Domain .ca - national domain: Canada

Registration time: Up to 1 working day

How to register a .ca internet domain?

  • Registration fee
    $29,49 / year
    Canadian .ca domains are available only for citizens, permanent residents, and companies with a physical address in Canada. Registration for foreign companies is possible in case they hold a valid Canadian trademark with the same word component as the domain name. Please make sure you read carefully and understand .ca domain eligibility. In case of a lack the data meeting the registry requirements, the order will be not completed.
  • Renewal fee
    $29,49 / year
  • Trade fee
    free of charge
    The domain owner change does not extend its validity.
  • Transfer fee
    $29,49
    renewal included
    The transfer extends the validity period of the domain by 1 year and is a paid operation, which means that your pre-paid balance must have sufficient funds. The domain must be unlocked for transfer (cannot be in REGISTRAR-LOCK status). If the domain has been reactivated after it has expired in the last 60 days, no additional validity year will be charged. After initiation, the transfer should be confirmed in accordance with the e-mail sent to the domain subscriber's e-mail address (recorded in the WHOIS database). If the domain uses the privacy protection service of the current registrar, we recommend that you disable it during the transfer, as the authorization e-mail may not reach you then.
  • Reactivation fee
    free of charge
    Additional restore fee is due on the domain renewal date. Restore is possible only within 28 days thereafter.
  • Minimum registration and renewal period
    1 year
  • Registration time
    Up to 1 working day
  • Restrictions
    Yes
VAT may apply for EU individual customers

.ca domain information

.ca domains (Canada) are available only for citizens, permanent residents, and companies with a physical address in Canada. Registration for foreign companies is possible in case they hold a valid Canadian trademark with the same word component as the domain name. Please make sure you read carefully and understand .ca domain eligibility.

ATTENTION! The person or entity that meets the requirements must be specified as a domain subscriber in the registration request. Invalid or incompliant data may result in domain deletion without the right to any refund.

.ca domain is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) specifically designated for Canada. The .ca domain is the official ccTLD for Canada and is managed and operated by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).

While registrants can primarily register domains at the second level (like example.ca), there were third-level registrations in geographic domains (like example.ab.ca). However, as of October 12, 2010, new third-level registrations were discontinued, though existing ones are still supported.

To register a .ca domain, one must meet specific Canadian Presence Requirements set by the registry. This includes being a Canadian citizen, a legally recognized Canadian organization, indigenous people to Canada, a division of the government, and more.

The .ca domain was allocated to John Demco of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1987 by Jon Postel of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The first-ever .ca domain was registered by the University of Prince Edward Island in January 1988. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) took over the operation of the .ca ccTLD from UBC on December 1, 2000. By April 15, 2008, CIRA registered its one millionth .ca domain.

UBC's registry operations initially favored fourth-level names for local entities or third-level names for entities operating within a province. However, this structure was complex, leading many Canadian entities to prefer .com, .org, and .net registrations. Currently, any eligible party can register a domain directly under .ca. CIRA stopped accepting new third-level domain registrations on October 12, 2010.

In January 2013, Internationalized domain names (IDN) were introduced with a limited character set to accommodate French language text with diacritics. Names that differ only in diacritical accents must have the same owner and registrar. There are also restrictions on names that match existing three-letter top-level domains or the Canadian top-level country code.

Domains that expire go through a thirty-day redemption period. After this, they are assigned a to-be-released (TBR) status and are made available through a weekly auction process. Domains that receive no bids are then open for new registrations.

Why should I buy a .ca domain name?

Purchasing a .ca domain name comes with several advantages, especially if you have a connection to Canada or are targeting the Canadian market. Here are some reasons why you should consider buying a .ca domain name:

  • Unmatched canadian consumer trust: over 80% of Canadian consumers prefer purchasing from websites with a .ca domain, making it essential for domestic commerce.

  • Strong local search visibility: search engines like Google prioritize .ca domain names for queries originating within Canada, boosting local SEO performance.

  • Brand protection in North America: essential for international businesses and trademark holders looking to protect their brand presence across Canadian provinces and territories.

  • Secure and resilient infrastructure: managed by CIRA under strict Canadian data sovereignty standards and world-class domain security frameworks.

Information about the .ca domain registry

.ca - country code top-level domain name (ccTLD): Canada

The available domain TLDs: .ca

Registry: Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)

Website: http://www.cira.ca/

Public WHOIS server: whois.cira.ca

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