Requirements for .ca Domain Registration
Requirements for .ca Domain Registration
The .ca domain is the country code TLD for Canada. It is administered by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). To register a .ca domain, you must meet CIRA’s Canadian Presence Requirements (CPR).
Canadian Presence Requirements
CIRA requires that all .ca registrants demonstrate a connection to Canada. The following entities are eligible:
Individuals
- Canadian citizens (regardless of where they reside)
- Permanent residents of Canada
- Legal representatives of a deceased Canadian citizen or permanent resident’s estate
Organizations
- Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial corporations
- Canadian partnerships where at least one partner is a qualifying individual or entity
- Canadian associations (unincorporated)
- Canadian trade unions
- Canadian political parties
- Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada or a province
- Canadian educational institutions
- Canadian hospitals and libraries
- Aboriginal peoples (as defined under the Indian Act or an aboriginal land claims agreement)
Trademark Holders
- Owners of a valid Canadian trademark registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) may register the exact trademark as a
.cadomain. The domain must match the trademark exactly.
Registration Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Canadian Presence Requirements (CPR) |
| Minimum registration period | 1 year |
| Maximum registration period | Up to 10 years |
| WHOIS privacy | Available |
| DNSSEC | Supported |
| IDN support | Supported (French accented characters) |
| Registrar | Must use a CIRA-certified registrar |
How to Register a .ca Domain
- Verify your eligibility — Confirm that you or your organization meets at least one of the CPR categories listed above.
- Search for your domain — Use the 10Corp domain search tool to check
.caavailability. - Select your registrant type — During checkout, you will be asked to declare your CPR category (e.g., Canadian citizen, corporation, trademark holder).
- Provide accurate information — CIRA may verify your eligibility, so ensure your registrant details are correct.
- Complete registration — Finalize your purchase and your
.cadomain will be provisioned.
CIRA Compliance
CIRA enforces its Canadian Presence Requirements and may request documentation to verify eligibility at any time. Non-compliant registrations can be:
- Suspended
- Cancelled without refund
- Transferred to a qualifying registrant through CIRA’s dispute resolution process
WHOIS and Privacy
Unlike .us, the .ca extension does support WHOIS privacy. When WHOIS privacy is enabled, your personal contact information is replaced with the privacy service’s details in public WHOIS lookups. This is especially useful for individual registrants.
Special Rules
- No speculative registrations — Domains must be registered in good faith and not for the purpose of selling to the natural owner of the name.
- CIRA dispute policy (CDRP) — CIRA has its own domain dispute resolution policy, similar to ICANN’s UDRP, for resolving conflicts over
.cadomains. - French IDN support —
.casupports accented characters used in French (é, è, ê, ë, etc.), allowing bilingual Canadian registrants to create domains in both official languages.
Summary
The .ca domain is an excellent choice for Canadian individuals and organizations looking to establish a trusted, geographically relevant online presence. Ensure you meet the Canadian Presence Requirements before registering. Search for your .ca domain through 10Corp to find the perfect name.