Can we register domain names with the character "ß" (Eszet) in the German script(DE)?

Afilias accepts IDN registrations in compliance with the IETF IDN standards and ICANN IDN guidelines. Registrars are responsible to Nameprep and convert an IDN to Punycode before submitting it for registration to the registry. As such, according to the IDN technical standards, the “ß” (Eszet) is effectively mapped to “ss” based on the Nameprep mechanism. Therefore, in short, YES, you may accept domain registrations from registrants that contain the “ß”, but that information when passed to the registry will essentially be registered as double-s: “ss”. More specifically, Afilias will not recognize or distinguish between a registration for “ß” or “ss” (some what similarly to how the registry treats registrations for “XyZ” or “xyz”). Please note that a name with only Eszet and no other IDN characters must be registered as an ASCII domain name. IDNA-compliant browsers will convert the encoded domain (e.g.: straß.info) into ASCII (e.g.: strass.info).