyprus | 1974 | .cy | |
| CZ | Czechia | 1993 | .cz | Previous ISO country name: Czech Republic |
| DE | Germany | 1974 | .de | Code taken from name in German: Deutschland Code used for West Germany before 1990 (previous ISO country name: Germany, Federal Republic of) |
| DJ | Djibouti | 1977 | .dj | Name changed from French Afars and Issas (AI) |
| DK | Denmark | 1974 | .dk | |
| DM | Dominica | 1974 | .dm | |
| DO | Dominican Republic | 1974 | .do | |
| DZ | Algeria | 1974 | .dz | Code taken from name in Arabic الجزائر al-Djazā'ir, Algerian Arabic الدزاير al-Dzāyīr, or Berber ⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔ Dzayer |
| EC | Ecuador | 1974 | .ec | |
| EE | Estonia | 1992 | .ee | Code taken from name in Estonian: Eesti |
| EG | Egypt | 1974 | .eg | |
| EH | Western Sahara | 1974 | .eh | Previous ISO country name: Spanish Sahara (code taken from name in Spanish: Sahara español) |
| ER | Eritrea | 1993 | .er | |
| ES | Spain | 1974 | .es | Code taken from name in Spanish: España |
| ET | Ethiopia | 1974 | .et | |
| FI | Finland | 1974 | .fi | |
| FJ | Fiji | 1974 | .fj | |
| FK | Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | 1974 | .fk | ISO country name follows UN designation due to the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute (local common name: Falkland Islands)[15] |
| FM | Micronesia, Federated States of | 1986 | .fm | Previous ISO country name: Micronesia |
| FO | Faroe Islands | 1974 | .fo | Code taken from name in Faroese: Føroyar |
| FR | France | 1974 | .fr | Includes Clipperton Island |
| GA | Gabon | 1974 | .ga | |
| GB | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1974 | .gb (.uk) | Includes Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Sovereign Base Areas) Code taken from Great Britain (from official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)[16] Previous ISO country name: United Kingdom .uk is the primary ccTLD of the United Kingdom instead of .gb[17] (see code UK, which is exceptionally reserved) |
| GD | Grenada | 1974 | .gd | |
| GE | Georgia | 1992 | .ge | GE previously represented Gilbert and Ellice Islands |
| GF | French Guiana | 1974 | .gf | Code taken from name in French: Guyane française |
| GG | Guernsey | 2006 | .gg | A British Crown Dependency |
| GH | Ghana | 1974 | .gh | |
| GI | Gibraltar | 1974 | .gi | |
| GL | Greenland | 1974 | .gl | |
| GM | Gambia | 1974 | .gm | |
| GN | Guinea | 1974 | .gn | |
| GP | Guadeloupe | 1974 | .gp | |
| GQ | Equatorial Guinea | 1974 | .gq | Code taken from name in French: Guinée équatoriale |
| GR | Greece | 1974 | .gr | |
| GS | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 1993 | .gs | |
| GT | Guatemala | 1974 | .gt | |
| GU | Guam | 1974 | .gu | |
| GW | Guinea-Bissau | 1974 | .gw | |
| GY | Guyana | 1974 | .gy | |
| HK | Hong Kong | 1974 | .hk | Hong Kong is officially a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 1 July 1997 |
| HM | Heard Island and McDonald Islands | 1974 | .hm | External territory of Australia |
| HN | Honduras | 1974 | .hn | |
| HR | Croatia | 1992 | .hr | Code taken from name in Croatian: Hrvatska |
| HT | Haiti | 1974 | .ht | |
| HU | Hungary | 1974 | .hu | |
| ID | Indonesia | 1974 | .id | |
| IE | Ireland | 1974 | .ie | |
| IL | Israel | 1974 | .il | |
| IM | Isle of Man | 2006 | .im | A British Crown Dependency |
| IN | India | 1974 | .in | |
| IO | British Indian Ocean Territory | 1974 | .io | |
| IQ | Iraq | 1974 | .iq | |
| IR | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1974 | .ir | Previous ISO country name: Iran |
| IS | Iceland | 1974 | .is | Code taken from name in Icelandic: Ísland |
| IT | Italy | 1974 | .it | |
| JE | Jersey | 2006 | .je | A British Crown Dependency |
| JM | Jamaica | 1974 | .jm | |
| JO | Jordan | 1974 | .jo | |
| JP | Japan | 1974 | .jp | |
| KE | Kenya | 1974 | .ke | |
| KG | Kyrgyzstan | 1992 | .kg | |
| KH | Cambodia | 1974 | .kh | Code taken from former name: Khmer Republic Previous ISO country name: Kampuchea, Democratic |
| KI | Kiribati | 1979 | .ki | Name changed from Gilbert Islands (GE) |
| KM | Comoros | 1974 | .km | Code taken from name in Comorian: Komori Previous ISO country name: Comoro Islands |
| KN | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1974 | .kn | Previous ISO country name: Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla |
| KP | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | 1974 | .kp | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name: North Korea) |
| KR | Korea, Republic of | 1974 | .kr | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name: South Korea) |
| KW | Kuwait | 1974 | .kw | |
| KY | Cayman Islands | 1974 | .ky | |
| KZ | Kazakhstan | 1992 | .kz | Previous ISO country name: Kazakstan |
| LA | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 1974 | .la | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name and previous ISO country name: Laos) |
| LB | Lebanon | 1974 | .lb | |
| LC | Saint Lucia | 1974 | .lc | |
| LI | Liechtenstein | 1974 | .li | |
| LK | Sri Lanka | 1974 | .lk | |
| LR | Liberia | 1974 | .lr | |
| LS | Lesotho | 1974 | .ls | |
| LT | Lithuania | 1992 | .lt | LT formerly reserved indeterminately for Libya Tripoli |
| LU | Luxembourg | 1974 | .lu | |
| LV | Latvia | 1992 | .lv | |
| LY | Libya | 1974 | .ly | Previous ISO country name: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya |
| MA | Morocco | 1974 | .ma | Code taken from name in French: Maroc |
| MC | Monaco | 1974 | .mc | |
| MD | Moldova, Republic of | 1992 | .md | Previous ISO country name: Moldova (briefly from 2008 to 2009) |
| ME | Montenegro | 2006 | .me | ME formerly reserved indeterminately for Western Sahara |
| MF | Saint Martin (French part) | 2007 | .mf | The Dutch part of Saint Martin island is assigned code SX |
| MG | Madagascar | 1974 | .mg | |
| MH | Marshall Islands | 1986 | .mh | |
| MK | North Macedonia | 1993 | .mk | Code taken from name in Macedonian: Severna Makedonija Previous ISO country name: Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of (designated as such due to Macedonia naming dispute) |
| ML | Mali | 1974 | .ml | |
| MM | Myanmar | 1989 | .mm | Name changed from Burma (BU) |
| MN | Mongolia | 1974 | .mn | |
| MO | Macao | 1974 | .mo | Previous ISO country name: Macau; Macao is officially a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 20 December 1999 |
| MP | Northern Mariana Islands | 1986 | .mp | |
| MQ | Martinique | 1974 | .mq | |
| MR | Mauritania | 1974 | .mr | |
| MS | Montserrat | 1974 | .ms | |
| MT | Malta | 1974 | .mt | |
| MU | Mauritius | 1974 | .mu | |
| MV | Maldives | 1974 | .mv | |
| MW | Malawi | 1974 | .mw | |
| MX | Mexico | 1974 | .mx | |
| MY | Malaysia | 1974 | .my | |
| MZ | Mozambique | 1974 | .mz | |
| NA | Namibia | 1974 | .na | |
| NC | New Caledonia | 1974 | .nc | |
| NE | Niger | 1974 | .ne | |
| NF | Norfolk Island | 1974 | .nf | External territory of Australia |
| NG | Nigeria | 1974 | .ng | |
| NI | Nicaragua | 1974 | .ni | |
| NL | Netherlands, Kingdom of the | 1974 | .nl | Officially includes the islands Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba, which also have code BQ in ISO 3166-1. Within ISO 3166-2, Aruba (AW), Curaçao (CW), and Sint Maarten (SX) are also coded as subdivisions of NL.[18] Previous ISO country name: Netherlands |
| NO | Norway | 1974 | .no | |
| NP | Nepal | 1974 | .np | |
| NR | Nauru | 1974 | .nr | |
| NU | Niue | 1974 | .nu | Previous ISO country name: Niue Island |
| NZ | New Zealand | 1974 | .nz | |
| OM | Oman | 1974 | .om | |
| PA | Panama | 1974 | .pa | |
| PE | Peru | 1974 | .pe | |
| PF | French Polynesia | 1974 | .pf | Code taken from name in French: Polynésie française |
| PG | Papua New Guinea | 1974 | .pg | |
| PH | Philippines | 1974 | .ph | |
| PK | Pakistan | 1974 | .pk | |
| PL | Poland | 1974 | .pl | |
| PM | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 1974 | .pm | |
| PN | Pitcairn | 1974 | .pn | Previous ISO country name: Pitcairn Islands |
| PR | Puerto Rico | 1974 | .pr | |
| PS | Palestine, State of | 1999 | .ps | Previous ISO country name: Palestinian Territory, Occupied Consists of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip |
| PT | Portugal | 1974 | .pt | |
| PW | Palau | 1986 | .pw | |
| PY | Paraguay | 1974 | .py | |
| QA | Qatar | 1974 | .qa | |
| RE | Réunion | 1974 | .re | |
| RO | Romania | 1974 | .ro | |
| RS | Serbia | 2006 | .rs | Republic of Serbia |
| RU | Russian Federation | 1992 | .ru | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name: Russia); RU formerly reserved indeterminately for Burundi |
| RW | Rwanda | 1974 | .rw | |
| SA | Saudi Arabia | 1974 | .sa | |
| SB | Solomon Islands | 1974 | .sb | Code taken from former name: British Solomon Islands |
| SC | Seychelles | 1974 | .sc | |
| SD | Sudan | 1974 | .sd | |
| SE | Sweden | 1974 | .se | |
| SG | Singapore | 1974 | .sg | |
| SH | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 1974 | .sh | Previous ISO country name: Saint Helena. |
| SI | Slovenia | 1992 | .si | |
| SJ | Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 1974 | .sj | Previous ISO name: Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Consists of two Arctic territories of Norway: Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| SK | Slovakia | 1993 | .sk | SK previously represented the Kingdom of Sikkim |
| SL | Sierra Leone | 1974 | .sl | |
| SM | San Marino | 1974 | .sm | |
| SN | Senegal | 1974 | .sn | |
| SO | Somalia | 1974 | .so | |
| SR | Suriname | 1974 | .sr | Previous ISO country name: Surinam |
| SS | South Sudan | 2011 | .ss | |
| ST | Sao Tome and Principe | 1974 | .st | |
| SV | El Salvador | 1974 | .sv | |
| SX | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 2010 | .sx | The French part of Saint Martin island is assigned code MF |
| SY | Syrian Arab Republic | 1974 | .sy | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name and previous ISO country name: Syria) |
| SZ | Eswatini | 1974 | .sz | Previous ISO country name: Swaziland |
| TC | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1974 | .tc | |
| TD | Chad | 1974 | .td | Code taken from name in French: Tchad |
| TF | French Southern Territories | 1979 | .tf | Covers the French Southern and Antarctic Lands except Adélie Land Code taken from name in French: Terres australes françaises |
| TG | Togo | 1974 | .tg | |
| TH | Thailand | 1974 | .th | |
| TJ | Tajikistan | 1992 | .tj | |
| TK | Tokelau | 1974 | .tk | Previous ISO country name: Tokelau Islands |
| TL | Timor-Leste | 2002 | .tl | Name changed from East Timor (TP) |
| TM | Turkmenistan | 1992 | .tm | |
| TN | Tunisia | 1974 | .tn | |
| TO | Tonga | 1974 | .to | |
| TR | Türkiye | 1974 | .tr | Previous ISO country name: Turkey |
| TT | Trinidad and Tobago | 1974 | .tt | |
| TV | Tuvalu | 1977 | .tv | |
| TW | Taiwan, Province of China | 1974 | .tw | Covers the current jurisdiction of the Republic of China ISO country name follows UN designation (due to political status of Taiwan within the UN)[16] (common name: Taiwan) |
| TZ | Tanzania, United Republic of | 1974 | .tz | |
| UA | Ukraine | 1974 | .ua | Previous ISO country name: Ukrainian SSR Code assigned as the country was already a UN member since 1945[14] |
| UG | Uganda | 1974 | .ug | |
| UM | United States Minor Outlying Islands | 1986 | .um | Consists of nine minor insular areas of the United States: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island .um ccTLD was revoked in 2007[19] The United States Department of State uses the following user assigned alpha-2 codes for the nine territories, respectively, XB, XH, XQ, XU, XM, QM, XV, XL and QW.[20] |
| US | United States of America | 1974 | .us | Previous ISO country name: United States |
| UY | Uruguay | 1974 | .uy | |
| UZ | Uzbekistan | 1992 | .uz | |
| VA | Holy See | 1974 | .va | Covers Vatican City, territory of the Holy See Previous ISO country names: Vatican City State (Holy See) and Holy See (Vatican City State) |
| VC | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1974 | .vc | |
| VE | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1974 | .ve | Previous ISO country name: Venezuela |
| VG | Virgin Islands (British) | 1974 | .vg | |
| VI | Virgin Islands (U.S.) | 1974 | .vi | |
| VN | Viet Nam | 1974 | .vn | ISO country name follows UN designation (common name: Vietnam) Code used for Republic of Viet Nam (common name: South Vietnam) before 1977 |
| VU | Vanuatu | 1980 | .vu | Name changed from New Hebrides (NH) |
| WF | Wallis and Futuna | 1974 | .wf | Previous ISO country name: Wallis and Futuna Islands |
| WS | Samoa | 1974 | .ws | Code taken from former name: Western Samoa |
| YE | Yemen | 1974 | .ye | Previous ISO country name: Yemen, Republic of (for three years after the unification) Code used for North Yemen before 1990 |
| YT | Mayotte | 1993 | .yt | |
| ZA | South Africa | 1974 | .za | Code taken from name in Dutch: Zuid-Afrika |
| ZM | Zambia | 1974 | .zm | |
| ZW | Zimbabwe | 1980 | .zw | Name changed from Southern Rhodesia (RH) |
User-assigned code elements are codes at the disposal of users who need to add further names of countries, territories, or other geographical entities to their in-house application of ISO 3166-1, and the ISO 3166/MA will never use these codes in the updating process of the standard. The following alpha-2 codes can be user-assigned: AA, QM to QZ, XA to XZ, and ZZ.[21] For example:
Furthermore, the code element OO is designated as an escape code if the number of regular user-assigned code elements is not sufficient.[32]
Reserved code elements are codes which have become obsolete, or are required in order to enable a particular user application of the standard but do not qualify for inclusion in ISO 3166-1. To avoid transitional application problems and to aid users who require specific additional code elements for the functioning of their coding systems, the ISO 3166/MA, when justified, reserves these codes which it undertakes not to use for other than specified purposes during a limited or indeterminate period of time. The reserved alpha-2 codes can be divided into the following four categories: exceptional reservations, transitional reservations, indeterminate reservations, and codes currently agreed not to use.
Exceptionally reserved code elements are codes reserved at the request of national ISO member bodies, governments and international organizations, which are required in order to support a particular application, as specified by the requesting body and limited to such use; any further use of such code elements is subject to approval by the ISO 3166/MA. The following alpha-2 codes are currently exceptionally reserved:
| Code | Area name or country name | Current actual country | ccTLD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC | Ascension Island | United Kingdom | .ac | Reserved on request of UPU for stamp issuing area |
| CP | Clipperton Island | France | — | Reserved on request of ITU for location of certain telecommunications installations |
| CQ | Island of Sark | United Kingdom | — | Reserved on request of the United Kingdom. Letters are derived from French name Sercq. |
| DG | Diego Garcia | United Kingdom | — | Reserved on request of ITU for location of certain telecommunications installations |
| EA | Ceuta, Melilla | Spain | — | Reserved on request of WCO for area not covered by European Union Customs arrangements[33] Part of Spanish North Africa (Spanish: África Septentrional Española) |
| EU | European Union | multiple | .eu | Reserved on request of ISO 4217/MA for the European monetary unit Euro Extended for ISO 6166 "Securities – International securities identification numbering system (ISIN)" in March 1998 Extended for any application needing to represent the name European Union in August 1999 |
| EZ | Eurozone | multiple | — | Reserved on request of ISO 6166/RA for the European OTC derivatives within International securities identification numbering system (ISIN) |
| FX | France, Metropolitan | France | — | Reserved on request of France Officially assigned before deleted from ISO 3166-1 (now assigned ISO 3166-3 code FXFR) |
| IC | Canary Islands | Spain | — | Reserved on request of WCO for area not covered by European Union Customs arrangements. Code taken from name in Spanish: Islas Canarias |
| SU | USSR | multiple | .su | From June 2008; Transitionally reserved from September 1992 Officially assigned before deleted from ISO 3166-1 (now assigned ISO 3166-3 code SUHH) Official name and previous ISO country name:[34] Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (common name: Soviet Union) |
| TA | Tristan da Cunha | United Kingdom | — | Reserved on request of UPU for stamp issuing area |
| UK | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | .uk | Reserved on request of the United Kingdom lest UK be used for any other country Also used by the European Commission United Kingdom is officially assigned the alpha-2 code GB |
| UN | United Nations | multiple | — | Reserved directly by ISO 3166/MA for the United Nations |
The following alpha-2 codes were previously exceptionally reserved, but are now officially assigned:
| Code | Area name or country name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AX | Åland Islands | Reserved on request of Finland |
| GG | Guernsey | Reserved on request of UPU for stamp issuing area |
| IM | Isle of Man | Reserved on request of UPU for stamp issuing area |
| JE | Jersey | Reserved on request of UPU for stamp issuing area |
Transitional reserved code elements are codes reserved after their deletion from ISO 3166-1. These codes may be used only during a transitional period of at least five years while new code elements that may have replaced them are taken into use. These codes may be reassigned by the ISO 3166/MA after the expiration of the transitional period. The following alpha-2 codes are currently transitionally reserved:
| Code | Formerly used country name | Reserved from | Reserved to | ccTLD | ISO 3166-3 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AN | Netherlands Antilles | 2010-12 | 2060-12 | .an | ANHH | Divided into BQ (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), CW (Curaçao) and SX (Dutch part of Sint Maarten) |
| BU | Burma | 1989-12 | 2039-12 | — | BUMM | Name changed to Myanmar (MM) |
| CS | Originally Czechoslovakia, later Serbia and Montenegro | 2006-09 | 2056-09 | — | CSHH CSXX | Code taken from name in Serbian: Srbija i Crna Gora, for Serbia and Montenegro, which however is now divided into Montenegro (ME) and Serbia (RS). (Though reserved, the ccTLD .cs was never actually assigned to Serbia and Montenegro; the ccTLD of Serbia and Montenegro was .yu, as that formerly unified country's name, and that of its larger predecessor, had previously been Yugoslavia.) CS originally represented Czechoslovakia. Its successor state Czechia uses CZ, and Slovakia SK. |
| NT | Neutral Zone | 1993-07 | 2043-07 | — | NTHH | Divided between Iraq (IQ) and Saudi Arabia (SA) |
| TP | East Timor | 2002-05 | 2052-05 | .tp | TPTL | Code taken from previous ISO country name: Portuguese Timor, name changed to Timor-Leste (TL) |
| YU | Yugoslavia | 2003-07 | 2053-07 | — | YUCS | Code used for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before 1992 and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after 1992 |
| ZR | Zaire | 1997-07 | 2047-07 | — | ZRCD | Name changed to Congo, the Democratic Republic of the (CD) ccTLD .zr has been deleted[35] |
The following alpha-2 code was previously transitionally reserved, but was later reassigned to another country as its official code:
| Code | Formerly used country name | Date of reservation | ccTLD | ISO 3166-3 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | Czechoslovakia | 1993-06 | — | CSHH | Code reassigned to Serbia and Montenegro ccTLD .cs has been deleted |
For each deleted alpha-2 code, an entry for the corresponding former country name is included in ISO 3166-3. Each entry is assigned a four-letter alphabetic code, where the first two letters are the deleted alpha-2 code.
Indeterminately reserved code elements are codes used to designate road vehicles under the 1949 and 1968 United Nations Conventions on Road Traffic but differing from those contained in ISO 3166-1. These code elements are expected eventually to be either eliminated or replaced by code elements within ISO 3166-1. In the meantime, the ISO 3166/MA has reserved such code elements for an indeterminate period. Any use beyond the application of the two Conventions is discouraged and will not be approved by the ISO 3166/MA. Moreover, these codes may be reassigned by the ISO 3166/MA at any time. The following alpha-2 codes are currently indeterminately reserved:
| Code | Area name or country name | Current code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DY | Benin | BJ | [note 1] |
| EW | Estonia | EE | [note 1] |
| FL | Liechtenstein | LI | [note 2] |
| JA | Jamaica | JM | [note 3] |
| LF | Libya Fezzan | [note 2] | |
| PI | Philippines | PH | [note 3] |
| RA | Argentina | AR | [note 3] |
| RB | Bolivia [cf. Botswana: identical code element] | BO | [note 2] |
| RB | Botswana [cf. Bolivia: identical code element] | BW | [note 3] |
| RC | China | CN & TW | [note 3] |
| RH | Haiti | HT | [note 1] |
| RI | Indonesia | ID | [note 3] |
| RL | Lebanon | LB | [note 3] |
| RM | Madagascar | MG | [note 3] |
| RN | Niger | NE | [note 4] |
| RP | Philippines | PH | [note 4] |
| SF | Finland | FI | [note 5] |
| WG | Grenada | GD | [note 1] |
| WL | Saint Lucia | LC | [note 1] |
| WV | Saint Vincent | VC | [note 1] |
| YV | Venezuela | VE | [note 1] |
The following alpha-2 codes were previously indeterminately reserved, but have been reassigned to another country as its official code:
| Code | Area name or country name | Current code | Notes | Code reassigned to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LT | Libya Tripoli | [note 2] | Lithuania | |
| ME | Western Sahara | EH | [note 2] | Montenegro |
| RU | Burundi | BI | [note 2] | Russian Federation |
In addition, the ISO 3166/MA will not use the following alpha-2 codes at the present stage, as they are used for international intellectual property organizations in WIPO Standard ST.3:
| Code | Organization name |
|---|---|
| AP | African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) |
| BX | Benelux Trademarks and Designs Office (BOIP) |
| EF | Union of Countries under the European Community Patent Convention |
| EM | European Trademark Office (EUIPO) |
| EP | European Patent Organization (EPOrg), i.e. union of countries under the European Patent Convention (EPC) |
| EV | Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO) |
| GC | Patent Office of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCCPO) |
| IB | International Bureau of WIPO |
| OA | African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) |
| WO | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) |
WIPO Standard ST.3 actually uses EA, instead of EV, to represent the Eurasian Patent Organization. However, EA was already exceptionally reserved by the ISO 3166/MA to represent Ceuta and Melilla for customs purposes. The ISO 3166/MA proposed in 1995 that EV be used by WIPO to represent the Eurasian Patent Organization; however, this request was not honoured by WIPO.
Besides the codes currently transitionally reserved and two other codes currently exceptionally reserved (FX for France, Metropolitan and SU for USSR), the following alpha-2 codes have also been deleted from ISO 3166-1:[36]
For each deleted alpha-2 code, an entry for the corresponding former country name is included in ISO 3166-3. Each entry is assigned a four-letter alphabetic code, where the first two letters are the deleted alpha-2 code.
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