.ca Domains
How does .ca differ from
.com?
.ca is the country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) designating
Canada. .com is the generic Top Level Domain (gTLD)
designating Commercial. The policies and administration
of the .ca Domain name will be set by CIRA, and governed
by Canadian law. The gTLDs are managed in the United
States under American law.
What additional services
do I get with a .ca registration?
You receive a free business card web page, e-mail forwarding,
and domain forwarding with each .ca domain registration.
What is CIRA?
CIRA stands for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
It is a not-for-profit organization mandated by the
Canadian government to operate the .ca top-level domain.
CIRA was incorporated in 1998 to set policy for and
operate the .ca domain. It assumed responsibility on
December 1, 2000 from the University of British Columbia.
CIRA significantly changed the rules and requirements
for .ca domain registrations making .ca domain registrations
easier and more accessible to a wider range of Registrants.
For example, it is now possible for Registrants to register
an unlimited number of domains. .ca 2nd level domains
are now available to anyone with a Canadian presence
(not just Canadian corporations).
How do I register a .ca domain
name?
Ordering .ca domain name is easy. Just enter your domain
name in the search box located on any page and follow
the steps.
Are Registrants automatically
members of CIRA?
A description of CIRA membership can be found on the
CIRA website http://www.cira.ca
in Membership in CIRA shall be limited to Registrants
who become Members at the time of becoming a Registrant.
Registrants shall have the right to refuse or rescind
membership at any time. Members who cease to be Registrants
or fail to pay membership fees, if any, or Registrants
fees (in accordance with the Corporation's policies)
shall no longer be Members of the Corporation forthwith
after such event.
Can I be a Registrant if
I don't have a domain names?
CIRA offers the option of becoming a Registrant without
a domain name. This effectively enters a Registrant's
information into the CIRA database following the Registrant's
confirmation and acceptance of the CIRA Registrant agreement.
This is available to anyone who does not currently have
a ".ca" domain registration for the same fee as a 1-year
registration. Ecommerce Canada will process orders for
this service if an e-mail is sent to support@ecommercecanada.com
requesting the service.
NOTE: This procedure registers a
Registrant without a domain name. However, following
its registration, the Registrant has 90 days to register
at least one (1) domain name in order to retain a Registrant
record in the CIRA database. The advantage of this service
is that it allows a Registrant to be registered in the
CIRA database by confirming and accepting the CIRA Registrant
agreement. Once a Registrant is entered into the CIRA
system, all subsequent domain names that are registered
using the Registrant's confirmed information will automatically
be registered without the need of reconfirming and accepting
the CIRA Registrant agreement. This would appeal to
someone who anticipates registering a large number of
domains in the near future but does not currently have
any domains registered through CIRA.
What are the Canadian
Presence Requirements?
CIRA has determined that the .ca domain space should
be developed as a key public resource for the social
and economic development of all Canadians. Accordingly,
those registering a .ca domain name must meet certain
Canadian Presence Requirements. The new Canadian Presence
Requirements still require a connection to Canada but
enable a much broader group of people to register .ca
domain names than the old regulations.
How long can I register
my ".ca" domain for?
You may register domain names for a period of one (1)
to ten (10) years.
How many characters can
my ".ca" domain have?
Domain names must be not less than two (2) and not greater
than fifty (50) characters long.
Are there any restrictions
to what I can register through CIRA?
Acceptable Characters:
No characters other than a combination of the following
characters may be used for a domain name registration:
- Letters a through z (no accents will be accepted).
Note that domain names are not case sensitive. This
means there will be no distinction made between upper
case letters and lower case letters (A = a);
- The numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and/or 9;
and
- The hyphen character (although it cannot be used
to start or end a domain name). Length. Domain names
must be not less than two (2) and not greater than
fifty (50) characters long.
Reserved Names:
CIRA maintains a list of reserved names that are not available
for registration in the CIRA Registry. This list includes,
but not is limited to:
- .all the existing and future generic top level domain
(gTLD) three letter names (including .com.ca, .org.ca,
.net.ca, .edu.ca, .gov.ca, .int.ca, .mil.ca); and
- .the names, and all abbreviations of names, of Canada,
of Canadian provinces and territories as well as the
names of major Canadian cities and landmarks. A detailed
list may be found at http://www.cira.ca. CIRA reserves
the right to periodically review and amend this list
and to grant registrations of any of the names on
the list as it deems appropriate. Geographical names
may be made available to corresponding government
entities under special conditions to be determined
by CIRA in its discretion.
Conflicting Names:
A domain name will not be registered if, at
the time the Registration Request is made to CIRA, the
domain name is an exact match in all respects to a domain
name that is registered in the name of another person
in the CIRA Registry at any level, whether second, third
or fourth, unless such other person consents in writing
to the registration of a domain name at a level different
than the one for which the domain name is registered.
For example, if xyz.on.ca (third level) is registered,
another person cannot obtain a registration for xyz.on.ca
, xyz.ca (second level) or xyz.ottawa.on.ca (fourth
level) without the written consent of the registrant
of xyz.on.ca. CIRA may request Ecommerce Canada to provide
evidence of such written consent. Other Restrictions.
CIRA, in its sole discretion, has the right to reject
and refuse to register any domain name for any reason
whatsoever. A domain name Registration may be suspended
by CIRA pursuant to the Registrant Agreement (see Section
12) and may be cancelled by CIRA pursuant to the Registrant
Agreement (see Section 13).
How do I confirm my
registration with CIRA?
If this is the first domain name registration for the
Registrant, Ecommerce Canada will provide you with a
link to the CIRA confirmation login page, and supply
you with a customer number and password required to
complete the confirmation. It is the applicant's responsibility
to confirm their registration with CIRA within 5 days
of submitting the order. The CIRA confirmation page
will display the following three choices:
- Confirm (this will confirm the
Registrant's registration for this and future domains)
- Confirm later (this will keep
the domain reserved for the remainder of the five
(5) days to allow the Registrant to request Ecommerce
Canada to make any corrections to the Registrant information.
These requests must be sent to support@ecommercecanada.com.
- Cancel (this will cancel the registration
request)
NOTE: If the registration is not confirmed
or canceled within five (5) days of placing the order,
an administrative fee of $10.00 CAD will be charged.
Can I register a ".ca"
domain directly with CIRA?
No. Registrants must go through a CIRA Certified Registrar
such as Ecommerce Canada. As part of the CIRA Registrar
certification process, Ecommerce Canada (and other Registrars)
must provide all registration services including customer
and technical support, which CIRA does not provide to
Registrants directly.
How many ".ca" domains
can an organization or individual register?
Any qualifying individual or organization can register
an unlimited number of .ca domain names. These new rules
are posted at CIRA found at http://www.cira.ca. 
Can anything be registered
as a domain name?
No. Applications for the registration of domain names
will be considered and either accepted or rejected in
accordance with the CIRA rules found at http://www.cira.ca.
What is the dispute
resolution process?
CIRA's dispute resolution process to address disputes
between domain name Registrants and those who claim
trademarks and related rights. The dispute resolution
process takes into account the interests of domain name
and trademark owners, as well as, Canada's intellectual
property laws. More information regarding CIRA's Domain
Dispute Policy can be found on its website at http://www.cira.ca
How do I find out the
Whois information on a .ca domain name?
To find out who has registered a .ca domain name or
to verify that your own domain name is in the CIRA registry,
go to the CIRA web site at http://www.cira.ca and click
on Whois. Be aware that it can take up to 24 hours to
show up as registered from the time you registered your
domain name.
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