domain assets.ca

What is a .ca domain name?

A domain name is an address on the internet that can be used for web sites, email addresses and more. Domains have two parts; with the domain "domainassets.ca" the first part is the name before the dot (ie. domainassets) and the second part after the dot is the extension ( ie. .ca) which defines the country (.ca is Canadian) or type of activity (.com is commercial).    

".ca" is the domain extension that represents Canada.  All .ca Canadian domain names are managed in a directory by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) and governed by the laws of Canada.

Why I should register a .ca name?

.ca represents Canada and .ca domains are what Canadians recognize and trust online. If your business operates in Canada you will want to reach out to Canadian consumers with a .ca name so they are comfortable that you can provide services and shipping to them. It is important for businesses to own .ca domain names that can protect their market and identity (ie. personalloans.ca ) and provide a valuable advertising tool to receive type-in traffic from customers visiting domains through direct navigation. Or if you are an individual running a blog, personal interest site or information site, you will also want to be recognized as Canadian to your readership. Over 1 million .ca domain names have been registered to date.

Who can register a .ca domain name?

Generally, anyone who is a Canadian citizen, Canadian business or association can register a .ca name. But since .ca domain names are intended for use in Canada, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) requires that registrants must meet Canadian presence requirements.

How do I register a .ca name?

You can either register a new .ca domain name or purchase an existing domain name from the current owner.

To register a new name, check its availability with a Canadian domain registrar such as Namespro.ca, Netfirms.ca etc. If it is available (unregistered) you can register that name for a period of 1-10 years (registration fee must be renewed annually). You can manage the domain at the registrar, and CIRA will issue you a Registrant number and codes to manage the name in their directory. There are many good Canadian domain registrars such as Namespro.ca - Register your domains at Namespro.ca for $12.88 CDN.  Click here.  

To purchase an existing domain, you can approach the current owner, or purchase a domain offered for sale on the aftermarket in the DomainAssets.ca newsletter.  Current owners of domains can be identified by using CIRA's "whois" tool at www.cira.ca

How do I transfer a domain - "Registrar Transfer" or Transfer of ownership called a "Registrant Transfer"?

Transfering a .ca domain is usually a two-step process (each Registrar may have a slightly different process). First, if you purchase a domain from the current owner (the current owner of the domain is called the "Registrant"), you may want to move the domain to your own Registrar. This is called a "REGISTRAR TRANSFER". The advantages of having the domain at your own Registrar is you may be more comfortable having it at a company you are already doing business with, or you may wish to keep the new domain with your other domains. To do a REGISTRAR TRANSFER, login to your current Registrar and start the transfer by following their process, usually under a button called "Transfer a Domain" or "DomainTransfer". Your Registrar may charge you a small fee (approx. $15-$25) for this service. The current owner (REGISTRANT), will receive an email from CIRA asking them to approve the Registrar Transfer  - they must login to CIRA with their ID and PASSWORD and approve it within seven days.

Next, do the REGISTRANT TRANSFER. Once the initial Registrar Transfer is complete, you have the ability to change some contact information for the domain, but not the ownership. To change the REGISTRANT (owner), you must login to your registrar and do a "Change of REGISTRANT". They may charge you a small fee for this service ($15-$25). The current owner will receive an email from CIRA asking them to approve the REGISTRANT TRANSFER - they must login to CIRA within seven days and approve it to complete the transfer.  After the current owner has approved it, CIRA will update the domain Registrant in their database and you will become the new owner (Registrant). Don't forget to ensure you have changed all Administrative and Technical Contact information for your domain - as all important messages to you from your Registrar regarding renewals and from CIRA will be directed through you ADMIN Contact email address.

To learn more about buying existing Canadian domain names that are for sale or registering a new .ca domain, visit our Resources page.

Where are places I buy .ca domain names?

Unregistered Names: You can purchase NEW unregistered .ca domains directly online through any Canadian domain registrar accredited through the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). There are many good Canadian domain registrars such as Namespro.ca - Register your domains for $12.88 CDN.  Click here.  

Previously Registered Domains: You can purchase domain names that have been previously registered in a number of different ways.

1. Sign-up to receive the DomainAssets.ca newsletter which publishes a weekly short list of quality .ca domains for sale through the newsletter.

2. Contact the current owner directly and arrange a deal to purchase. You can find the current registrant by searching the name at cira.ca

3. Many .ca domains are listed for sale by their owners through services such as Sedo.com and Afternic.com.  You can search the catalogue of names for sale at these services and make offers online. In many cases the domains have list prices attached.

4. Bid on expiring domains. Expired domains are domain with registrations no longer renewed by their owners. These domains return to the available pool of unregistered domains after a 30 day grace period. They become available in a weekly release known as a "drop". Many registrars offer services to register these domains that have become newly available, although this is a very competitive "auction-style" marketplace. The weekly list of expiring domains is published by CIRA.ca