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Summary

When sending emails, it's crucial that the recipient's email address is accurate, including the Top Level Domain (TLD). Gmail does not automatically forward emails addressed to an incorrect country code TLD (ccTLD) like xxx@gmail.de to xxx@gmail.com. Email delivery relies on exact domain matching and proper DNS records, such as MX records, to direct mail to the correct servers. If the domain part of an email address, including its ccTLD, does not precisely match an existing and configured mail server, the email will typically bounce or be marked as undeliverable, rather than being redirected. This is a fundamental aspect of how email routing works across the internet.

What email marketers say

Email marketers often encounter issues with incorrect email addresses, especially concerning country code top-level domains. There's a common misconception that major email providers like Gmail might automatically correct or redirect emails when a ccTLD is incorrect, perhaps assuming the sender intended to use the more common .com. However, practical experience and tests confirm this is generally not the case. Marketers frequently report delivery failures for emails sent to domains with an incorrect or non-existent ccTLD, highlighting the strict nature of email routing protocols. This means precise address validation is critical for successful email campaigns and maintaining a healthy sender reputation.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks indicates that attempts to send to Gmail with incorrect country TLDs, such as gmail.co.uk, result in non-delivery messages, confirming that emails are not forwarded.

05 Dec 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains their observation that Gmail primarily supports .com domains, and they speculate whether shorter country code TLDs might behave differently.

05 Dec 2019 - Email Geeks

What the experts say

Email deliverability experts consistently reiterate that email systems are highly precise and do not accommodate misspellings or incorrect TLDs by automatically forwarding to a general .com equivalent. The internet's mail routing infrastructure, based on DNS and MX records, expects exact matches to ensure secure and accurate delivery. Any deviation, such as an incorrect ccTLD for a common service like Gmail, will result in a hard bounce, indicating the address is non-existent or unreachable. Experts emphasize that proper email address validation is a foundational element of good email hygiene and essential for maintaining a strong sender reputation.

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource highlights that email deliverability fundamentally relies on the precise matching of domain names, including country code TLDs, and mail servers do not perform fuzzy matching or automatic correction.

10 Mar 2024 - Spam Resource

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise advises that any email sent to a domain that doesn't have proper MX records will result in a hard bounce, irrespective of whether a similar .com domain exists.

22 Feb 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says

Official documentation and technical specifications for email protocols (like SMTP and DNS) do not support the automatic forwarding of emails based on an incorrect country TLD. The routing of email is a highly structured process, relying on precise domain resolution through DNS records, particularly MX (Mail Exchanger) records. If a domain, including its specific TLD, does not have valid and accessible MX records pointing to a mail server, the email transfer agent (MTA) will fail to deliver the message. There is no provision for a global email provider like Gmail to infer or redirect mail from a non-existent gmail.de to an existing gmail.com address.

Technical article

Documentation from RFC 5321 (SMTP) specifies that the destination domain in an email address must be a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) that resolves to an MX record or A record, without any provisions for TLD correction.

01 Apr 2008 - RFC 5321

Technical article

Documentation from the DNS (Domain Name System) RFCs states that each top-level domain operates as a distinct zone, and queries for one TLD (e.g., .de) do not inherently redirect to another (e.g., .com).

01 Mar 2004 - DNS RFCs

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