How do you know if you're a "real" New Yorker? How about an official .nyc domain name?

The city today announced that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved its request for the .nyc top-level domain, making the Big Apple one of the first cities in the world to be granted one of these location-specific domains.

"Having our own unique, top-level domain  .nyc  puts New York City at the forefront of the digital landscape and creates new opportunities for our small businesses," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. "They'll now be able to identify themselves as connected to New York City, one of the world's strongest and most prestigious brands."

The move means that New York businesses and residents can apply for their own website on the .nyc domain. To qualify, registrants must have a New York City address or a "'bona fide presence' in the City of New York, meaning regularly performing lawful activities within the city and maintaining an office or other facility in the city," the city said.

Registration for desired .nyc domains will open in late 2013; information about fees will be released at a later date. More details are available via mydotnyc.com.

The city said that trademark holders with a NYC address will be given priority during the application process in order to secure their intellectual property.

Virginia-based Neustar was selected by the city to run the technical side of domain name allocation. The company will cover the costs associated with obtaining a top-level domain (gTLD) name, including the $185,000 application fee, technical services, and marketing expenses.

At this point, there are 22 gTLDs, including .com, .org, and .net. In June 2011, however, ICANN approved a plan that would allow people to apply for new gTLDs, like .pcmag, for example. ICANN started accepting gTLD applications via its TLD Application System (TAS) in Jan. 2012, and ICANN revealed a list of applied-for domain names in June 2012, which included bids from top tech firms like Google and Amazon.

New domains like .nyc are scheduled to start rolling out in mid-2013.

"The addition of a .nyc suffix will give small businesses and residents the chance to secure their own city-themed, personal domain name and generate millions of dollars in revenue for the City," Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said in a statement.