.cn Domain: China's Official Country Extension
.cn is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of China, entered into the root zone on 28 November 1990. The zone is administered by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). Under the national top-level domain registration rules, natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organisations may apply, and names are allocated first come, first served. For brands that want to appear to Chinese users with a local address, this is the natural starting point.
The defining feature of the extension is identity verification: the applicant must submit identity documents, the registration data must be true, accurate and complete, and the registration service provider must verify it. A domain does not become active until the registration data has been confirmed against the documents supplied. Corporate applications call for a business licence or organisation registration certificate; individual applications call for an identity document. .com.cn is set aside for those showing commercial identity in the address, .org.cn for not-for-profit bodies.
One obligation continues after registration: changes to the registration data must be reported within 30 days. Where the information is found to be untrue, inaccurate or incomplete, correction is required, and failing that the registration may be refused or cancelled. In practice this means postponing a change of address or company name puts your domain at risk. Check your preferred name with domain search and apply with your documents ready.
.CN Domain at a Glance
- Registry China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC)
- Delegated 28 November 1990
- Eligibility Natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organisations
- Identity verification The domain does not activate until registration data is verified against documents
- Keeping data current Changes to registration data must be reported within 30 days
- Document Requirement View required documents
- Country China
- Character Length 1 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 13 servers
.cn Domain Prices — No Surprise Fees
Registration, transfer and renewal fees are listed separately. The renewal price can differ from the first-year price, so you see both up front.
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New Registration
$22.99 /year -
Transfer
$22.99 /year -
Renewal
$25.99 /year -
Restore
$192.00 -
Late Renewal Surcharge
+$4.60 on top of the renewal fee
Included With Every .cn Domain
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Free DNS management
Change A, MX, TXT and CNAME records yourself from the panel — no waiting on anyone when you move a site or mailbox.
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Domain lock
While the lock is on, nobody can move your domain to another registrar without your approval.
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Domain forwarding
Point the domain at your existing site, a campaign page or a social profile — at no extra cost.
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Free WHOIS privacy
Your name, address and phone stay out of public WHOIS records, which cuts down spam and scam calls.
.cn Domain Lifecycle
What happens day by day after it expires
Day 0 is the domain's expiry dateIn short: for .cn the post-expiry timeline is set by the registry, so it differs from one extension to the next. The diagram below shows the windows that actually apply to .cn, day by day. One thing never changes, whichever extension you hold: renewing before the expiry date is always the cheapest and safest route.
Domain Is Available (Available)
A .cn address at this stage has not been taken yet. Because .cn requires documents, the registration completes once your documents are approved; review times vary by extension. Check the name and start your application with your documents ready.
Domain Is Active (Active Period)
Once registration is complete, the domain is registered to you for the term you selected. You can renew at any point before it expires to keep it active, or switch on auto-renewal so you never have to watch the date.
Renewal Window (Grace Period)
The registration does not end on the expiry date: for .cn the registry keeps the name for you during this window, and a renewal brings it back. Depending on the registry, the site and e-mail may stop working from day 0, so renewing before expiry is still the safe route.
Redemption Period (Redemption Period)
The domain is not released the moment it expires — during this window it is still yours and can be recovered. Some extensions charge an extra restore fee at this stage, so renewing before expiry is always the cheaper route.
Domain Is Available Again
Once deletion completes, the domain leaves the system and anyone can register it — popular names are often taken the same minute by someone watching. Keep auto-renewal on so a name you care about never gets this far.
.cn Domain Specifications and Registration Rules
Registration conditions, supported features and the registry's own timelines in a single table.
.cn Domain Registration
- Document Requirement View required documents
- Country China
- Character Length 1 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 2 - 13 servers
.cn Domain Support
- IDN Support Yes
- Transfer Support Yes
- Late Renewal Support Yes
Documents Required for a .cn Domain
.CN, .COM.CN, .NET.CN, .ORG.CN and .SH.CN:
Chinese domains can be registered by natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organisations. The registrant name must match the identity document or company registration certificate exactly, including the company type (for example LTD.).
Please send a scan of your passport or company registration certificate to destek@atakdomain.com. You can also upload the documents in your customer panel. If you register as an individual, please also sign the Letter of Commitment and send us the scanned copy.
If you prefer not to register the domain in your own name, we can register it in the name of our representative and make it available to you; this alternative has an additional cost (Trustee Service). If you have a Chinese company or Chinese ID, please contact one of our executives before requesting your new domain name.
Frequently Asked Questions About .cn Domains
The questions people actually ask before registering — answered plainly.
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Under the national top-level domain registration rules, natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organisations may apply for .cn. Names are allocated first come, first served. What matters is not the type of applicant but whether the identity can be verified against documents: if the details supplied do not match the paperwork, the registration is not processed. Apply with a document whose name and spelling match your registration data exactly.
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Registration data must be true, accurate and complete and must be verified against identity documents; the registration service provider carries out that check. Until it is complete the domain does not activate, meaning the address will not open in a browser. Corporate applications use a business licence or organisation registration certificate, individual ones an identity document. The name on the document must match the registrant name exactly — even a small spelling difference sends the process back.
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Organisations are asked for a business licence or organisation registration certificate, individuals for an identity document. The document must be capable of confirming the name and number stated in the registration data. Having it ready at the moment of application is the practical way to keep the domain from stalling. If you are unsure which document fits your case, clarify it with our support team before starting the process.
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An unverified .cn name will not resolve even though it appears in the registry record: the site will not open and email on that name will not work. Where registration data is found to be untrue, inaccurate or incomplete, the registration service provider requires correction, and without it the registration may be refused or cancelled. Verification is therefore not a formality to deal with later, but the condition for the address going live.
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.cn is the short address taken directly at the second level. .com.cn is one of the nine category domains under .cn and is set aside for those carrying out commercial activity; the registry expects the suffix chosen to match the nature of the applicant. The counterpart for not-for-profit bodies is .org.cn. Identity verification works the same way across all three.
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Changes to registration data such as company name, address, telephone or email must be reported within 30 days. The obligation rests with the registrant and bears directly on the validity of the record: where data is untrue or incomplete, correction is required, and without it the registration may be cancelled. If your company name has changed, updating the record with a document showing the new name is the safe route.
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.cn names can be moved between providers. A transfer does not remove the verification obligation; the registrant details must still match the documents under the new record. The remaining registration period is preserved after the move, and your site keeps running as long as you do not change name servers. You can start on the domain transfer page and check the current state of the record with whois search.
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