Registering .ca Domain Names
The .ca country-code top-level domain name (ccTLD) is a domain name extension that represents Canada. A .ca domain name broadens your Website's audience to Canadian residents, as opposed to .com, the generic top-level domain name (gTLD) that designates commercial activities. This extension is particularly beneficial for companies that conduct business in Canada by making their URLs more recognizable for Canadian residents and businesses.
Only the individuals and entities that meet the requirements in the Canadian Presence Requirements can apply to CIRA to register a .ca domain name. In brief, individual registrants include Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, aboriginal people indigenous to Canada, or legal representatives of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Non-individual registrants include all other legal registrant types, such as corporations.
If you registered a .ca domain name with the University of British Columbia (UBC) registry before November 8, 2000, you satisfy the Canadian Presence Requirements, unless the UBC registrant for the domain name no longer exists or you transferred the domain name to another registrant.
NOTE: CIRA periodically audits domain names to ensure they conform to eligibility requirements. If CIRA cannot confirm your eligibility status or you become ineligible to own a .ca domain name, CIRA might request information from your registrar to prove your eligibility. You must send us the requested information within the specified time frame to avoid deactivation of your .ca domain name(s). Do not send the information directly to CIRA.
See About .ca Domain Names for more information.
Domain names can be up to 63 characters, and can contain letters (a to z), numbers (0 to 9), and hyphens (except as the first or last characters of the domain name). You cannot register domain names with special characters such as & and #. We support the following French IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) characters: é, ë, ê, è, â, à, æ, ô, œ, ù, û, ü, ç, î, ï and ÿ.
To Register .ca Domain Names
- On our Home page, in the New Domain search field, enter the domain name.
- Select .ca from the list, and then click Go.
- If the domain name you want to purchase is available, click Continue to Registration. The Edit your domain registration information window displays.
- In the Create your domain registration information section, enter valid domain name contact information, and pay special attention to the following requirements:
- If you are an individual registrant — For First Name and Last Name, enter your legal first and last name. Company Name is optional but cannot contain any terms reserved for non-individual registrants, such as corporation or business.
- If you are a non-individual registrant — For First Name and Last Name, enter your legal first and last name. For Company Name, enter the full official name of your entity. If it isn't part of the full official name, include the Canadian jurisdiction (such as Ontario) and, if applicable, the Canadian registration number.
- In the .CA Domain Eligibility Information section, do the following, and then click Next:
- Preferred Language — Select the language you want to use.
- Select the legal type that best describes you — Select the individual or non-individual legal type that describes you. For more information, see the Canadian Presence Requirements.
- On the Domain Registration Information page, read the .CA Domain Agreement, select I have read and agree ... , and then click Next.
- Complete the purchase. We send you an email message that contains the information you need to complete the registration of your .ca domain name.
NOTE: Your .ca registration is not complete until you accept the CIRA Registration Agreement and enter the Contact ID that we provide in the email message. If you do not complete the registration within seven days, CIRA deactivates your .ca domain name and we issue a refund.
